4 Child Stars Who Worked With Dan Schneider Call Out Abuse & Bullying At Nickelodeon
The abuse ranged from being bullied on set to feeling unsafe.
Tinseltown | Featureflash Photo Agency | Shutterstock | Instagram In August 2022, "iCarly" star Jennette McCurdy released her memoir, "I'm Glad My Mom Died," which detailed alleged abuse that she experienced while working for Nickelodeon.
Following the release of her book, other former child stars have come forward with their own disturbing experiences while working on their respective shows with the network, most of which were led by former Nick executive, Dan Schneider.
Schneider, who had left the network in 2018 after an internal investigation found that he was "verbally abusive" to co-workers, has been the recipient of other allegations made by former actors and staff members.
Here are 4 Nickelodeon child stars who've spoken about the abuse they faced while working for the network.
1. Jennette McCurdy had turbulent experiences working with the network.
In an excerpt from McCurdy's memoir, "I'm Glad My Mom Died," the former actress detailed an experience she had with her male boss, who she refers to as "The Creator," though speculation infers that she's referring to Schneider.
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According to Vanity Fair, "The Creator" offered McCurdy her first taste of alcohol when she was only 18 years old, at a private dinner they were having ahead of the launch of "Sam & Cat," an "iCarly" spin-off, which also starred Ariana Grande.
At the same dinner, McCurdy wrote, "The Creator" gave her his coat and massaged her without consent.
"My shoulders do have a lot of knots in them, but I don't want The Creator to be the one rubbing them out. I want to say something, to tell him to stop, but I'm so scared of offending him."
McCurdy also revealed that after "Sam & Cat" was canceled, Nickelodeon offered her $300,000. She was told by her team that the only condition of the money was that she could never openly talk about her experiences with Nickelodeon and "The Creator." McCurdy ended up refusing what she calls "hush money."
"This is a network with shows made for children. Shouldn't they have some sort of moral compass? Shouldn't they at least try to report to some sort of ethical standard?" she wrote.
2. Daniella Monet says Nickelodeon refused to cut a scene she thought was too "sexualized."
Monet, who played Trina Vega on "Victorious," told Insider, via Variety, about a time when she contacted Nickelodeon about a “Victorious” scene in which she ate a pickle while applying lip gloss.
She expressed concern to the network that it was too sexual to air, but Nickelodeon refused to listen and aired it anyway.
“Do I wish certain things, like, didn’t have to be so sexualized? Yeah. A hundred percent," Monet said.
Monet also mentioned the overwhelming male dominance when it came to Schneider’s writers’ rooms. "None of Schneider’s shows credited more than two female writers in the entirety of their runs; ‘Zoey 101’ and ‘Drake & Josh’ had zero."
3. Alexa Nikolas protested Nickelodeon's "traumatic, unsafe," environment.
Nikolas, who starred in "Zoey 101" alongside Jamie Lynn Spears, recently led a protest outside of Nickelodeon’s headquarters over allegations of child abuse.
“I’m crying over here. Thank you for all the love and support,” she wrote on Instagram. “Survivors are watching and listening. This type of love and support is going to create major change! I will never forget this day. Today was deeply healing. My inner child felt empowered. Thank you for listening.”
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“My own personal experience at Nickelodeon … I did not feel protected at Nickelodeon as a child personally,” she noted in an Instagram video from the protest. “And so, I’m demanding that Nickelodeon starts protecting children and not predators.”
She also called out Schneider, labeling him as the "creator of childhood trauma."
“He played a huge role in my personal childhood trauma,” she alleged.
“I did not feel safe around Dan Schneider while I was working at Nickelodeon. Actually, every time he came on set, my body got extremely tense, and later on, in season 2, he yelled at me [which] made me cry [in a room alone with him and several network executives].”
4. Young actors were allegedly bullied on set.
According to an Insider report, 15 former actors spoke about how they had maintained good relationships with the showrunner, while others spoke about being brought to tears on set.
Angelique Bates, who starred in "All That," alleged that Schneider once yelled at her after a sketch and was so aggressive, that she ran away crying.
Nikolas also recalled a similar incident when, at 13, she was brought into a meeting to discuss a disagreement she'd had with Jamie Lynn Spears. She alleged that Schneider yelled at her in front of executives, bringing her to tears.
Nia Tipton is a writer living in Brooklyn. She covers pop culture, social justice issues, and trending topics. Keep up with her on Instagram and Twitter.