Dan Schneider sues ‘Quiet on Set’ producers for defamation and calls it a “hit job”
Following the explosive claims made against him in Max’s docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, former Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider has filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers of the five-part show.
The first four episodes aired on Investigation Discovery between March 17th and 18th, with the final one arriving on April 7th, and the programme made a series of disturbing claims. Nickelodeon hired Schneider in the 1990s to work on All That, and following its success, he moved on to famous projects such as The Amanda Show, Kenan and Kel, Drake and Josh and Zoey 101. As the network’s most celebrated writer, he continued to find success with the likes of iCarly, Victorious and Sam and Cat.
However, in 2018, Nickelodeon severed ties with Schneider after allegations about his behaviour emerged, including being accused of verbal abuse and creating uncomfortable atmospheres on set, with evidence brought forward to support these claims.
The show also claims that he often made young actors feel uncomfortable by placing them in scenes that were loaded with innuendos, sexually suggestive positions, or racist and sexist undertones.
Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton, the only two female writers on the first season of The Amanda Show also detail their experiences working with Schneider. They described sexually inappropriate and offensive behaviour, which included asking for massages and showing them pornography.
Furthermore, at on point, the docuseries also concentrates on the production assistant on All That and The Amanda Show, Jason Handy, a “self-proclaimed paedophile”, who is now in jail, and dialogue coach Brian Peck from the same two shows, who was later arrested and convicted of child abuse. There are allegations that Peck sexually abused Drake Bell of The Amanda Show.
Following the show’s release, Schneider told former Nickelodeon actor BooG!E: “Watching over the past two nights was very difficult. Me facing my past behaviours, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology”.
He added: “When I watched the show, I could see the hurt in some people’s eyes, and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry”.
Now, Schneider has filed a defamation lawsuit against the showrunners of Quiet on Set. The lawsuit was obtained by Variety, and a segment of it reads: “‘Quiet on Set’s’ portrayal of Schneider is a hit job. 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 lawsuit also claims that the voiceovers and graphics in the show and its trailer “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 viewers.
Schneider also wrote a separate statement to Variety. Echoing his earlier remarks, it reads: “Recently the docuseries’ Quiet on Set’ highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions. There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader.”
It continues that there is no doubt he was sometimes a “bad leader”, and he is apologetic for his behaviour and will continue to be accountable for it. However, he says he has “no choice but to take legal action” against the people behind Quiet on Set and its trailer because “they went beyond reporting the truth” and falsely implicated him in crimes for which “actual child predators” have been convicted.
Schneider continued: “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.” He owes it to his family, the people involved in making the shows, and himself to set the record straight, he maintains.
This is a developing story.
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