Topline
Dan Schneider—who produced hit Nickelodeon shows like “Zoey 101” and “All That”—sued Warner Bros. and producers of the docuseries “Quiet on Set” for defamation, alleging the show that analyzed allegations of toxic workplace culture on Schneider’s shows was a “hit job” that defamed the producer.
Key Facts
In the lawsuit filed in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Schneider and his team allege the show was a “hit job” that falsely stated or implied that he “sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows.”
Schneider told Forbes in a statement that while he has “no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss … it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators.”
Schneider—who apologized for his behavior after the docuseries aired—said he was left with “no choice but to take legal action” against the people behind the series, which he said “falsely implied” he played a role in “horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.”
The suit seeks compensatory damages for past and future loss and damage to reputation, lost revenues and emotional distress; punitive damages; attorneys’ fees; and “preliminary or permanent injunctive relief, including editing, taking down or removing all or a portion of the Trailer and/or Quiet on Set.”
After the first four episodes aired, “Quiet on Set” became Max’s show with the largest audience—16 million viewers across Investigation Discovery, Max and Discovery+—of any unscripted series since the streaming service launched in May 2023.
Forbes has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment.
Crucial Quote
“While it is indisputable that two bona fide child sexual abusers worked on Nickelodeon shows, it is likewise indisputable that Schneider had no knowledge of their abuse, was not complicit in the abuse, condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself,” the lawsuit reads.
Key Background
The four episodes of “Quiet on Set” were released in March, and a fifth bonus episode was released in early April. It looked at Nickelodeon shows from the late 1990s and early 2000s and sought to provide “the untold story of the toxic and abusive environment inside ‘90s kids’ TV.” The show recognized Schneider as Nickelodeon’s golden boy—the mind behind hit shows like Amanda Bynes’ “The Amanda Show” and Miranda Cosgrove’s “iCarly.” The series largely focused on Schneider and spoke to past crew members, writers and actors about their time working with him, but it also told the story of two incidents of sexual abuse involving child actors and crew members of Nickelodeon shows—neither involving Schneider. After the first four episodes aired, SChneider released a video in which he sat down with a former cast member who was not in the documentary and had a conversation about his behavior. He said he was “embarrassed” by how he ran a writers’ room and that there were times he “said things that went too far,” adding it was because he had been “inexperienced” and “immature.”
Surprising Fact
Former Nickelodeon child star Drake Bell was one of the children who suffered abuse during his time with the network, and Bell said during the show’s bonus episode that he “can only speak from (his) experience” but that Schneider “was really the only one from the network that even made a effort to help me and make sure I was OK.”
