Former Nickelodeon producer and creator Dan Schneider has responded to allegations in the new Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Schneider, who created shows like All That, iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, and The Amanda Show, has long been accused of sexualizing young actors in his programs and behaving inappropriately behind the scenes.
The docuseries addresses those accusations and endeavors to uncover “the toxic culture behind some of the most iconic children’s shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s,” per iMDB.
Schneider released a 20-minute interview on his YouTube channel today where he speaks with BooG!e, who played a role in iCarly, about the docuseries.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” Schneider said. “Facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
“One element of the special focused on Schneider asking crew members to massage Schneider on set,” Variety reports. “Although he had previously admitted to and apologized for that behavior through a statement via his team, he spoke more directly to the massages in this interview.”
“It was wrong,” he said. “It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position. It was the wrong thing to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation. Additionally, I apologize to the people who were walking around video village or wherever they happened because there were lots of people there who witnessed it who also may have felt uncomfortable, so I owe them an apology as well.”
Schneider also commented on the suggestion that certain jokes in his programs were inappropriate or offensive:All these jokes that you’re speaking of that the show covered over the past two nights — every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience because kids thought they were funny. 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, “You know, I don’t think that’s appropriate for a kids show.” I have no problem with that. If that’s how anyone feels, let’s cut those jokes out of the show, just like I would have done 20 years ago. I want my shows to be popular. The more people who like the shows, the happier I am. So, if there’s anything in a show that needs to be cut because it’s upsetting somebody, let’s cut it.
Schneider acknowledged that if he could do anything differently, he would “change … how I treat people.”
“I definitely, at times, didn’t give people the best of me. I didn’t show enough patience," he said. "I could be cocky and definitely over-ambitious, and sometimes just straight-up rude and obnoxious. I’m so sorry that I ever was. When I watch the show, I can see the hurt in some people’s eyes, and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry. I wish I could go back to the earlier years of my career and bring the growth and experience that I have now, and just do a better job.” Former Nickelodeon exec Dan Schneider on asking crew members to massage him on set:
“It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position. It was a wrong thing to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that… pic.twitter.com/T14Uf41dAw
— Variety (@Variety) March 19, 2024
A prominent component of Quiet on Set involves actor Drake Bell opening up about being sexually assaulted as a child actor at Nickelodeon.
Bell openly discussed his assault at age 15 by fellow Nickelodeon talent and dialogue coach Brian Peck, who was arrested in 2003 on 11 charges, including sodomy, lewd act on a child of 14 or 15 by a person 10 years or older, and oral copulation through anesthesia or controlled substance. Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender after pleading no contest.
The victim of Peck's assault was not known at the time, though Bell revealed during the documentary's filming that he was the child involved in the crimes that led Peck's arrest.
According to the former child star, Bell occasionally stayed at Peck's house because the dialogue actor lived closer to auditions than his parents. Bell discussed his first sexual assault by Peck while he was at the dialogue coach's house after sleeping over.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep. I woke up to him — I opened my eyes, I woke up and he was sexually assaulting me," Bell said. "I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I have no idea how to get out of this situation."
Bell, who said the assault had become a "secret" he hid from friends and family, added he remembered Peck being "apologetic" about the assault and promised it would not happen again.
“He figured out how to convince my mom and everyone around to, anytime I would have an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house and it just got worse and worse and worse and worse," Bell continued. "I was just trapped. I had no way out."
A spokesperson for Nickelodeon provided a statement to Variety addressing content discussed in the documentary.
“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct,” the statement read. “Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
“Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward," Nickelodeon's statement concluded.
Schneider clarified in today's interview that he did not hire Peck.
"When Drake and I talked and he told me what had happened, I was more devastated by that than anything that ever happened to me in my career thus far," he added. BREAKING NEWS 🚨 Nickelodeon Producer Dan Schneider breaks silence in new interview and cries talking about Drake Bell's documentary ‘Quiet On Set’ and Drake being abused by Brian Peck at 15
"that was probably the darkest part of my career"
via The Hollywood Reporter,… pic.twitter.com/Jk5v6wScV5
— SOUND (@itsavibe) March 19, 2024
Christopher Bertman contributed to this report
Editor's Note: A previous version of this article did not include a statement from a Nickelodeon spokesperson.
