10 Stars Who Have Spoken Out Against Dan Schneider: Chris Massey, Jennie Garth and More
Alexa Nikolas
Zoey 101 alum Alexa Nikolas, who joined the other Nickelodeon stars in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, broke her silence about Dan Schneider's response following the documentary series' release.
She released a YouTube video reacting to the embattled TV producer's apology, saying she did not think he was sincere when he said he would take responsibility for his actions.
"I would've appreciated if Dan apologized directly to me," she said. "He's a bully, a meanie, and impacted my life, right? ... Where's a phone call of an apology? How come you can do all of this, how can everyone do all of this but not reach out to the person that they hurt?"
Nikolas accused Schneider of not feeling anything and not knowing what accountability is before slamming him for "playing the sympathy card" and "playing the victim."
Bryan Hearne
In a bonus episode of the documentary series, Bryan Hearne laughed after seeing the part of Schneider's apology from an earlier episode.
"The thing about his interview as a whole is, I just thought it was funny… if I could be candid, Dan was an actor before all of this, so I think that he brushed off some chops and gave us a nice performance," he explained when asked why he chuckled.
Hearne, who appeared on All That, added elsewhere in the episode, "I just feel, what's an apology without accountability? Realistically, if you take the inappropriate jokes away, do you have a show anymore? If you take all the foot jokes, take all the face shots, all of that inappropriateness – is it just commercials then?"
Chris Massey
While his mother defended Schneider, Chris Massey opened up about Schneider's true colors during his appearance on the "Tea Time w/ Raven-Symoné & Miranda" podcast.
"I witnessed him [Schneider] being upset when things were going wrong but so does every boss, so does every manager," said Massey.
He, however, reminded viewers that the behavior "did not always equate to a toxic environment."
Christy Stratton
Christy Stratton, one of the writers for The Amanda Show, compared working with Schneider to being in an abusive relationship.
"He had fostered this very fun, casual atmosphere, but I felt Dan could be very volatile and could turn any moment. I was scared," she said.
Giovonnie Samuels
Appearing on the bonus episode of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with Hearne, Giovonnie Samuels shared whether she found Schneider's certain jokes in the network's shows funny.
"No, only because one, we're kids, we don't know, we're a bit naive, and when you have a writer or a showrunner and he's laughing the hardest, you go along with it because one, you don't know any better and two, this is your job. This is your boss," she said.
Both Samuels and Hearne shared how crazy the "foot stuff" was, referring to the producer's below-the-belt jokes.
- Keke Palmer's Mom Admits Dan Schneider's Nickelodeon Sets Feel 'Very Weird' and 'Very Cultish'
- Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Gillies 'Reassessed' Their Time on Nickelodeon After Watching 'Quiet on Set' Together: 'A Lot to Go Through'
- Kel Mitchell Recalls Dan Schneider 'Yelling All This Wild Stuff' at Him in a Closet While on 'All That' Set
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Jack Salvatore Jr.
Jack Salvatore Jr., a Zoey 101 alum who played Mark Del Figgalo's role, shared an Instagram video where he dropped shocking information about how Schneider treated the staff.
"We could talk about how sometimes he would bring out his shotgun to scare one of the writers when they were working at his house," Salvatore Jr. recalled. "We could talk about the high-level conversations I wasn't supposed to hear about how Nickelodeon didn't want to recommend antidepressants for Jennette McCurdy after her mom died for fear that she might kill herself and make the network look bad."
Jennette McCurdy
In 2007, McCurdy joined the cast of iCarly before appearing on Sam & Cat.
In her memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, she opened up about feeling exploited while working on the Nickelodeon shows. While she did not name Schneider in the book, readers thought he was the character "The Creator" she was talking about.
According to McCurdy, The Creator once asked her to wear a bikini instead of a one-piece suit. She was also reportedly forced to drink alcohol while still underage.
Jennie Garth
Jennie Garth told The Hollywood Reporter she did not want to talk about Schneider ever again after she was asked about her working relationship with the screenwriter.
Lori Beth Denberg
All That alum Lori Beth Denberg slammed Schneider when she accused him of playing a graphic video for her. She alleged that the controversial Happy Together star also lashed out at her on set and initiated phone s-- at one point.
"I feel like that is the first time he preyed on me," she told Business Insider regarding her 1995 encounter with Schneider.
Victoria Justice
Victoria Justice, who starred in Victorious and Zoey 101, opened up during her interview with Marie Claire regarding Schneider's "very large ego."
"There were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly," she disclosed.