Victoria Justice Says Ex-Nickelodeon Producer Owes Her An Apology: I’m ‘On That List’
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Victoria Justice revealed that she thinks former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider owes her an apology roughly two months after the premiere of the Investigation Discovery docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”
Justice, star of the Schneider-created Nickelodeon series “Victorious,” spoke about the ex-showrunner who has faced a number of allegations of fostering a toxic workplace environment at the kids’ entertainment network.
“Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan [Schneider] had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people,” Justice told Marie Claire.
“And there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly.”
Justice joins other former Nickelodeon stars who have weighed in on the docuseries, which features an interview with Drake Bell, who says he was sexually abused by “All That” and “The Amanda Show” dialogue coach Brian Peck.
She described her time at Nickelodeon as not “perfect,” telling Marie Claire that some of what she experienced was — in hindsight — “in poor taste,” and she thinks Schneider needs to apologize to her.
“I would say I’m definitely one of the people on that list,” she said.
Most recently, former “All That” star Lori Beth Denberg accused Schneider of showing her porn when she was about 19, initiating phone sex as well as fondling and putting his mouth on her breasts when she was about 20 or 21.
Schneider, who filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers of the docuseries earlier this month, told Business Insider that Denberg’s accusations were “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.”
Justice said that nothing sexual happened with Schneider and, while “rarely” in contact with Schneider, emphasized that she doesn’t condone “any of his behavior.”
“At the end of the day, my relationship with Dan is a very complex one: I met him when I was 12 years old, and he’s the person that gave me this big break. He completely changed my life,” she explained.
“Most likely I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it weren’t for him, and for him seeing something in me,” she continued. “For that I will always be grateful. After watching his apology, I think he recognizes that he did a lot of things wrong, and I think if he could step back into a time machine, he would do a lot of things differently.”
Earlier this month, Schneider told HuffPost in a statement that “Quiet on Set” highlighted his “mistakes” and “poor judgment” during his time with the network.
“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,” he said of the docuseries.
“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.”
Need help? Visit RAINN’s National Sexual Assault Online Hotline or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center’s website.
