Dan Schneider Sues Quiet On Set Producers
Dan Schneider, known for hit shows like iCarly and Drake & Josh, is firing back.
The American television producer and screenwriter filed a defamation lawsuit on Wednesday against the creators of the TV show Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV.
The suit comes a month after the release of the five-part docuseries. It aired in March on Max and Discovery+. The shocking exposé revealed Schneider as a perpetrator of child abuse while accusing him of fostering toxic and hostile work environments on the sets of hit Nickelodeon shows. Several writers, actors, and crew members were interviewed.
His attorneys claimed the “portrayal of Schneider is a hit job.” They said that the filmmakers behind the series “falsely state or imply that Schneider” “sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows” by mentioning his name alongside Brian Peck.
Peck is a former actor and dialogue coach who was sentenced to 16 months in prison for sexually abusing actor and musician Drake Bell, now 37.
Court documents describe parts of the Quiet On Set trailer where the producers “doubles down on the implication that Schneider is not only a criminal in some way connected to children, but an abuser—or more specifically, a child sexual abuser.”
They deny that the 58-year-old was complicit in the abuse. He “condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself,” it reads.
Another section states, “Schneider never sexually abused a child, nor has he been charged or convicted with sexually abusing a child. The Trailer and Quiet on Set’s statements and implications to the contrary are both false and made with reckless and malicious disregard for the truth.”
The file says Schneider was defamed to pursue “clickbait, ratings, and views.”
The TV producer released a statement on Wednesday, saying he has “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.”
“There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior. I will continue to take accountability for it”, he added.
Schneider also wrote, “I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight.” He added that he has “no choice but to take legal action against the people behind” the explosive docuseries.
Schneider is seeking preliminary or permanent injunctive relief through the “editing, taking down or removing all or a portion” of the series. He is also claiming compensatory damages of an undisclosed amount. The producer says he has lost “valuable deals” in the wake of Quiet on Set because his “reputation has been irreparably damaged as a result of Defendants’ defamatory statements.”
It shared that “Schneider continues to endure emotional pain and suffering, and mental distress, as a result of Defendants’ defamatory statements.”
Before he filed the lawsuit, Schneider discussed a laundry list of allegations. He issued a public apology in an interview with BooG!e (T-Bo on iCarly) on March 20. The 19-minute video was shared on his YouTube page, DanWarp.
He admitted that he was facing his past behaviors, “some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
