Where Is Dan Schneider Now? All About the Nickelodeon Creator Mentioned in “Quiet on Set”
ID's new docuseries 'Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV' explores the alleged toxic and abusive behavior that occurred on Dan Schneider's hit Nickelodeon shows
ID’s new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV explores the alleged toxic and abusive behavior that occurred on many of Dan Schneider’s hit Nickelodeon series.
The four-part series, which premiered on March 17, features interviews with former cast members, writers and crew from hit Nickelodeon shows as they detail the alleged dark environment they encountered behind the scenes.
Schneider had a long history with the children’s channel. After working at Nickelodeon in 1993 as an executive producer and writer for All That, he went on to create a number of hit shows for the network, including The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly and Drake & Josh, just to name a few.
However, following reports of his alleged abusive behavior on set, Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider in March 2018. Schneider has denied allegations of wrongdoing.
As the new docuseries explores Schneider’s hit Nickelodeon shows, here’s everything to know about where he is now.
Who is Dan Schneider?
Schneider is best known for his work on popular children’s series; in the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV trailer, he's referred to as “Nickelodeon’s golden boy."
After working as an actor in the 1980s, Schneider changed career paths in the following decade, connecting with Nickelodeon development executive Albie Hecht, who later offered him a job producing the sketch series All That.
During the first four seasons, he worked as an executive producer and writer for the show, before leaving to run The Amanda Show, which starred All That alum Amanda Bynes. Throughout the ‘90s, he continued to work as an executive producer and writer for various projects on the network, including Kenan & Kel and the 1997 film Good Burger starring Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell.
In the early 2000s, he co-created the Bynes-led series What I Like About You with Wil Calhoun for the WB, and served as an executive producer for the first two seasons. During that same time, he also wrote and co-produced the 2002 film Big Fat Liar starring Bynes and Frankie Muniz.
In 2004, he returned to Nickelodeon to helm Drake & Josh starring The Amanda Show alums Drake Bell and Josh Peck. Throughout the early 2000s, Schneider created countless hit series for the network, including iCarly, Zoey 101, Victorious and Sam & Cat.
What allegations have been made against Dan Schneider?
In early 2018, reports of Schneider’s allegedly abusive behavior on set began to surface, with Deadline reporting that staff members filed “multiple complaints" about the subject. The publication also noted that Schneider had been “under a cloud of suspicion over the treatment of some younger stars of his shows” after he posted pictures of the feet of some of the young actresses he worked with.
The Los Angeles Times later reported that a ViacomCBS investigation found no evidence that Schneider had committed sexual misconduct, but alleged he had been verbally abusive to staff.
In the years since, several Nickelodeon stars have made claims about Schneider’s alleged behavior on set.
In her 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, Jennette McCurdy wrote about how she felt “exploited” as a young teen on the set of her two hit shows, both of which were run by Schneider. Though she never mentions Schneider by name, she refers to the person as “The Creator.”
Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas made reference to Schneider during her 2022 protest outside Nickelodeon’s headquarters, holding up a poster calling him “the creator of childhood trauma.”
During an interview with Business Insider published in August 2022, Victorious star Daniella Monet opened up about how she felt “sexualized” filming certain scenes on the show, including one where she had to eat a pickle while applying lip gloss. Monet also backed claims that Schneider encouraged actors to wear “skimpier options” and “whatever was the most revealing.”
However, Monet made a point to add that the male-dominated writers' room was also the culprit of the show’s sexualization, and noted that Nickelodeon’s department of standards and practices had to approve everything that aired.
Did Nickelodeon cut ties with Dan Schneider?
Amid reports about Schneider’s alleged behavior on set, Nickelodeon parted ways with Schneider in March 2018. “Following many conversations together about next directions and future opportunities, Nickelodeon and our long-time creative partner Dan Schneider/Schneider’s Bakery have agreed to not extend the current deal,” Nickelodeon and Schneider said in a joint statement obtained by PEOPLE at the time.
“Since several Schneider’s Bakery projects are wrapping up, both sides agreed that this is a natural time for Nickelodeon and Schneider’s Bakery to pursue other opportunities and projects,” the statement continued.
The statement concluded: “Dan and his Schneider’s Bakery team have created a string of lasting, groundbreaking hits over the years including iCarly, Drake & Josh, Victorious, Kenan & Kel and the current number-one hit show on Nickelodeon, Henry Danger. We thank Dan and his Schneider’s Bakery producers, executives and social media team for their immeasurable contributions to Nickelodeon, and we wish them the best in their future endeavor. And Dan and Schneider’s Bakery are proud of the work they did together with Nickelodeon and will always remain big fans of the network.”
The aforementioned series Henry Danger concluded its fifth and final season with a new showrunner in 2020.
What has Dan Schneider said about the allegations?
In the years since, Schneider denied allegations of wrongdoing.
In a statement to PEOPLE, Schneider’s spokesperson said of the ID docuseries: “The fact is many of the kids on these shows are put in the untenable position of becoming the breadwinner for their family and the pressure that comes along with that. Add on top of that the difficulties of growing up and having to do so under the spotlight while working a demanding job, all as a child. Nobody understood that pressure better than Dan and that’s why he was their biggest champion.”
The statement continues: “Dan has said himself that he was a tough boss to work for and if he could do things over again he would act differently. But let’s be clear: When Dan departed Nickelodeon a full investigation was done and again, all that was found is that he was a challenging, tough and demanding person to work for and with, nothing else.”
“As for scenes that are now apparently being ‘sexualized’ by some people years later, every scene was approved by the network and these shows are all still being aired today. If there was an actual problem they would be taken down, but they air constantly all over the world, enjoyed by kids and parents.”
What is Dan Schneider doing now?
Despite parting ways with Nickelodeon in 2018, Schneider was listed as a co-creator for the 2020 show Danger Force, which served as a spinoff for Henry Danger.
The following year, Schneider did an interview with the The New York Times, in a story that said "[Schneider] declined to comment on the investigation,” but did defend “his leadership style, denied he left [Nickelodeon] on bad terms, and described his departure as a natural confluence of events after an 'exhausting' period in which he delivered as many as 50 episodes of shows each year."
In the interview, he also noted that during his hiatus he “took a break to take care of a lot of stuff that I’d let go by the wayside for decades,” revealing that he lost 100 lbs.
At the time, he stated that he was working on a new pilot for a different network, which he described as “ambitious and very different” from anything else he’s done and would be aimed towards “more of an adult audience.” Additionally, he said he was working on another pilot meant for kids and their families.
So far, there has been no further news on the two pilots.
What has Dan Schneider said about Quiet on Set?
Following the premiere of Quiet on Set, Schneider broke his silence about the docuseries as he talked with BooG!E, who played T-Bo on iCarly. In the video shared by The Hollywood Reporter, Schneider apologized for his past actions that are addressed in the doc.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult. Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret," he said. "I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology."
“When I watched the show, I could see the hurt in some people’s eyes and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry," he continued. "I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was OK to be an asshole to anyone, ever."
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