- Schneider admits some people need a strong apology
- He parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018
- Four-part docuseries alleged abuse and inappropriate behavior on various Nickelodeon shows
Dan Schneider, a former producer, writer and showrunner at kid’s channel Nickelodeon has issued an apology for his behavior on a range of shows.
The apology, made in a video posted on his YouTube channel, came after a new documentary series alleged years of abuse and inappropriate behavior on a range of hugely popular shows on Nickelodeon, such as Drake and Josh, iCarly and The Amanda Show.
The four-part Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV contained allegations of abuse and toxic working environments experienced by child actors, writers and staffers on various shows spanning about 20 years from the 1990s to the late 2010s. This included sexual and inappropriate jokes in the writers’ room.
Schneider, who left Nickelodeon in 2018, was not involved in the documentary series, but many of the shows he was involved in as showrunner were mentioned.
“Watching over the past two nights was difficult for me,” Schneider admitted in the video. “Facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and I regret and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.
He addressed allegations that he asked crew members to massage him on set. “It was wrong that I put anyone in that situation, I am embarrassed that I did it then and I apologies to anyone I put in that situation,” he said,
In Quiet on Set, actor Drake Bell also alleged that former dialogue coach Brian Peck sexually abused him. Peck, who pleaded no contest to two charges of child abuse in 2004 and was given a 16-month prison sentence as a result, worked with Schneider on Nickelodeon shows such as The Amanda Show. Schneider addressed this in the video, saying that that it was the “darkest part” of this career.
Nickelodeon has not responded to the apology, but previously said about the docuseries that it “cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviours from productions decades ago” but investigates all formal complaints “as a matter of policy”.
