Speaking out about the accusations made about him on the ID documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider shares his thoughts.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault of Children
In a reaction video obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, Schneider is heard talking about the documentary, which he watched in its entirety.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” Dan Schneider told BooG!E, who played T-Bo on iCarly. “Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
Schneider then said that when he watched the documentary he could see the hurt in some people’s eyes. “It made me feel awful,” he admitted. “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 okay to be an asshole to anyone, ever.”
In the third episode of the documentary Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show star Drake Bell revealed he was the John Doe victim in Brian Peck’s sexual assault case. Dan Schneider further claimed he did not hire the former dialogue coach, who was convicted of sexually assaulting a child actor in 2004.
“When Drake and I talked and he told me about what happened, I was more devastated by that than anything that ever happened to me in my career thus far,” Schneider stated. “And I told him, ‘I’m here for you.’”
Dan Schneider Recalls Drake Bell’s Mother Asking Him to Help Her Write a Speech for Brian Peck’s Hearing
Continuing to speak about the incident between Brian Peck and Drake Bell, Dan Schneider stated Bell’s mother asked him to help her write a speech before the trial.
“She came to me at the time,” Schneider said. “And she said, ’Dan, I’m not good with words like you are. And would you help me with my speech for the judge? I said, ‘of course.’ I did and he [Peck] ended up going to prison and serving his time.”
Dan Schneider also reflected on Bell attending the sentencing hearing for Peck. The courtroom was full of Peck’s supporters. “A lot of them (were) pretty famous. Of course, Drake was devastated that that happened. And even more disappointing, 41 of those people wrote letters for Peck’s character, letters praising him for who he was and asking for leniency.”
He further stated the crude jokes made on his various Nick-produced shows crossed a line. “All those jokes… The show covered over the past two nights, every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience,” he explained. “Because kids thought they were funny, and only funny.”
Schneider then admitted the incident was probably the “darkest part” of his career. “And here’s the kicker that I really don’t get. After he [Peck] got out of prison and was a registered sex offender, he was hired on a Disney Channel show. I don’t understand that
Schneider added he wants the jokes to be cut out of the shows. “I want my shows to be popular. I want everyone to like [the shows], the more people who liked the shows, the happier I am. So if there’s anything that needs to be cut because it’s upsetting somebody, let’s cut it.”
Schneider worked for Nickodeloen for three decades before leaving the network in 2018.