The mega-producer of many kids shows on Nickelodeon has spoken up on one aspect of the allegations made against him from his time on the network.
In the past two months, accusations of the former Nickelodeon producer, Dan Schneider, were made in a bombshell docu-series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV when the trailer was released, then in the show’s premiere. The two-night event chronicled the accounts of former employees who worked with Schneider on the network as he produced his slate of successful children’s programming, which include All That, Kenan & Kel, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Zoey 101 and more. Allegations were also made against the acting coach, Brian Peck, who would spend long hours with the child stars. Drake & Josh star Drake Bell became a surprise whistleblower for the show as he came forward with his accounts.
As part of the accusations, the ID show emphasizes how much Schneider played up the young actors’ looks as they were presented in an inappropriate manner. According to Variety, Schneider has now responded to the accusations made that he had aimed to sexualize young stars like Ariana Grande, Jamie Lynn Spears and Victoria Justice on his shows. A representative for Schneider said in a statement, “Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. If there was an actual problem with the scenes that some people, now years later are ‘sexualizing,’ they would be taken down, but they are not, they are aired constantly all over the world today still, enjoyed by both kids and parents.”
The statement continues, “Remember, all stories, dialogue, costumes, and makeup were fully approved by network executives on two coasts. A standards and practices group read and ultimately approved every script, and programming executives reviewed and approved all episodes. In addition, every day on every set, there were always parents and caregivers and their friends watching filming and rehearsals. Had there been any scenes or outfits that were inappropriate in any way, they would have been flagged and blocked by this multilayered scrutiny. Unfortunately, some adults project their adult minds onto kids’ shows, drawing false conclusions about them.”
A spokesperson for Nickelodeon would tell Variety, “Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
