Alexa Nikolas
Michael Grey
Zoey 101 alum Alexa Nikolas, one of many Nickelodeon stars featured in Investigation Discovery’s Quiet on Set: The Darkish Aspect of Children TV, has responded to Dan Schneider’s commentary on the docuseries.
In a video shared this week to her YouTube web page for Eat Predators, a motion created by Nikolas to finish predatory conduct within the leisure trade, the previous youngster star reacted to Schneider voicing remorse in direction of his actions as a boss. Schneider served as producer and showrunner of assorted Nickelodeon reveals together with All That, The Amanda Present, Drake & Josh and Zoey 101.
Nikolas was 12 when she was solid on Zoey 101. She exited after two seasons in 2006 following what she describes beneath as a blow-up from Schneider after the actress requested for him to mediate in her fraught dynamic with the collection’ star, Jamie Lynn Spears.
“Watching over the previous two nights was very tough, [with] me dealing with my previous behaviors — a few of that are embarrassing and I remorse, and I undoubtedly owe some individuals a reasonably sturdy apology,” Schneider had mentioned throughout his 19-minute sit-down chat with BooG!E, who performed T-Bo on iCarly, in response to the Quiet on Set allegations. The video adopted up an announcement launched earlier by a rep for Schneider that mentioned partly, “All the things that occurred on the reveals Dan ran was fastidiously scrutinized by dozens of concerned adults, and accepted by the community.”
In her video, Nikolas mentioned, “He’s embarrassed?”
She continued, “I’m sorry, him centering what he feels is weird to me. It’s such as you actually… you’re terrible! To be fairly sincere with you, terrible. You’re embarrassed? Not embarrassed sufficient! Not embarrassed sufficient to go attain out to the individuals you truly harmed.
“I’m going to chop to the chase right here: you don’t really feel something, Dan. You haven’t any thought what accountability is. You’re looking for it, perhaps, however you haven’t landed on it. That’s for certain. This isn’t the best way.”
Certainly one of her former Zoey 101 co-stars, Jack Salvatore, has equally spoken as much as corroborate a few of the Quiet on Set allegations, in addition to stage new ones, in an Instagram put up the place he mentioned, “Apology not accepted” till Schneider goes on 60 Minutes to reply questions from some “actual journalists.” (The Hollywood Reporter has reached out to reps for Schneider and Nickelodeon about Salvatore’s feedback. Salvatore declined additional remark when reached by THR.)
After she posted her video, Nikolas spoke to THR to increase upon what she revealed within the docuseries and share extra particulars concerning the alleged poisonous surroundings created by Schneider.
She had beforehand spoken out a few wardrobe-related incident whereas enjoying her Zoey 101 character, Nicole, saying on the Actual Pod podcast in 2022 that the encounter was one thing that motivated her to need to converse out and turn out to be an advocate for different survivors of predatory conduct.
Chatting with THR, she says Schneider was within the costume room as she tried on outfits and claims he saved Polaroids of her within the outfits. In accordance with Nikolas, the showrunner “handpicked” miniskirts for her to put on, which have been “so quick” that the costume designers needed to give her biker shorts to put on beneath. Nonetheless, the biker shorts have been too lengthy, poking out beneath the tiny skirts, in order that they needed to be lower.
“I used to be instructed [I had to wear the shorts] in order that no person sees my butt,” says Nikolas. “It’s humiliating for a kid to be instructed, ‘We simply need to make it possible for your butt doesn’t present!’ You look again at that and also you’re like, ‘Why don’t you simply give me garments that don’t present my butt?’ Like, that’s freaking bizarre! Dan desires these skirts; he’s the one handpicking them and he has all artistic management. It’s fairly scary wanting again at that have.”
Alexa Nikolas in 2005 when she starred on Zoey 101.
Frederick M. Brown/Getty Photographs
Reps for Schneider didn’t reply to THR‘s request for remark. Kris Dangl, who was the collection’ costume designer, denied to THR that Schneider had a job in selecting the outfits for the present. “If a skirt was quick, then you definately wore shorter bike shorts. The skirts acquired shorter and extra sporty at the moment after we have been doing Zoey 101 as a result of it was a really sporty time, like a variety of tennis skirts and really quick, sporty Abercrombie and Fitch skirts,” mentioned Dangl, who began working at Nickelodeon in 2002.
Earlier than the docuseries, Nikolas had publicly spoken about one other unfavorable expertise she confronted on the set of Zoey 101. In 2019 on Instagram Reside, the actress detailed a troubling encounter with Schneider following alleged rampant bullying from Jamie Lynn.
On the time, Nikolas mentioned that throughout the present’s second season, a expertise coordinator instructed her mom that he was taking the actress to hair and make-up, however as an alternative led her to Spears’ trailer. As soon as she sat down inside, her sister Britney Spears allegedly began “berating” her on Jamie Lynn’s behalf, threatening to wreck her profession.
“My mother didn’t even know the place I used to be in that second and that was youngster endangerment,” Nikolas tells THR concerning the scenario. “Think about if it wasn’t Britney and Jamie. Think about if it was [convicted child sex abuser] Brian Peck on the opposite aspect. Which is why, while you’re a expertise coordinator, you need to inform the dad and mom the place you’re taking the kids.”
After being cornered by Britney, Nikolas says she instructed her mom what occurred, who then requested a gathering with the present’s manufacturing crew. Nikolas was accompanied by her agent, whereas her lawyer was on the cellphone. “Dan was simply horrible. He was saying malicious issues, like, ‘Alexa must cease crying about being bullied. This isn’t about her. She must put her emotions apart [because] it is a skilled work surroundings,’” she recollects the showrunner saying.
She provides, “There have been three different producers in there who have been permitting him to behave like that. [One casting director] was like, ‘You need to be thanking us for giving you a chance like this. You’re fortunate to be on Nickelodeon.’”
After Nikolas says she burst into tears throughout the assembly, Schneider requested for the then-13-year-old to talk with him and the manufacturing crew privately, which her agent agreed to. This led to an escalation from Schneider: “Dan screams at me, ‘This isn’t referred to as Nicole 101, do you perceive me?’”
After working out of the room in tears, Nikolas says she instructed her mom what occurred, who determined to drag her daughter out of the present. “My mother referred to as them and mentioned, basically, ‘In the event you don’t take away my daughter I’m going to sue you,’” the actress recollects.
Shortly after, Nikolas’ mom acquired a name from the actress’ agent, who mentioned Nickelodeon allowed her to interrupt her contract. The community additionally handed a message alongside to the teenager, saying she was strongly discouraged from attending the Children Alternative Awards, claims Nikolas. “They punished me for simply wanting them to make it a greater surroundings whereas witnessing Dan Schneider yelling at me,” she says.
Reps for Schneider and Nickelodeon haven’t responded to THR‘s remark request.
Britney finally corroborated her actions in direction of Nikolas, apologizing in a since-deleted Instagram put up. She wrote, “Simply think about…me visiting my little sister on her set, final day of capturing, bringing Sprinkles cupcakes… 9 months pregnant, hormones raging like hell and the [assistant director] witnessing Jamie Lynn working at me, putting her palms on my knees whereas I’m sitting down, her sobbing telling me that she’s being bullied on set!!!”
She continued, “My sister was actually like my daughter rising up…so I apologize for my ignorance for yelling at you once I clearly had no thought what was actually occurring!!!”
Nikolas has been in contact with Bell, one other Quiet on Set participant, since his story has aired. The actor mentioned that his co-star Josh Peck had reached out privately, and Josh Peck (unrelated to Brian Peck) has since spoken out to assist his former co-star. Additionally talking out is actress Nancy Sullivan, who performed the duo’s mom on the collection. “It broke my coronary heart into one million items to listen to simply how a lot Drake was holding inside whereas we have been working collectively,” she wrote on Instagram. “I used to be each devastated and proud seeing the person he’s grown into sit down on digicam and bravely inform his fact.”
The doc revealed an inventory of actors who had written letters of assist in 2013 for Bell’s abuser, Brian Peck, and a few of these names have been information to Bell when watching the doc, he instructed Nikolas. In a quote from Bell shared with THR through Nikolas, Bell mentioned Taran Killam being among the many letter writers was a shock.
“We have been mates, I believed,” mentioned Bell in an announcement. “I gave him as a present a cardboard lower out of Princess Leia, as a result of he was obsessive about Star Wars and I labored with Carrie Fischer. So I acquired it signed for him and he featured it in Folks journal when he first acquired Saturday Night time Reside [in 2010]. It was for an expansion on the brand new solid they usually mentioned to deliver their favourite factor from dwelling. He acquired an image with it within the journal and instructed the story of how I acquired it for him.”
He added, “And he nonetheless wrote the letter.”
Reps for Killam haven’t responded to THR‘s request for remark.