After the “Quiet on Set” documentary series, former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider apologizes
Dan Schneider, a former producer at Nickelodeon, issued an apology for his actions and the environment that existed on the sets of the preteen and teen-focused series he created in the 2000s and 2010s.
In response to the Investigation Discovery series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which aired on Sunday and Monday, Schneider—who left the network in 2018—spoke out.
In an online video chat with actor Bobbie K. Bowman, popularly known as BooG!e, Schneider described watching the docuseries as “embarrassing” and “difficult.” Schneider expressed regret for some of his humiliating previous conduct and acknowledged that he owed some people a heartfelt apology.
In an interview that was posted to Schneider’s YouTube account on Tuesday, he chatted with Bowman, who portrayed T-Bo on “iCarly.”
Some of Nickelodeon’s most popular series, such as “All That,” “The Amanda Show,” “Drake and Josh,” and “iCarly,” were produced by Schneider.
Several actors and former child stars who appeared in Schneider’s productions were profiled in “Quiet on Set”; they claimed to have experienced abuse, inappropriate behavior, and a poisonous work environment.
When questioned about massages that took place at work, Schneider responded, “It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position.” “I’m sorry to everyone I ever put in that predicament.”
Many others who were present and saw it would have felt uneasy as well. I therefore also owe them an apology.
Schneider stated that jokes or content that raises doubts should be removed from vaulted and replayed episodes of the shows.
Schneider stated, “Those jokes were all written with children in mind because that’s who found them funny.” “Now, twenty years later, some adults look back upon them through their prism. That is not problematic for me. Let’s remove such jokes from the program.
He also restated a statement he had made before, in which he claimed that several network executives authorized the content and appearance of his shows and that there were scores of grown-ups on set who never voiced any objections.
He also mentioned a pre-leave inquiry that was conducted and that there was no misconduct discovered.
A Schneider representative said, “All that was found is that he was a challenging, tough, and demanding person to work for and with, nothing else.”
Drake Bell, the actor of “Drake and Josh,” comes up with allegations against dialect coach Brian Peck in the documentary “Quiet on Set.”
A close associate of Schneider’s on “All That” and “The Amanda Show,” where Bell frequently appeared, Peck was detained and accused of “lewd acts with a child” in 2003.
as stated in a Los Angeles Police Department news release. According to the press statement, Peck had spent six months abusing an unnamed minor he had worked with.
A case summary from Los Angeles County Superior Court states that Peck was found guilty of oral copulation with a kid under 16 and lewd or lascivious actions with a youngster aged 14 or 15, having entered a plea of not guilty. He received a 16-month prison sentence.
A request for comment from a Peck spokesperson was not answered. Schneider became upset over the matter and declared that Peck had not been hired.
He added that he has made an effort to support actors, including Bell’s mother, during Bell’s legal troubles.
Bell was found guilty of “grooming” a 12-year-old female victim and received a two-year probationary sentence for endangering the welfare of a child. He entered a guilty plea to a misdemeanor charge of spreading material harmful to minors as well as a criminal charge of attempted child endangerment.
Schneider stated that therapists should be able to judge whether a young person truly wants to work on television shows that use child actors.
He remarked, “A child can opt-out if they don’t want to be on a TV show.”
Regarding Schneider’s apology video, Nickelodeon did not immediately react to a request for comment.
In response to the documentary, a network spokesman stated the following:
“As part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace free from harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct, Nickelodeon investigates all formal complaints, even though we are unable to confirm or refute allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago. Our top concerns are the welfare and best interests of all children, not only our staff, actors, and crew. Over the years, we have put in place several measures to help make sure we are upholding both our high standards and those of our viewers.
In a live stream on her YouTube channel on Tuesday, Alexa Nikolas, who portrayed Nicole Bristow on the Schneider-created Nickelodeon series “Zoey 101,” urged for additional protections for young actresses, including the removal of child nondisclosure agreements and the appointment of third-party representatives.
“Unfortunately, it took you this long to apologize to us, Dan Schneider, but I don’t feel bad for you,” she remarked on Tuesday outside Nickelodeon’s Burbank, California, headquarters.
She replied, “You didn’t just bully me; you put me in a position where creeps would look at me in a certain way when I was a kid.” “You feel ashamed? That is a jest.
In the YouTube video, Schneider admitted that he was inexperienced when he oversaw some of the most valuable franchises for a cable network and that he occasionally acted in a “straight-up rude” manner.
