Dan Schneider Apologizes in 19-Minute Video Posted to His YouTube Channel
Days after the premiere of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the creator and producer at the center of multiple misconduct allegations has issued an apology.
Photo: Screenshot/YouTube EntertainmentTVOn Tuesday, just two days after the premiere of Investigation Discovery’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, a four-part docuseries exposing Nickelodeon’s sordid underbelly during Dan Schneider’s tenure, the producer and creator published his response: a bizarre sit-down interview with one of his former employees.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult—me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret,” Schneider told BooG!E, who played T-Bo on iCarly (a show Schneider created and produced) in the 19-minute video. “I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.” Frankly, anyone who’s seen the docuseries is likely to call this a gross understatement.
In four episodes, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV shows how Nickelodeon and Schneider enabled predation and exploitation of its stars like Amanda Bynes, Drake Bell, and a slew of others by employing and working with men like Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who would go on to be convicted of child sexual abuse, and Jason Handy, a production assistant who was a repeat offender of sex crimes involving children—prior to and during his tenure. More than that though, it details accusations of Schneider’s own inappropriate and abusive behavior behind the scenes and his alleged penchant for platforming borderline pornographic material onscreen.
“It’s like a cum shot,” Nikolas recalled hearing a male colleague remark in the report.“We’re talking about a minor. I think Jamie was 13, and they’re squirting stuff on her face to make it look a certain way.”
An internal investigation by ViacomCBS in 2018 didn’t turn up reports of sexual misconduct, though it did determine Schneider was prone to becoming “verbally abusive” with colleagues. Deadline also reported in 2018 that it was known among staffers that Schneider had a “temper.” Three years later, the New York Times interviewed former colleagues who revealed they felt they had to “walk on eggshells” in his presence and were “uncomfortable” witnessing him text child actors at all hours.
Needless to say: Schneider has a lot more to do than stage a “strong apology” in response to all of this.
In an email sent to Jezebel by Schneider’s Bakery (Schneider’s television production company), it’s specified by Schneider’s representative that the sit-down with BooG!e was prompted by the actor who “watched Quiet on Set and reached out to Dan to see if he could ask him some questions about it.”
“BooG!e wants to make clear though that he is not a journalist and wasn’t trying to be,” the email reads. “He was offering to provide a platform for Dan to confront a lot of his previous behaviors. BooG!e thought it was something worth doing if Dan was into it, so people could hear from Dan.” Even still, the interview was published by Schneider’s YouTube channel…