Joey Lawrence is grateful that he survived the “dark side” of early fame as a multitude of ‘90s child stars have spoken out as of late, alleging abuse at the hands of network superiors.
“So certainly in our industry — in the ‘80s and ‘90s, especially — a lot of stuff went down that was not OK. You see a lot of these people talking about it today,” the former kid actor-turned-teen heartthrob, now 47, tells in an exclusive new interview.
The actor — who rose to fame on the ’80s show “Gimme a Break!” and the ’90s hit “Blossom” — notes that he was “very lucky” to avoid any unsavory interactions in the biz, adding that his parents were “always around” to keep him and his famous siblings safe.
“My parents were with me the whole time, so there were moments and they were averted because my parents were right there,” he says of his mother, Donna Lawrence, and father, Joseph Lawrence Sr.
Joey — who starred on the sitcom “Brotherly Love” in his late teens alongside younger brothers Matthew Lawrence, now 44, and Andy Lawrence, now 36 — emphasizes that any shady on-set characters knew that would not be “able to get away with anything” with their mom and dad around.
“I was very close with my family. We went everywhere together and I had that support system,” he tells us. “And it was sort of this impervious wall surrounding me at those very vulnerable moments, you know? I’m very grateful for that.”
Lawrence’s reflections on his experience as an adolescent actor come after Nickelodeon alum Drake Bell — among other former child stars who worked for the network — alleged they were abused on set and behind closed doors in ID’s “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids…
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