‘Quiet On Set’: Dan Schneider Apologizes For Behavior Depicted In Investigation Discovery Docuseries
Dan Schneider is apologizing for his behavior depicted on Investigation Discovery’s Quiet On Set and vows to holds himself accountable for how he acted on his Nickelodeon shows in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
Schneider’s comments were made on camera to BooG!e, who played T-Bo on iCarly and watched the IG series. He reached out to Schneider to ask him some questions about the docuseries and to give him a platform to respond.
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The video dropped on YouTube Tuesday.
“Watching over the past few nights was very difficult,” a contrite Schneider says in the 19-minute video. “Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
Schneider goes on to say he never ever should have asked for massages and crossed the line in the writer’s room with some of the jokes he told and the pranks that he pulled. He’s even calling for some of his old jokes to be cut from reruns of his old shows.
“No writer should ever feel uncomfortable in any writers room, ever,” Schneider says on the video. “Period. No excuses. Most TV writers, comedy writers have been in rooms and they are aware that a lot of times there are inappropriate jokes made and inappropriate topics come up. But the fact that I participated in that, especially when I was leaving the room, embarrasses me. I shouldn’t have done it.”
“I hate that anybody who worked with me didn’t have a good time,” Schneider continues. “There were so many times [while watching the docuseries] that I wanted to pick up the phone and call some of those people and say, ‘I’m so sorry and let’s talk about it and I wish you had a better time and I wish I could have shown you a better experience.”
The first two installments of Quiet on Set that dropped Sunday were meant to reveal “an insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew,” according to ID. The next two episodes aired Monday.
On Monday, Schneider released this statement: “Dan expected and asked a lot from his teams,” according to a statement obtained by Deadline. “They worked long hours and consistently made successful shows. In the challenges of production, Dan could get frustrated at times, and he understands why some employees found that intimidating or stressful. In a career spanning 30+ years, Dan worked with thousands of people, many of whom still tell him how much they enjoyed and appreciated working on his shows. But he also knows some people did not have a positive experience, and he is truly sorry for that.”
In the docuseries, writers Jenny Kilgen and Christy Stratton expose allegations of a toxic and sexist environment in The Amanda Show writer’s room. Alexa Nikolas offers insight into being a part of Zoey 101. The docuseries also features additional cast and crew from iCarly, Sam & Cat, Victorious, and Marc Summers from the popular game show Double Dare. The series also includes emotional testimony from parents of cast members who attempted to advocate for their children on these sets.
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