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Former Nickelodeon star Victoria Justice is breaking her silence amid the recent allegations against Dan Schneider.
On Wednesday, May 15, Marie Claire published an exclusive interview with Justice. During the conversation, the 31-year-old reflected on her time working at Nick on the set of ‘Zoey 101’ and ‘Victorious.’
Justice explained that her experience at Nick was mostly positive. Additionally, she noted that her mother “was never far” and more so hands-on with her career.
Despite her experience being mostly good, Justice recalled some negative things, seemingly brought out by the recent airing of the ‘Quiet On Set’ docuseries.
“Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people, and there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly,” she explained.
Justice noted that Schneider never treated her in a disparagingly sexual manner. However, she says there were “certain moments” that occurred in “poor taste.”
As the conversation continued, Justice reportedly asked Marie Claire’s reporter if they saw Schneider’s apology following the airing of ‘Quiet on Set.’
“I would say I’m definitely one of the people on that list,” she stated. “I’m not condoning any of his behavior… I was 12 years old, and he’s the person that gave me this big break. He completely changed my life. Most likely I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it weren’t for him… 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.”
As The Shade Room previously reported, in March, Schneider explained that he “owe[d] some people a pretty strong apology” for his past behavior while working at Nick.
“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.”
As The Shade Room previously reported, Justice is the latest Nick star to speak on Schneider and his time with the company. On May 14, Lori Beth Denberg spoke with Business Insider about her time working on Schneider’s show ‘All That.’
Denberg alleged that Schneider “preyed” on her starting when she was 19 years old. The former Nick producer allegedly showed her pornography, initiated phone sex with her, and even fondled her breast on one occasion.
However, while responding to Denberg’s allegations via Business Insider, Schneider denied their validity.
“As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader,” Schneider explained. “If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do.”
