Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon Haven’t Talked About Censoring Old Shows After Apology Video

Etan Vlessing
·5 min read
3
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.
  • Oops!
    Something went wrong.
    Please try again later.

Former kids TV producer Dan Schneider says he has no problem censoring Nickelodeon cult classics he created in the 1990s and 2000s that now may offend viewers.

“All these jokes that you’re speaking of that [Quiet on Set] covered over the past two nights, every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience, because kids thought they were funny, and only funny,” Schneider said of lines he wrote for Nickelodeon shows like The Amanda Show, Victorious and Zoey 101, and which are now being criticized by offended fans on YouTube and social media platforms for having allegedly sexualized young actors.

More from The Hollywood Reporter

His comments came as part of a March 19 apology video he released following the two-night docuseries, Investigation Discovery’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which probed toxic environment claims on sets run by Schneider. The former Nickelodeon producer created hit programs for the network like All That, Drake & Josh, iCarly and Sam & Cat, and helped launch the careers of the likes of Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Victoria Justice, Miranda Cosgrove and Jennette McCurdy.

In a statement obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, a representative for Schneider says, “Dan absolutely never intended for any of those jokes that are now being seen as sexualized content to be anything other than funny for kids. Kids don’t look at things the same way as adults. The jokes were funny for kids, and only funny. But now, 20 to 25 years later, adults are looking at a handful of those jokes and looking at them through adult lenses and it’s making some people uncomfortable. So Dan thinks those jokes should be cut from the reruns.”

Representatives for Nickelodeon, which parted ways with Schneider and his production banner Schneider’s Bakery in 2018, declined comment to The Hollywood Reporter when asked about his call to cut out any offending jokes from classic series.

But after making the public call in the apology video, Schneider has not contacted Nickelodeon or other Paramount platforms that make classic Nickelodeon series available for viewing, THR has confirmed. (Paramount Global is the owner of CBS, Paramount+, Paramount Pictures, Nickelodeon and other media brands.)

Quiet on Set highlighted how Schneider’s scripts allegedly sexualized Ariana Grande, Bynes and Jamie Lynn Spears, among others, when they were child actors. And those claims have long been part of clips and compilations on YouTube and social media platforms that are denouncing Schneider as the creator and showrunner of those series.

THR reached out to representatives for Schneider to see which Nickelodeon episodes call for edits. A rep for the former Nickelodeon producer cited two episodes of Victorious: “Ice Cream for Ke$ha,” the third episode in the second season; and “Helen Back Again,” the second season’s seventh episode.

A look online indicates the second season of Victorious can be streamed on Pluto TV, and can be seen with a subscription on Netflix, Paramount+ and Roku, or bought for download on Vudu, Prime Video and Apple TV+. THR has reached out to those digital platforms on the Victorious episodes being available amid criticism and did not hear back.

Networks routinely air reruns of classic shows, whether dramas or comedies, when they discover a new audience among young viewers, or find they can be binged on streaming platforms. And many of the offending episodes discussed in the ID docuseries have been resurfacing, as compilations and clips are being shared on YouTube and various X threads following the docuseries’ release.

Representatives for Schneider also called attention to the 10th episode of the first season of Zoey 101, titled “Backpack,” which first aired in April 2005. That Zoey 101 episode remains on Paramount platforms, THR has confirmed.

Alexa Nikolas, who co-starred with Jamie Lynn Spears on Zoey 101, has also spoken out about the wardrobe choices she claims were hand-picked by Schneider that included miniskirts that were “so short” the costume designers had to give her biker shorts to wear underneath. However, the biker shorts were too long, poking out under the tiny skirts, so they had to be cut. “Dan wants these skirts; he’s the one handpicking them and he has all creative control. It’s pretty scary looking back at that experience,” she told THR. (A rep for Schneider did not respond to THR‘s comment request.)

Some of the Nickelodeon clips in question are also available via the website The Slap. But it’s not clear who owns the website and who has the right to showcase content on the site. The Slap as a website was shuttered in 2018, at the same time Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider and his production company.

Sources at Nickelodeon allege Schneider attempted to circumvent the networks’ standards department by putting up content whose scripts had not been shown to the network for approval on The Slap. “He would just do them on set or on off-days with the actors and put them up, and we would find out about them after the fact. And here they are, living in infamy,” a source told THR.

A rep for Schneider said The Slap was a web extension of the Nickelodeon series. “They would put extra content on that site, and it went through the same approvals chain. It wasn’t a Dan website. It was literally part of the show,” a rep told THR.

Earlier, a spokesperson for Schneider had said in a statement: “Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny.”

Former Nickelodeon president of content Russell Hicks had added in a separate statement to THR: “There is a standards and practices group that reads every script and programming executives looking at every episode. Add to that every day on every set, were the parents and caregivers and their friends watching every single frame of footage and listening to every joke. Every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinized and approved by executives at Nickelodeon.”

Best of The Hollywood Reporter