Nickelodeon Star Giovonnie Samuels Told Dan Schneider She Was 'Terrified of Him' When He Asked for Her Support Before Docuseries Aired

All That alum Giovonnie Samuels was one of several child stars who experienced a toxic work environment during their Nickelodeon days, which is why she was shocked when former boss Dan Schneider asked her to publicly support him upon the release of the bombshell docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

"He reached out a week before the documentary aired," Samuels — who starred on All That from 2000 to 2004 — spilled in the latest episode of the Max series. "He asked if I could give a quote of support."

The actress, now 38, isn't sure why Schneider thought she would be on his side, though she acknowledged she did return to the network for a 2018 episode of Henry Danger.

"He knew I was in the documentary for a year, and he was like ‘Oh, I love Gio, she’s great, she’s nice, great, she can tell my side!’ And I don’t know what you want?" she explained. "He asked because I did come back to do Henry Danger, which was some time later, he was like ‘You had a good time on set, right? Right?’"

However, Samuels summoned the courage to tell the producer how she really felt.

"I told him I was terrified of him," she revealed. "I said, ‘You have the power to make people stars, and I was intimidated by you. I wanted to do a good job.’"

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As OK! reported, Schneider, 58, was accused of creating a toxic work environment for kid actors and his staff, with others accusing him of gender discrimination. He was also slammed for often including sexual innuendoes in the scripts for children's shows.

The TV producer left the network in 2019.

After the docuseries aired, he apologized for some things but denied other allegations.

"Watching over the past two nights was very difficult — me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology," he said. "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."

"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 a------ to anyone, ever," he added.

Samuels' old costar Bryan Hearne, 35, scoffed at his apology.

"If I could be candid, Dan was an actor before all of this," he pointed out in the latest episode of Quiet on Set. "I think that he brushed off some chops and gave us a nice performance. Where was all of this apologizing when Jennette McCurdy’s book came out? I just feel that, what’s an apology without accountability?"