Dan Schneider Sues Quiet on Set Producers for Defamation
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Producer Dan Schneider accepting the Nickelodeon Lifetime Achievement Award at Nickelodeon's 27th Annual Kids' Choice Awards on March 29, 2014 Credit - Frazer Harrison—KCA2014/Getty Images
Dan Schneider, the creator and producer of multiple popular Nickelodeon shows from the late 90s and early 2000s, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
The Investigation Discovery documentary series, which was released on March 17 and 18 and is now streaming on Max, featured interviews with multiple former Nickelodeon child actors who alleged that Schneider fostered a toxic and unsafe work environment for adults and children alike. Schneider is the mind behind shows like All That, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, and Zoey 101—actors from each of these shows appeared in the documentary and spoke about being put in situations that were unsuitable for children and reflected on the inappropriate jokes and sketches that they took part in.
Schneider’s attorneys call the series a “hit job,” according to the lawsuit. In the introduction to the complaint, they write that the producers “falsely state or imply that Schneider sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows,” adding, “These statements are fabrications.” Representatives for Investigation Discovery and the Quiet on Set producers did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the series, Drake & Josh star Drake Bell revealed that as a child, he was sexually abused by Brian Peck, a dialogue coach for Nickelodeon. One episode is devoted to giving Bell the space to share his story. Other revelations from the series included two female writers saying they were forced to split a salary and the fact that 41 people wrote letters of support during Peck’s trial. Quiet on Set noted that other sex offenders were present on set of Schneider's shows, including Jason Handy, a production assistant who was arrested in 2003 for lewd acts with children, and Ezel Channel, a former freelance animator, who was convicted of sexually abusing a boy in Nickelodeon's parking lot.
“While it is indisputable that two bona fide child sexual abusers worked on Nickelodeon shows, it is likewise indisputable that Schneider had no knowledge of their abuse, was not complicit in the abuse, condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself,” Schneider's attorneys write. “But for the sake of clickbait, ratings, and views — or put differently, money — Defendants have destroyed Schneider’s reputation and legacy through the false statements and implications that Schneider is exactly that.”
In the lawsuit, the attorneys argue that the voiceovers, graphics, and the docuseries trailer, played a part in making it seem like Schneider was a child sexual abuser. These assets “are purposefully and intentionally defamatory in that they falsely and repeatedly state or imply that Schneider is a child sexual abuser and committed crimes in this regard — and have been interpreted as such by countless average, ordinary or reasonable viewers,” the suit reads.
Schneider tells TIME in an emailed statement that the docuseries emphasized some of his “mistakes” and “poor judgment,” during his tenure at Nickelodeon. “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,” he writes. “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.”
Read More: Drake Bell Says He was Sexually Abused as a Child Actor by Nickelodeon Dialogue Coach
The documentary “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,” he writes.
The statement ends on the note that while he is not opposed to owning up to his wrongdoings, he feels that it’s “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.” He says he owes it “to [himself], [his] family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight.”
Write to Moises Mendez II at moises.mendez@time.com.
