Nickelodeon alums allege toxic work environment on set of Dan Schneider shows in new docuseries

A new four-part docuseries will examine what former Nickelodeon employees claim was a toxic work environment under the reign of TV creator and producer Dan Schneider.

In the trailer for Investigation Discovery's Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV released Thursday, former employees of the network level allegations of abuse, sexism, racism, and inappropriate dynamics between crew and underage stars while they were on the set of shows from the embattled creator, who is behind such hits as All That, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Victorious, and Zoey 101.

"Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship," a former employee alleges in the trailer, while another claims that Schneider's "treatment of people on his shows was an open secret."

Another employee in the trailer refers to alleged "predators" at the network, while another references multiple accusations of sexual abuse related to a child actor, but the trailer does not identify the accused nor provide any details of the allegations. In her best-selling memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, iCarly star Jennette McCurdy detailed allegations against a Nickelodeon creator, claiming that the creator pressured her to drink alcohol while underage and gave her massages, in addition to other instances of inappropriate behavior. She did not, however, identify the creator in question.

In response to the docuseries, a spokesperson for Schneider issued the following statement to EW: "Dan cared about the kids on his shows even when sometimes their own families unfortunately did not. He understood what they were going through and he was their biggest champion. The fact is many of the kids on these shows are put in the untenable position of becoming the breadwinner for their family and the pressure that comes along with that."

It continued, "Add on top of that the difficulties of growing up and having to do so under the spotlight while working a demanding job, all as a child. That is why there are many levels of standards, executives, lawyers, teachers and parents everywhere, all the time, on every set, every day. However, it is still a hard place to be a kid and nobody knew that better than Dan.”

A ViacomCBS investigation in late 2017 and early 2018 into Schneider's "alleged sexual behavior" determined no evidence of sexual misconduct but concluded that Schneider was verbally abusive on set, the Los Angeles Times reported. Nickelodeon and Schneider parted ways in 2018 after a two-decade working relationship following the investigation.

Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas also made claims against Schneider in 2022, including alleging that he sat in on her costume fittings.

Schneider has denied all allegations of misconduct. “I couldn’t and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors," he told The New York Times in 2021.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV airs across March 17 and 18 on Investigation Discovery starting at 9 p.m. ET/PT. Watch the trailer above.

This article has been updated to include a statement from Schneider's spokesperson.

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