‘All That’ Star Lori Beth Denberg Details ‘Weird, Abusive Friendship’ With Dan Schneider
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Former Nickelodeon star Lori Beth Denebrg has come forward with claims about the “weird, abusive friendship” she developed with producer Dan Schneider while the two worked together on All That.
In a new interview with Business Insider, Denberg said Schneider was prone to bursts of anger, showed her porn, initiated phone sex, and once made her hide a gun during a traffic stop. Denberg also said the pair frequently gave each other massages, and she described one alleged incident at Schneider’s home where a bet on a game of Jeopardy! — whoever got the most answers right received a massage — ended with Schneider fondling her and putting his mouth on her breasts.
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Denberg was 17 when she joined All That in 1994, and about 19 when she said her relationship with Schneider turned sexual. At the time, she said, such incidents didn’t seem inappropriate because she was over 18, but she later came to view them as indicative of an unhealthy power imbalance. Schneider was a decade older, as well as her boss.
“I couldn’t have been more green,” Denberg said. “I couldn’t have been more vulnerable.”
Denberg said the first time she felt Schneider “preyed” on her was around her 19th birthday. Schneider had apparently learned that a female producer had discussed Denberg’s weight gain with her, which angered him. While Denberg appreciated the support at first, she said her meeting with Schneider turned into him showing her pornography, including a video of a woman performing oral sex on a donkey.
Denberg went on to describe frequent phone calls with Schneider, during which they often discussed sexual topics; once, Schneider tried to initiate phone sex, as well. Denberg said she often slept over at Schneider house, and while these encounters never involved sex, Denberg said they would give each other massages, and Schneider would play porn on his computer.
Denberg also shared several stories of Schneider allegedly lashing out at her at work, and off set. But one of the strangest stories she shared started with Schneider asking her to join him on a trip to a car repair shop. Denberg claimed Schneider had a gun, and when a cop pulled him over because of an issue with his car tags, he allegedly gave the gun to Denberg. She claimed she hid the gun under her skirt while Schneider spoke with the officer.
Schneider, in a statement, called Denberg’s claims “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.” He added: “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. 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 has faced various allegations in the past, including gender discrimination, overlooking actors of color, making inappropriate jokes, and asking employees for massages. Many of these issues were raised in the recent docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. After it aired, Schneider issued an apology, but he also filed a defamation suit, alleging the show misled viewers into thinking he’d been accused of sexual abuse (he has not been thus far).
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