Last month, iCarly and Sam and Cat star Jennette McCurdy released new details about working with Dan Schneider at Nickelodeon in her memoir I’m Glad My Mother Died. McCurdy shared some disturbing anecdotes about her interactions with Schneider, who she refers to as “The Creator.” Now, other Nickelodeon alums are coming forward with a new seat of allegations.
To set some context, Schneider was the showrunner behind many of Nickelodeon’s hit shows, including The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 and Victorious. Schneider worked with up-and-coming kid and teen actors for over a decade before he left the network in 2018 following an internal investigation that found him to be “verbally abusive” to co-workers.
Now, a few former actors and crew members are coming forward with more allegations. In her book, McCurdy alleges that Schneider gave her alcohol when she was underage and gave her unsolicited shoulder massages (McCurdy began working with Nickelodeon when she was 15). And according to a report from Insider, writers, actors and crew members who worked with Schneider have come forward with allegations of sexism, misconduct and sexualizing underage stars in disturbing scenes.
Former female writers on All That and The Amanda Show shared similar experiences of Schneider dismissing their work and making them uncomfortable. One writer claimed he told her that women weren’t funny on her very first day of work.
Victorious star Daniella Monet, who played Trina, shared that while most of her experience working with Nickelodeon was “very PC, funny, silly, friendly, chill,” she did “wish certain things didn’t have to be so sexualized.” Many of the female casts outfits were borderline indecent and Monet said some of the outfits were “not age appropriate.”
Alexa Nikolas, who starred as Nicole on Zoey 101, has been vocal about the ways in which “Nickelodeon didn’t protect” over the years. Speaking with Insider, Nikolas shared an instance when Schneider insisted on doing multiple takes of Jamie Lynn Spears getting hit in the face by green slime. “We’re talking about a minor,” she said. “I think Jamie was 13, and they’re squirting stuff on her face to make it look a certain way.”
‘Zoey 101’ star Alexa Nikolas protests outside Nickelodeon headquarters.
The signs include “Nickelodeon didn’t protect me,” “Eat predators” and “Sickelodeon.” pic.twitter.com/5M1M4SU1sh
— Pop Base (@PopBase) August 26, 2022
At the time, Schneider has not commented on the report, but in 2021, Schneider denied the first round of misconduct allegations to the New York Times, saying that “I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors.”
Nickelodeon’s former president of content and production, Russell Hicks, also told Insider that “every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinized and approved.”
