Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider has issued an apology for his past behavior and the atmosphere on the sets of preteen- and teen-focused shows he produced during the 2000s and 2010s.
Schneider, who parted ways with the network in 2018, spoke out following the airing of the Investigation Discovery series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which aired on Sunday and Monday.
In a video conversation with actor Bobbie K. Bowman, also known as BooG!e, Schneider admitted that watching the docuseries was “difficult” and “embarrassing.”
“Facing my past behaviors — some of which are embarrassing and that I regret — and I owe some people a pretty strong apology,” Schneider expressed.
He addressed Bowman, who portrayed T-Bo on “iCarly,” in a video uploaded to Schneider’s YouTube channel on Tuesday.
Schneider was the producer behind some of Nickelodeon’s most successful shows, including “All That,” “The Amanda Show,” “Drake and Josh,” and “iCarly.”
“Quiet on Set” featured several actors and former child stars alleging abuse, inappropriate behavior, and a toxic work environment while working on shows produced by Schneider.
“It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position,” Schneider acknowledged when questioned about massages that occurred at work. “I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation.”
“There were lots of people there who witnessed it who also may have felt uncomfortable. So I owe them an apology, as well.”
Schneider suggested that any questionable content or jokes in the shows should be removed from archived and rerun episodes.
“Every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience because kids thought they were funny,” Schneider explained. “Now we have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens. I have no problem with that. Let’s cut those jokes out of the show.”
He also reiterated a previous statement indicating that multiple network executives approved the content and look of his shows and that dozens of adults were on set and never raised concerns.
Schneider also addressed a prior investigation that took place before he left the network, stating that it found no wrongdoing.
“All that was found is that he was a challenging, tough, and demanding person to work for and with, nothing else,” a spokesperson for Schneider emphasized.
In “Quiet on Set,” Drake Bell, who starred in the show “Drake and Josh,” comes forward with accusations against dialogue coach Brian Peck.
Peck, a close collaborator of Schneider’s on “All That” and “The Amanda Show,” was arrested in 2003 and charged with “lewd acts with a child,” according to a news release from the Los Angeles Police Department. The release stated that Peck had molested an unidentified minor he had worked with over a period of six months.
