Nickelodeon’s Lori Beth Denberg Accuses Dan Schneider of Showing Porn and Initiating Phone Sex

Lori Beth Denberg is the latest child star to speak out about their tumultuous time at Nickelodeon — and she specifically accused Dan Schneider of inappropriate behavior.

In an exposé published by Business Insider on Tuesday, May 14, Denberg, 48, claimed Schneider, 58, showed her porn, initiated phone sex and more when she was a teenager starring on All That in the late '90s.

Denberg recalled a meeting with Schneider in 1995 where he allegedly showed her clips of pornography on his computer. She said the “grand finale” of the clips showed a woman performing oral sex on a donkey.

“I feel like that is the first time he preyed on me,” Denberg told the outlet about the alleged incident, claiming that Schneider allegedly put her in countless uncomfortable situations over the years.

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Denberg claimed she told Albie Hecht, the then-president of film and TV at Nickelodeon, and All That cocreator Brian Robbins in 2000 about her concerns regarding Schneider. Denberg was specifically worried about Amanda Bynes from Schneider's show The Amanda Show, noting that she appeared emaciated and exhausted on set. As a result, Denberg and anonymous sources told Business Insider that she was barred from the set of The Amanda Show.

Schneider issued a statement to Us Weekly calling Denberg’s accusations “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.”

"As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader," he noted. "If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do."

Schneider also pointed out that the author of the exposé, Kate Taylor, was an executive producer on Investigation Discovery's recent Quiet on Set docuseries, which focused on Schneider's reign at Nickelodeon.

"The fact that an executive producer of Quiet on Set would pursue allegations regarding what may have happened between adults nearly 30 years ago — only a week after I filed a defamation lawsuit accusing Quiet on Set of being intentionally false and misleading — seems more than coincidental," he concluded.

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In Tuesday's tell-all, Denberg told Business Insider that her relationship with Schneider turned sexual when she was around 19. In addition to allegedly discussing sexual topics with her over the phone and attempting to initiate phone sex, Denberg claimed she would sleep over at Schneider’s house and they would give each other massages. During one instance, Schneider allegedly fondled her breasts and put his mouth on them.

“I couldn’t have been more green,” Denberg said while referring to her association with Schneider as a “weird, abusive" relationship. “I couldn’t have been more vulnerable.”

Denberg said she chose to speak out about her history with Schneider so others feel safe to follow in her lead, adding, “There’s right and wrong, and there’s true and false.”

Earlier this year, Schneider made headlines when Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV aired on Investigation Discovery. The docuseries covered Schneider’s time at the network, with former child stars and crew members recalling their experiences on the sets of various shows including All That and The Amanda Show.

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Schneider, who parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018, previously denied inappropriate conduct allegations. He has since addressed the allegations made by cast members, All That writers and journalists against him in the docuseries.

“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” Schneider said in a YouTube video interview with iCarly alum BooG!e. “Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”

Schneider noted that he had regrets about his behavior, adding, “I can tell you why it hurts really bad for me. I remember very clearly my early experiences [and] my first experiences in the entertainment business. I was green, I was scared, I was excited. It meant the world to me that I was getting those opportunities and I went in and I got lucky cause they were great. And the fact that I didn’t pay that forward to every employee that walked through my door, it hurts my heart cause I should have. I wish I could go back and fix that.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).