Audiences are in shock over “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” a bombshell new Investigation Discovery docuseries that’s pulling back the curtain on former Nickelodeon shows, alleging that there was a toxic and abusive environment behind the scenes on multiple shows.
Originally appeared on E! Online
Dan Schneider is firing back.
The "Drake & Josh" creator sued the producers of the new docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV," which accused him inappropriate behavior on the sets of his Nickelodeon shows in the 1990s and 2000s.
In the legal documents obtained by E! News May 1, Schneider said the series falsely implied he was a child sex abuser by including him in the documentary alongside Brian Peck, who was sentenced to 16 months in prison on charges stemming from a child sex abuse case involving Drake Bell.
Schneider, 58, states he was not complicit in the abuse, "condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself."
Schneider's lawyers called the documentary a "hit job" against the producer, who created hit shows like "The Amanda Show," "Zoey 101," "iCarly" and "Victorious" before exiting the network in 2018. According to the lawsuit, "Quiet on Set" defamed him while pursuing "clickbait, ratings, and views—or simply put, money."
Photos: Nickelodeon Stars Then and Now
Following the filing, Schneider said in a statement to E! News that he had "no choice" but to take legal action against the production companies for insinuating he was "involved in or facilitated horrific crimes."
"There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it," he 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."
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He added, "I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight."
Schneider previously addressed "Quiet on Set," issuing an apology after some former child actors, including Leon Frierson and Alexa Nikolas, detailed times they felt uncomfortable on set or were made to wear inappropriate costumes.
"Watching over the past two nights was very difficult for me," Schneider said in a YouTube video March 19. "Facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology."
He admitted that he could "see the hurt" in their eyes on the show, adding, "We have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens and they're looking at them and they're saying, 'Oh, you know, I don't think that's appropriate for a kid show.'"
E! News has reached out to Investigation Discovery for comment on the lawsuit on behalf of Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television, but hasn't heard back.
