Earlier than Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider parted methods with the slime-covered community in 2018, Schneider served because the face of the community. He spearheaded a number of profitable tween reveals like The Amanda Present, starring Amanda Bynes, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 (starring Jamie Lynn Spears), iCarly, and Victorious. Regardless of the unimaginable success of the tween-angst comedies, a brand new docuseries has revealed the stark actuality behind the scenes inside Schneider-affiliated reveals. Within the four-part docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Darkish Aspect of Youngsters TV, Nickelodeon crew members, little one actors, and fogeys element a poisonous work atmosphere marked by misogynistic feedback within the writers room, sexual misconduct by crew members, and sexual innuendos plugged into children programming.
Because the launch of the Investigation Discovery docuseries, extra former Schneider staff have spoken up. Jack Ryan producer Amy Berg labored as Schneider’s assistant for lower than a yr and described him as a “psychological tormenter” and alleges struggling “panic assaults” whereas working for him. Different former little one actors have described feeling “intimidated” by the hitmaker’s potential to remodel their future careers. Schneider has since apologized for his “impolite” habits in a video interview, and acknowledged lengthy work hours overwhelmed staff. Right here’s a timeline of sexual misconduct allegations, gender discrimination lawsuits, and hush cash claims former Nickelodeon staff described on the slime-covered community.
Late Nineties to Early 2000s: What Occurred Between Schneider and Amanda Bynes?
In Quiet on Set, former All That little one actors recalled that Schneider had a private favourite: Amanda Bynes. Bynes, who joined the present in 1996, might make Schneider chuckle, they mentioned, which led to one-on-one pitch conferences, and the eventual creation of The Amanda Present in 1999. Though nobody alleges misconduct, the 2 established a detailed relationship — which included some questionable appearances, like one episode that includes the 2 in a scorching tub, the place Bynes wore a one-piece whereas the showrunner was totally clothed.
On the identical time, Bynes was butting heads together with her mother and father. One former All That solid member, Katrina Johnson, described Bynes’ father treating the younger starlet like a “wind-up doll” and positioned stress on her skilled life. Bynes regarded to Schneider for assist after she tried to run away from dwelling, investigative journalist Kate Taylor explains on Quiet on Set, and tries to get emancipated from her mother and father. When a teen is emancipated, it permits children to work extra hours and earn more cash. In 2002, Individuals journal reported Bynes tried to dwell with Schneider and his spouse Lisa Lillien, though Lillien has mentioned she by no means moved in. After the emancipation case failed, Schneider was unable to revive ties with Bynes’ mother and father. Finally The Amanda Present ran for 4 seasons and the pair labored collectively on the Warner Bros. sitcom What I Like About You.
2000: Why did former writers sue for gender discrimination?
In Quiet on Set, two former The Amanda Present writers, Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen, describe having to separate a single author’s wage for his or her first Nickelodeon gig. Schneider usually took jokes too far, the 2 writers say. In a single writers room assembly, Kilgen alleges, Schneider requested Stratton to lean over the desk and fake to be “sodomized” as she introduced a highschool sketch thought. The off-color jokes continued — whereas engaged on Season Two, Kilgen mentioned within the doc, Schneider requested if she used to do “telephone intercourse” throughout a pitch assembly, humiliating her. Kilgen mentioned that second marked the final straw.
“There was no manner I used to be going to be the one lady in that fucking world with him,” Kilgen mentioned.
By 2000, Kilgen employed a lawyer and filed complaints towards The Amanda Present manufacturing firm alleging gender discrimination and a hostile work atmosphere. After an inside investigation, the case was settled out of courtroom for an undisclosed quantity.
“I knew that this was the top of my profession, so it higher be price it,” Kilgen mentioned.
2003 – 2004: What did Nickelodeon crew members Jason Useful and Brian Peck do?
Jason Useful, who labored on The Amanda Present and All That, usually escorted little one actors on set as a manufacturing assistant and appeared pleasant on the floor, based on former little one actors within the docuseries. Little one actors and fogeys later realized that Useful was a sexual predator. One lady within the docuseries, MJ, describes her then 11-year-old daughter changing into mates with him, and Useful later sending her daughter an electronic mail with a picture of him masturbating. Investigative journalist Taylor additionally asserts within the docuseries that Useful repeatedly kissed a nine-year-old little one actor who labored on Cousin Skeeter, telling her that he might advance her profession.
Los Angeles police arrested 28-year-old Useful in 2003 for a lewd act with a baby below age 14. Regulation enforcement searched Useful’s dwelling, after receiving a tip of inappropriate habits, and located a trove of kid pornography together with 10,000 pictures of kids. Throughout the pictures, 1,768 featured younger ladies in erotic poses, 238 pictures of younger ladies in sexually express poses, and a pair of pictures of women in “bondage exercise,” the docuseries particulars. Whereas looking out his dwelling, Taylor explains legislation enforcement discovered a CD with sexually express content material involving minors and journals the place Useful wrote he’s a “pedofile, full blown” and “I even battle on a everyday foundation of how I can discover a sufferer to rape if I’ve to.” MJ’s daughter later testifies in courtroom, and Useful is sentenced to 6 years behind bars, on two felony counts together with a lewd act on a baby, and a misdemeanor in 2004.
Across the identical time, dialogue coach Brian Peck, who additionally labored on The Amanda Present and All That, established a detailed relationship with soon-to-be Drake & Josh star Drake Bell. Peck turned an extension of Bell’s life: attending Bell’s concert events, internet hosting his fifteenth birthday celebration, inviting him to Disneyland, and permitting him to spend the night time at his Los Angeles dwelling. Bell alleges within the docuseries that at age 15, 41-year-old Peck started “sexually assaulting” him. Bell described feeling “trapped,” and helpless with out the flexibility to drive himself too and from on-set work.
“Anytime I had an audition or wanted to work on dialogue or something, I by some means ended up again at Brian’s home,” Bell says. “And it simply bought worse and worse and worse.”
Los Angeles police arrested Peck in August 2003 on a number of fees together with lewd acts with a baby that occurred about two years prior at his Los Angeles dwelling, based on a Los Angeles police press launch. Peck coached the sufferer, the discharge states, and the household reported Peck had molested the kid over a six month interval. In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to 2 fees of kid sexual abuse, was sentenced to 16 months in jail, and ordered to register as a intercourse offender.
“Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his id because the plaintiff within the 2004 case, we’re dismayed and saddened to be taught of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and help the energy required to return ahead,” a Nickelodeon spokesperson beforehand advised Rolling Stone in an announcement.
Jury Obligation’s James Marsden, Saturday Night time Dwell’s Taran Killam, and Boy Meets World actors Will Friedle and Rider Robust all despatched letters supporting Peck throughout his courtroom case, the documentary detailed. Schneider didn’t write a letter, with Bell including, “The one particular person I bear in mind being there for me is Dan.”
2022: What has Jennette McCurdy mentioned about Dan Schneider?
Greater than a decade later, iCarly and Sam & Cat star Jennette McCurdy printed her memoir I’m Glad My Mother Died alleging the youngsters community provided her $300,000 in “hush cash” to forestall her from publicly discussing her present expertise and relationship with a person she known as “The Creator.” McCurdy doesn’t explicitly determine who The Creator is, although, within the docuseries, pictures of iCarly creator Schneider are talked about after excerpts of McCurdy’s guide, with Taylor including Schneider would “humiliate” or “hearth” an worker after they made a mistake.
“I really feel like The Creator has two distinct sides. One is beneficiant and over-the-top complimentary…The opposite aspect is mean-spirited, controlling, and terrifying,” McCurdy wrote in her memoir.
Within the memoir, McCurdy additionally particulars a dinner with The Creator, earlier than the discharge of Sam & Cat, the place he persuaded the 18-year-old actress to drink alcohol and later she wrote he “place[d] a hand on my knee,” positioned his coat round her (believing she was chilly), and started patting and massaging her.
“I need to say one thing, to inform him to cease, however I’m so terrified of offending him,” McCurdy wrote.
Nickelodeon launched an inside investigation amid the aggravating work atmosphere on Sam & Cat, which is detailed within the docuseries, and Schneider was now not allowed to work on set with the kid stars. (Schneider claims he was not barred from working with actors however selected to offer notes from his workplace, based on an announcement supplied by Schneider within the docuseries.)
2024: Has Schneider apologized for something?
In a video interview posted Tuesday, Schneider addressed allegations of making a poisonous office made by former colleagues in Quiet on Set, and apologized for his “over-ambitious” habits. Throughout the 19-minute interview, carried out by former Nick star BooG!e (iCarly’s T-Bo), Schneider says he didn’t rent dialogue coach Brian Peck, who Drake & Josh star Drake Bell alleges sexually assaulted him. Schneider additionally apologized for requesting massages from staff, and expressed remorse for collaborating in inappropriate jokes made within the writers room.
“Most writers, TV writers are conscious that a number of instances there are inappropriate jokes made and inappropriate matters come up, however the truth that I participated in that particularly since I used to be main the room, it embarrasses me,” Schneider mentioned within the interview.
The previous showrunner additionally mentioned what Nickelodeon colleagues allege had been sexual jokes plugged into children programming, and mentioned if mother and father disapproved of the network-approved skits, he’d minimize the jokes from the present. Schneider wraps the interview by encouraging the usage of on-set licensed therapists to make sure child actors know the long-term implications of changing into a younger star, and apologizes for his “obnoxious” demeanor behind the scenes.
“I didn’t present sufficient endurance,” Schneider mentioned within the video. “I may very well be cocky and positively over-ambitious, and typically simply straight up impolite and obnoxious and I’m sorry that I ever was.”