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Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider is addressing the allegations made in the recently-released ‘Quiet On Set’ documentary. As The Shade Room previously reported, former child actor Drake Bell revealed he was sexually assaulted while working at Nickelodeon.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the outlet received a 19-minute video of Schneider reacting to the documentary on Tuesday, March 19. Additionally, the clip features Schneider being interviewed by former Nick actor Bobbie K. Bowman.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult — me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” Schneider stated before addressing the working conditions at Nick.
Schneider admitted that there were “inappropriate jokes” he shared that left writers feeling uncomfortable in the writer’s room. Additionally, the former Nick producer admitted to being rude to his employees and acknowledged the “hurt” he left with some of them with.
“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,” he said. “I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was OK to be an asshole to anyone, ever.”
From there, Schneider briefly touched on jokes included in his Nickelodeon shows that are now deemed inappropriate for kids. In response, the former Nick producer said he’d be fine with having those jokes removed. However, he never had full autonomy in deciding what content could be used in his shows.
About 14 minutes into the clip, Schneider alleged that he did not hire Brian Peck — the Nickelodeon dialogue coach who served time in prison after Drake Bell accused him of sexually assaulting him at the age of 15, per The Shade Room.
“When Drake and I talked and he told me what had happened, I wae more devastated by that than anything that had ever happened in my career thus far, and I told him, ‘I’m here for you, what do you need,'” Schneider explained.
Additionally, Schneider alleged that he even assisted Bell’s mother with writing a speech to read in court during Peck’s trial.
“That was probably the darkest part of my career,” he explained. “And here’s the kicker that I really don’t get. After [Peck] got out of prison and was a registered sex offender, he was hired on a Disney Channel show. I don’t understand that.”
Ultimately, Schneider concluded the interview by explaining what he would do differently if he could go back in time. The former Nick producer also shared advice for other executives working with child actors.
Check out clips from Schneider’s interview below.
As The Shade Room previously reported, the four-part docuseries’ Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’ aired on Sunday, March 17, and Monday, March 18. The docuseries reportedly explored the “toxic” culture of “the most iconic children’s shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s.”
Former Nick actor Drake Bell appeared in the series and detailed the abuse he suffered at the hands of Peck.
Additionally, the documentary alleged Nick producers and crewmembers “sexualized” the child actors, employed sexual predators, and incorporated racist jokes into skits, per TheWrap.
Furthermore, it was also alleged that some Nick actors, such as Amanda Bynes, compared their working relationship with Schneider to an “abusive” relationship.
Ultimately, the series left social media users shocked. Many sharing their thoughts about Schneider and the shocking allegations on X, formerly known as Twitter.
