Former Nickelodeon executive Dan Schneider is suing the people and companies behind the recent docuseries “Quiet on Set.” He alleges its episodes “repeatedly state or imply that Schneider is a child sexual abuser.”
The ID documentary series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” aired four episodes in March and then a bonus episode in April.
The series took a deep dive into the working conditions of both child actors and adult staff on Nickelodeon in the 1990s and 2000s.
In a lawsuit filed on May 1 in Los Angeles Superior Court, Schneider’s legal team walks through “Quiet on Set” from the trailer to the series finale, making the argument that the show had implied he was personally responsible for the abuse.
“This action arises out of the recent television docuseries ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’ in which Defendants falsely state or imply that Schneider … sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows. These statements are fabrications.”
The lawsuit names Warner Brothers Discovery, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television and the series’ directors, Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, as defendants.
TODAY.com reached out to ID, Robertson and Schwartz, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction and Business Insider for comment but did not immediately hear back. The documentary series is based on reporting from Business Insider.
Schneider sent the following statement to TODAY.com on May 1:
Recently the docuseries Quiet on Set highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions. There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it.
However, after seeing Quiet on Set and its Trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it. In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.
I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators. I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight.
In the documentary, some of the writers, former child stars and other staffers who worked with Schneider allege the atmosphere behind the scenes was toxic.
Bell — who starred in “Drake and Josh” as well as “All That” — also revealed that he was sexually abused by an acting coach who was employed by the network. The coach, Brian Peck, was convicted in Bell’s case in 2004.
Schneider did not appear in the initial documentary but responded to the first four episodes in a video interview with former “iCarly” cast member BooG!e (born Bobby Bowman) on March 19.
“I wish I could go back … and just do a better job and never ever feel like it was OK to be an a–hole to anyone, ever,” he said at the time. “I’d just be nicer as often as possible and listen more to the people on my team and I would do everything that I could to make sure that everyone had a good experience.”
TODAY.com reached out to ID, the documentary series directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television Nonfiction and Business Insider for comment but did not immediately hear back. The documentary series is based on reporting from Business Insider.