Former Nickelodeon writer and producer Dan Schneider conducted an interview during which he apologized for inappropriate jokes and behavior while working for the kid-centric network.
Schneider, who has long been accused of wrongdoing while writing “All That” and “The Amanda Show” starring actress Amanda Bynes, was of particular focus in the new documentary series “Quiet on Set.”
The series focused on misconduct and mistreatment of children who acted on Nickelodeon shows. While multiple Nickelodeon employees were revealed in the show to have been charged with sex crimes related to children, Schneider’s alleged crimes only amounted to workplace harassment and gender discrimination.
Former female writers accused Schneider of paying them less than men and asking them for massages. The producer responded to these allegations in an interview with former Nickelodeon actor Boogie, who was on the show “iCarly,” a kid sitcom created by Schneider.
“It was wrong,” Schneider said about the massages. “It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position. It was the wrong thing to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation. Additionally, I apologize to the people who were walking around video village, or wherever they happened, because there were lots of people there who witnessed it who also may have felt uncomfortable, so I owe them an apology as well.”
As for the writers’ salaries, two female staff members claimed they were forced to split a salary, with one saying her job was threatened when she complained to her union.
Schneider said he had “nothing to do with paying writers.”
“I’ve never made a writer’s deal, and of all the writers I’ve been in a writers’ room with, I never even knew how much most of them were getting paid,” he added.
Schneider also responded to allegations that jokes he put into his shows were too inappropriate for a children’s program.
“All these jokes that you’re speaking of that the show covered over the past two nights — every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience, because kids thought they were funny,” Schneider explained. He also suggested cutting out scenes if people thought they were inappropriate.
“Now, we have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens, and they’re looking at them, and they’re saying, ‘You know, I don’t think that’s appropriate for a kids show.’ I have no problem with that. If that’s how anyone feels, let’s cut those jokes out of the show, just like I would have done 20 years ago.”
One scene that has been widely criticized on the internet starred popular actress and singer Ariana Grande. The scene from the show “Victorious” included the actress sucking on her own toe, attempting to “juice a potato,” sticking a finger in her mouth, and pouring water on her face while she was upside down.
Grande was just 16 years old at the time, according to the Independent. Schneider did not directly address this scene.
Strangely, the day before Schneider’s interview was released, one of his representatives spoke to Variety and took a different approach to the controversy.
“Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. If there was an actual problem with the scenes that some people, now years later are ‘sexualizing,’ they would be taken down, but they are not, they are aired constantly all over the world today still, enjoyed by both kids and parents,” the unnamed person stated.
“Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” is available on HBO Max.
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