Dan Schneider is firing back at the producers of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV.
As you know, the shocking documentary put a spotlight on allegedly inappropriate and toxic workplace behavior from the sets of many of his ’90s-’00s Nickelodeon shows. This includes his eyebrow-raising close relationship with then-teen Amanda Bynes…
When Quiet on Set came out, Dan posted a lengthy video apologizing for only some of his actions. However, he failed to acknowledge other extremely disturbing allegations against him, such as sitting in on costume fittings, taking pictures of minors’ feet, and more. Now, he’s fighting back.
Related: Nickelodeon Host Marc Summers Says Quiet On Set Doc AMBUSHED & MISLED Him!
According to TMZ on Wednesday, Dan filed a defamation lawsuit against the producers of Quiet on Set. He claims they — along with Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television, and others — falsely implied he sexually abused the child actors he worked with at Nickelodeon by grouping him with two convicted child sex offenders, including former dialogue coach Brian Peck. Blasting the documentary as a “hit job,” the 58-year-old screenwriter accused the creators of using manipulative editing techniques to create this supposed false impression of him all in the pursuit of “clickbait, ratings, and views—or simply put, money.” As the lawsuit states:
“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.”
Dan then calls out the trailer for Quiet on Set, claiming producers wrongly made him out to be a pedophile. For instance, the lawsuit points out a moment in the teaser calling his success at Nickelodeon “one of the darkest chapters” before cutting to a “True Crime Event” graphic. Dan feels the edit in the trailer falsely implied he committed a crime against children. See for yourself (below):
The lawsuit further claims producers intentionally ignored people who would ruin their narrative in the documentary. Hmm. But the one thing he does admit to? Dan conceded in the suit that he exhibited poor behavior toward colleagues and cast members – but stressed the behavior had nothing to do with child sexual abuse. He added in a statement to TMZ:
“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.”
However, Dan felt the need to take legal action against the Quiet on Set creators. He insisted to the outlet they misled viewers for 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.”
Dan is seeking unspecified damages, including punitive damages, as he allegedly suffered mental distress and financial losses as a result of the docuseries. Reactions, Perezcious readers? Is anyone else waiting to hear Alexa Nikolas go off about this lawsuit? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via DanWarp/YouTube]
