Dan Schneider, former Nickelodeon producer and major subject in the explosive docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, has filed a defamation suit, calling the series a “hit job.”
Though the docuseries never accused Dan Schneider of being a sexual predator of children, the series did contain several interviews from his former employees accusing him of creating a toxic work environment. As Breitbart News reported:
The docuseries alleges he oversaw toxic workplace conditions where young children were present, and he allegedly verbally abused the cast and crews of his shows.
One accuser — a female writer on The Amanda Show — claims Schneider watched pornography on his computer at work and once told her that he would put one of her sketches in the show in return for a massage — a request that he allegedly made of other co-workers.
Upon the docuseries release, Schneider acknowledged his untoward behavior and issued an apology.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult, me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” he said.
“It was wrong. It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position. It was a wrong thing to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation,” he continued.
A representative for Schneider also said upon the docuseries release that his shows were “scrutinized” by adults and approved by the network.
“Everything that happened on the shows Dan ran was carefully scrutinized by dozens of involved adults, and approved by the network. If there was an actual problem with the scenes that some people, now years later are ‘sexualizing,’ they would be taken down, but they are not, they are aired constantly all over the world today still, enjoyed by both kids and parents,” it said.
In a lawsuit obtained by Variety, Schneider, however, says that the docuseries portrayed him in a false light by implying that he enabled the sexual exploitation of children. His attorneys, Jana Moser and Richard McKie, referred to the series as a “hit job” in a statement.
“‘Quiet on Set’s’ portrayal of Schneider is a hit job. 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. But for the sake of clickbait, ratings, and views — or put differently, money — Defendants have destroyed Schneider’s reputation and legacy through the false statements and implications that Schneider is exactly that,” the statement said.
Schneider himself released a statement to Variety in which he said that he will not be held accountable for crimes he did not commit.
“Recently the docuseries Quiet on Set highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions. There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it. However, after seeing ‘Quiet on Set’ and its trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it. In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted,” he said.
“I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but 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. I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight,” he added.
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