If you or someone you know are a survivor of sexual abuse you can reach the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673. Additional resources can be found at the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Former showrunner Dan Schneider is suing the producers of Quiet on Set after the HBO docuseries revealed details of major abuse allegations during his time at Nickelodeon.
As reported by Variety, Schneider's lawsuit claims that the former showrunner had "no knowledge" of the sexual abuse detailed in the documentary by dialogue and acting coach Brian Peck and others. It further goes on to claim that the documentary was a "hit job" made for the sake of "clickbait, ratings, and views."
Investigation Discovery, which produced the documentary, has not yet commented on the lawsuit.
Quiet on Set delves into Schneider's career at Nickelodeon and includes claims that he sexualized the child stars of the shows he worked on, including Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and iCarly among others. Some of the most explosive allegations were those leveled by former child star Drake Bell, who said he was sexually abused by Peck and felt pressured to stay silent.
Numerous former Nickelodeon stars have since come forward with statements of their own.
"Nickelodeon I am asking you to remove the scene on Zoey 101 where I am sexualized as a child," Alexa Nikolas wrote in a March 13 Twitter post. "Where Dan Schneider took part in creating a scene where I say 'this shirt makes me look chesty'. I would also like the scene where I say 'how do we get these boobs' to also be removed."
Nickelodeon I am asking you to remove the scene on Zoey 101 where I am sexualized as a child. Where Dan Schneider took part in creating a scene where I say “this shirt makes me look chesty”. I would also like the scene where I say “how do we get these boobs” to also be removed.
— Alexa Nikolas (@alexanikolas__) March 13, 2024
Schneider has released multiple statements responding to the allegations, taking accountability for behavior such as seeking out on-set massages, but denying others. In a statement to Variety he wrote, "Recently the docuseries Quiet on Set highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions.
"There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it. However, after seeing Quiet on Set and its trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it. In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.”
He continued, "I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators. I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight."
Quiet on Set was one of the most-watched streaming shows when it debuted on March 17. It finished airing on April 7 and the five-episode series is currently available on Max.
Kat Bailey is IGN's News Director as well as co-host of Nintendo Voice Chat. Have a tip? Send her a DM at @the_katbot.
