Dan Schneider, a former director and writer for Nickelodeon, sued the creators of "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" on Wednesday, saying that they falsely suggested that he sexually abused the child players he worked with.
He sued Warner Bros. Discovery and other companies involved with the show for libel in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Schneider used to be an actress when he was a teenager. He was a big part of Nickelodeon's control over kid culture in the 1990s and 2000s through his work on "All That," "The Amanda Show," and "Kenan & Kel," as well as as an executive director on "Zoey 101," "iCarly," and "Victorious."
He is also a major character in "Quiet on Set," a true crime show that aired on ID in March and is now streaming on Max. It caused a big stir among Nickelodeon's former stars and fans. It uses interviews with cast and crew to show how the show sexualized young kids and how many people said Schneider was to blame for a toxic and violent work environment. Child actors, like "The Amanda Show" and "Drake & Josh" star Drake Bell, were sexually abused by team members who were later found guilty.
Even though Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018, he said in the lawsuit that the "Quiet on Set" trailer and episodes purposely mix and match images and references of him with the criminal sexual abusers to make it look like he was involved.
The suit claims that "Quiet on Set's" description 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."
The lawsuit names Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the parent business of ID and Max, and Sony Pictures Television and Maxine Productions, which make the shows, as defendants.
Reps from the three companies did not quickly respond to emails asking them for comments.
It seems like Schneider's shows often put young women in funny situations that could be sexual, and the four-part series paints him as an angry and controlling boss.
This includes straight claims of sexual abuse and sexism by women who worked as writers for him on "All That." They said that while they were in the writers' room, he showed them pornography on his computer and joked that massages would lead to the women's sketches being made into the show. Schneider has rejected these claims.
There is also an interview with Bell, in which he talks about how a conversation coach sexually abused him when he was 15 years old, and an interview with the mother of another girl who was sexually abused by a crew member.
People who say they have been sexually abused are not usually named by the Associated Press unless they come forward in public like Bell has.
Schneider sent out a YouTube video after the show is first airing to say sorry for "past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret."
But the case says that the show and especially its trailer wrongly link him to sexually abusing children by showing pictures of him, some with his arm around young actors, while talking about how dangerous the set was for them.
It wants to be compensated for what it calls "the destruction of Schneider's reputation and legacy" through "false statements and implications." The amount of the compensation will be decided at trial.
In a comment on the show, Nickelodeon, which is not involved in the case, said that it could not "corroborate or negate" claims made decades ago, but that it does look into all official complaints and has strict rules for letting children work.
"Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children," a spokesperson for the network said, "and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."
He sued Warner Bros. Discovery and other companies involved with the show for libel in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Schneider used to be an actress when he was a teenager. He was a big part of Nickelodeon's control over kid culture in the 1990s and 2000s through his work on "All That," "The Amanda Show," and "Kenan & Kel," as well as as an executive director on "Zoey 101," "iCarly," and "Victorious."
He is also a major character in "Quiet on Set," a true crime show that aired on ID in March and is now streaming on Max. It caused a big stir among Nickelodeon's former stars and fans. It uses interviews with cast and crew to show how the show sexualized young kids and how many people said Schneider was to blame for a toxic and violent work environment. Child actors, like "The Amanda Show" and "Drake & Josh" star Drake Bell, were sexually abused by team members who were later found guilty.
Even though Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018, he said in the lawsuit that the "Quiet on Set" trailer and episodes purposely mix and match images and references of him with the criminal sexual abusers to make it look like he was involved.
The suit claims that "Quiet on Set's" description 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."
The lawsuit names Warner Bros. Discovery, which is the parent business of ID and Max, and Sony Pictures Television and Maxine Productions, which make the shows, as defendants.
Reps from the three companies did not quickly respond to emails asking them for comments.
It seems like Schneider's shows often put young women in funny situations that could be sexual, and the four-part series paints him as an angry and controlling boss.
This includes straight claims of sexual abuse and sexism by women who worked as writers for him on "All That." They said that while they were in the writers' room, he showed them pornography on his computer and joked that massages would lead to the women's sketches being made into the show. Schneider has rejected these claims.
There is also an interview with Bell, in which he talks about how a conversation coach sexually abused him when he was 15 years old, and an interview with the mother of another girl who was sexually abused by a crew member.
People who say they have been sexually abused are not usually named by the Associated Press unless they come forward in public like Bell has.
Schneider sent out a YouTube video after the show is first airing to say sorry for "past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret."
But the case says that the show and especially its trailer wrongly link him to sexually abusing children by showing pictures of him, some with his arm around young actors, while talking about how dangerous the set was for them.
It wants to be compensated for what it calls "the destruction of Schneider's reputation and legacy" through "false statements and implications." The amount of the compensation will be decided at trial.
In a comment on the show, Nickelodeon, which is not involved in the case, said that it could not "corroborate or negate" claims made decades ago, but that it does look into all official complaints and has strict rules for letting children work.
"Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children," a spokesperson for the network said, "and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."
