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- By Bernd Debusmann Jr.
- BBC News, Washington
Image source, fake images
Dan Schneider worked on popular shows such as iCarly, All That, and The Amanda Show.
Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider has apologized for his “embarrassing” behavior on set while working at the children’s channel.
A new documentary released earlier this week alleges years of abuse and inappropriate behavior on shows like iCarly and Drake and Josh.
Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018 after an investigation found he was verbally abusive toward staff members.
Now he has said he owes “some people a pretty strong apology.”
The four-part documentary series, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, includes several allegations that Schneider made sexual and inappropriate jokes on set.
Former Amanda Show writer Jenny Kilgen, for example, alleged that Schneider asked for a massage in exchange for her sketches appearing on the show.
“He always presented it as a joke…he would laugh while saying it,” Kilgen said. “But I always felt that not agreeing with Dan or standing up for yourself could get you fired.”
“I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” he said.
Schneider also specifically apologized for inappropriate jokes he made in the writers’ room, saying they were “wrong.”
“I apologize to anyone I was ever put in that situation, and even additionally, I apologize to the people who were walking around Video Village or wherever it happened, because there were a lot of people there who witnessed what they may have felt uncomfortable too.”
In the docuseries, actor Drake Bell alleged that he was the victim of sexual abuse by former speech coach Brian Peck, with whom Schneider worked closely on All That and The Amanda Show.
Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004 after pleading no contest to two counts of child abuse.
In his apology, Schneider said the episode with Peck and Bell was the “darkest part” of his career.
“When I watched the show… I could see the pain in some people’s eyes,” he said of the documentary.
Nickelodeon has not yet responded to Mr. Schneider’s apology.
However, in an earlier statement about the docuseries, the network said it “cannot corroborate or deny allegations of behavior from decades-old productions” but investigates all formal complaints “as a matter of policy.”
“Our top priorities are the well-being and best interests of not only our employees, cast and crew, but all children,” the statement added.