Summary
- Dan Schneider denies allegations of being a child abuser and files defamation lawsuit against creators of
Quiet on Set
. - Schneider admits to past mistakes as a leader but insists he was not complicit in child sex abuse as portrayed in the docuseries.
- Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell reveals he was a victim of sexual abuse by dialogue coach Brian Peck at age 15.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV set out to expose the toxic and dangerous work environment that children faced while working on popular Nickelodeon shows from the late ’90s through the mid-2000s. The popular Investigation Discovery limited series, which is said to be the highest-rated docuseries the network has produced, shined a light on a few people in particular, most notably Dan Schneider, who was the brainchild behind some of Nickelodeon’s biggest shows during that period, and Brian Peck, a dialogue coach that worked closely with kids on set who would eventually be outed as a sexual predator.
The portrait painted of Schneider was that of someone who fostered a toxic and sexist work environment, but the former Nickelodeon head-honcho is now firing back with a lawsuit that claims the documentary defamed him and made him appear to be a child sex abuser. Per TMZ, Schneider has filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers and creators of Quiet on Set, in addition to Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions, and Sony Pictures Television, among others, alleging that the series falsely implied that he sexually abused children who worked on some of his shows.
Schneider’s lawyers call Quiet on Set a “hit job” and they make the allegation that the docuseries used manipulative editing techniques that created a false impression of Schneider as an abuser. Through these techniques, they believe that the producers lumped Schneider into the same basket with the two other convicted child sex offenders who were featured in the doc, Brian Peck and production assistant Jason Handy. In addition to defamation, Schneider is seeking unspecified damages, including punitive, and claims that he has suffered great mental distress and financial losses as a result of Quiet on Set.
The lawsuit claims that producers ruined Schneider’s reputation for “clickbait, ratings, and views, or simply put, money.” They go on to say that “Schneider had no knowledge of their abuse, was not complicit in the abuse, condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself.” They also allege, that even in the promotion for Quiet on Set, producers used misleading statements and editing practices in the trailer of several episodes to create the false narrative that he was a pedophile.
Dan Schneider Admits That He Was a Bad Leader
Despite the lawsuit, Schneider does admit in the court docs that he was blind to some of his bad behavior toward his colleagues and cast members, but doesn’t like that it was implied that he was connected to or complicit in child sex abuse.
“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. 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. 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.
In the docuseries, Schneider was accused of fostering a hostile work environment for the young stars who worked on his shows and for the few female writers and creatives who were employed as well. Schneider was responsible for several signature hits on the Nickelodeon network, including All That, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Victorious, and Sam & Cat. Because these series were hits for the network, those in the docuseries believed his obvious sexism, racism, abuse, and inappropriate behavior were ignored.
Related Drake Bell Confirms Josh Peck Has Reached Out Following Sexual Abuse Revelations In the new documentary Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Drake Bell revealed the sexual abuse he suffered at age 15 by vocal coach Brian Peck.
During the third episode of the docuseries former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell details being a victim of sexual abuse by former dialogue coach Brian Peck when the former was only 15 and Peck was in his 40s. Peck was arrested and charged in 2003 for sexual abuse, but Bell’s identity was kept secret at the time because the court documents were sealed. Peck served 16 months in prison and had to register as a sex offender.
The producers of Quiet on Set recently came under fire by some of the participants who claimed they were not transparent about the project being made for Investigation Discovery. The Amanda Show star Raquel Lee Bolleau and Zoey 101 actress Alexa Nikolas expressed that creators Emma Schwartz and Mary Robertson kept many of the subjects in the dark about the true intentions of the docuseries and, in some ways, felt like their stories were being used for exploitation rather than shining a light on an industry that needs to be a better job protecting kids. Also, even though Quiet on Set is also streaming on Max, they filmed their portions of the doc before the streamer rebranded and began housing Investigation Discovery documentaries.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
is currently streaming on Max.
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