Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider has broken his silence following allegations of inappropriate and abusive behavior leveled against him in the recent docuseries, "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV."
Schneider, known for creating hit children's shows like "The Amanda Show," "Victorious," and "Drake and Josh," addressed some of the accusations during an interview on his YouTube channel with "iCarly" actor BooG!e. He expressed the challenge of watching all four episodes of the Investigation Discovery series, which aired over Sunday and Monday.
"Confronting my past actions, some of which I find embarrassing and remorseful," he stated. "I certainly owe certain individuals a sincere apology."
Prior to the premiere of "Quiet on Set," Schneider had already been under fire for including sexually suggestive humor in his children's shows. Schneider mentioned his willingness to remove such content from his productions if it proves to be distressing for viewers.
"Every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience because kids thought they were funny — and only funny," he said. "Now, we have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens and they're looking at them and they're saying, 'I don't think that's inappropriate for a kids' show.' And I have no problem with that... Let's cut those jokes out of the show."
Schneider also refuted the idea that he had complete control over the content that eventually made it on his shows, saying "there were many, many levels of scrutiny," pointing out executives from the company, crewmembers, parents and other adults on set could have raised objections. The documentary, however, portrayed Schneider as vindictive, volatile and hard to sway.
Another accusation made against Schneider in "Quiet on Set" was that he mistreated two female writers by having them split a single staff writer's salary. Schneider said he personally had "nothing to do" with paying writers or determining their salaries, but also noted it was "common practice" for first-time writers to split salaries. Schneider also admitted it was wrong for him to ask for massages on set — another allegation made during the docuseries.
"I apologize to anyone I ever put in that situation," he said.
Schneider also admitted he had no involvement in the hiring of Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who was convicted of child sex abuse in 2004. The victim's identity was kept confidential at the time, but actor Drake Bell disclosed in "Quiet on Set" that he was the victim of Peck's abuse during their time on "The Amanda Show."
Upon learning about Bell's ordeal, Schneider expressed that he was "more devastated by that than anything that ever happened to me in my career, thus far."
Alexa Nikolas, a former cast member of "Zoey 101" who has been openly critical of Schneider, condemned his recent statements and suggested she would have preferred a private apology over a public declaration.
"I don't sense any genuine remorse from him," she remarked during a YouTube live stream following Schneider's interview. "He's not showing any emotion. I understand people cope differently, but I'm not seeing any sincerity from you, Dan. Nothing at all."
Regarding the allegations of misconduct on previous Nickelodeon sets, a spokesperson for the network informed CBS News that they are unable to either confirm or refute claims from productions that took place many years ago.
Upon receiving formal complaints, Nickelodeon conducts thorough investigations as part of their commitment to creating a safe and professional work environment free from harassment and inappropriate behavior. A spokesperson stated, "Our top priorities are the well-being and best interests of our employees, casts, crew, and most importantly, all children. Throughout the years, we have implemented numerous safeguards to ensure that we uphold our high standards and meet the expectations of our audience."
It is worth noting that both Nickelodeon and CBS News are subsidiaries of Paramount Global.
