Dan Schneider, former producer and screenwriter at Nickelodeon, has filed a lawsuit against the creators of the documentary series “Quiet on Set.” He accuses the makers of falsely implying that he sexually abused child actresses he worked with. The lawsuit against Warner Bros. Discovery and other companies was filed in the Los Angeles Superior Court, as reported by Spiegel.
Schneider, born in 1966, was himself a child star in the 1980s. He later began a career as a sketch writer at the American TV network Nickelodeon. Soon, he was responsible for hit series such as “Zoey 101,” “Drake & Josh,” “iCarly,” and “Victorious.” Nickelodeon trusted him; Dan Schneider was seen as a genius who knew what the young audience wanted to see. The network gave him free rein. Schneider is also a central figure in the documentary series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which is available on the streaming service Discovery+ in Germany. The documentary describes, through interviews with former actresses, actors, and crew members, how young teenagers were sexualized in Nickelodeon series. Schneider is also accused of creating a toxic work environment.
The documentary also discusses former child star Drake Bell, who tells the filmmakers that he was sexually abused for months by a crew member when he was 15 years old. Brian Peck, the convicted perpetrator, was working on the set of “The Amanda Show,” Dan Schneider’s first self-conceived show for Nickelodeon, at the time. The mother of an actress who was sexually abused by a crew member also speaks out.
Dan Schneider, from whom Nickelodeon parted ways in 2018, accuses the creators of “Quiet on Set” of deliberately mixing footage and mentions of him with criminal sex offenders. This is intended to imply that he was involved in criminal activities.
The four-part series also depicts how girls and young women were portrayed in Schneider’s shows, often in scenes with sexual undertones. Additionally, the former producer is described as a boss prone to tantrums and emotional abuse. Schneider allegedly showed pornographic films on his computer in the presence of female writers and asked for “massages.”
In the lawsuit filed, he is seeking unspecified damages for “the destruction of Schneider’s reputation and legacy” through “false statements and implications.”
Nickelodeon, which is not involved in the current legal dispute, stated that it cannot “confirm or deny” allegations regarding productions that date back decades. However, the network sees it as its obligation to “promote a safe and professional work environment free from harassment or any other forms of inappropriate behavior.” In Germany, RTL took over the German-language version of Nickelodeon in April.
