Dan Schneider has sued producers of the collection Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV for defamation over what he’s known as a “hit job” that falsely implies he sexually abused baby stars of the Nickelodeon reveals he created.
The collection, developed by Investigation Discovery, aired in March and uncovered alleged abuse and misconduct by a number of grownup staff at Nickelodeon within the Nineteen Nineties and early 2000s. Schneider was accused of bullying and inappropriate interactions with the kid stars and crew members who labored on his reveals.
Quiet on Set additionally mentioned the crimes of three convicted baby intercourse offenders, together with ex-dialogue coach Brian Peck, who served a 16-month jail sentence for sexually abusing baby star Drake Bell. Former manufacturing assistant Jason Michael Handy, who was charged with a lewd act with a toddler beneath 14, and ex-animator Ezel Channel, who acquired a seven-year sentence for lewd acts on a minor, have been additionally named.
In the lawsuit obtained by Variety, filed May 1 in Los Angeles’ Superior Court, Schneider, 58, stated the docuseries falsely implies he’s additionally a toddler predator.
Schneider stated he was unaware of any sexual abuse occurring at Nickelodeon and “condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself.”
“But for the sake of clickbait, ratings, and views — or put differently, money — Defendants have destroyed Schneider’s reputation and legacy through the false statements and implications that Schneider is exactly that,” the lawsuit continues.
Schneider has sued Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television for defamation. The manufacturing firms haven’t commented publicly on the lawsuit.
Schneider is looking for unspecified damages. He has additionally requested for the removing of any allegedly defamatory statements or visuals from the docuseries, or to have the docuseries taken down fully.
The lawsuit factors to a producer disclosure within the docuseries that stated Schneider was by no means discovered to have engaged in inappropriate sexual behaviour. Schneider and his legal professionals argue that is proof the producers have been conscious their narrative and visuals have been advancing false allegations and unjustly evaluating him to convicted intercourse offenders.
“At times, he was blind to the pain that some of his behaviors caused certain colleagues, subordinates, and cast members. He will regret and atone for this behavior the rest of his life,” the lawsuit reads. “But one thing he is not—and the one thing that will forever mar his reputation and career both past and present—is a child sexual abuser.”
In an announcement to Variety, Schneider stated he has “no choice” however to take authorized motion in opposition to the producers of Quiet on Set.
“Recently, the docuseries Quiet on Set highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions,” the assertion reads. “There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it.”
“However, after seeing Quiet on Set and its Trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it,” Schneider continued. “In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.”
“I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators. I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight,” he concluded.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is obtainable to stream on Max within the U.S., the place it’s the platform’s largest streaming title ever. (It may be watched in Canada on discovery+ or Prime Video.)
Much of the manufacturing particulars the rise and fall of Schneider, who created a number of of Nickelodeon’s hottest kids’s TV reveals, together with The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly and Victorious.
In March, after Quiet on Set first aired, Schneider addressed the claims in opposition to him and apologized for what he known as his “embarrassing” on-set behaviour.
Schneider stated he felt “awful and regretful and sorry” for a way he the handled individuals who labored for him in his early profession. He did, nevertheless, deny ever sexualizing the kid stars in scenes for his Nickelodeon reveals, and maintained that the whole lot he wrote needed to be permitted by executives on the studio.
He left Nickelodeon in 2018 following an investigation that discovered he’d been verbally abusive to a number of employees members.
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If you or somebody you already know is experiencing abuse or is concerned in an abusive state of affairs, please go to the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for assist. They are additionally reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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