Schneider pushes back against allegations that he knew of or partook in the abuse.
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Dan Schneider has sued Investigation Discovery for defamation over his portrayal in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, accusing the company of falsely implying that he sexually abused children who worked Nickelodeon series he created and ran.
Schneider, in a lawsuit filed on Wednesday in Los Angeles Superior Court, says his depiction in the five-part docuseries is a “hit job.” While it’s true that two child sexual abusers worked on network shows, he says he had “no knowledge of their abuse,” condemned it and “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.”
Warner Bros. Discovery, which distributed the project on Max, and producers Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television are also named in the complaint. Schneider seeks unspecified damages and a court order forcing producers to remove allegedly defamatory portions of the docuseries or have it completely taken down.
In a statement, Schneider acknowledged “mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon” but said he had “no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it.” He added, “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.”
Investigation Discovery didn’t immediately respond to a request for comment.
The docuseries, which debuted in March to massive ratings, chronicles Schneider’s rise to a prolific producer of children’s television series. Among the allegations leveled at the producer is that he largely tolerated a toxic workplace and humiliated the cast and crew on his TV sets. In the third episode, Drake Bell, the star of Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, came forward as the then-anonymous victim in Brian Peck’s sexual assault case. In a video after the project’s release, Schneider said he didn’t hire the dialogue coach who was convicted in 2004 of sexually assaulting Bell.
More to come.