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Where Is Former Nickelodeon Showrunner Dan Schneider Now? Find Out If He’s Still Producing Today
Dan Schneider is known as the mind behind successful Nickelodeon shows like iCarly, Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show, but he recently came under fire in the Discovery docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, for the abuse he allegedly inflicted on those he worked with on those infamous sets.
Who Is Dan Schneider?
Dan rose to fame in the 1990s, gaining his big break working as an executive producer and writer for All That, which was modeled as a children’s version of Saturday Night Live. Following his early success, he went on to create many shows for the network, including Zoey 101, Victorious and Sam and Cat.
What Was Dan Schneider Accused Of?
Dan was accused of alleged toxic and abusive behavior during his reign as a showrunner on Nickelodeon. Those claims included alleged racism, harassment and verbal abuse.
Several Nickelodeon stars have made claims about Dan’s behavior on set, claiming he purposely used too-adult humor in his kid shows.
Does Dan Schneider Still Work for Nickelodeon?
Nickelodeon ended its working relationship with Dan in 2018.
“Following many conversations together about next directions and future opportunities, Nickelodeon and our long-time creative partner Dan Schneider/Schneider’s Bakery have agreed to not extend the current deal,” Nickelodeon and Schneider said in a joint statement obtained by PEOPLE. “Since several Schneider’s Bakery projects are wrapping up, both sides agreed that this is a natural time for Nickelodeon and Schneider’s Bakery to pursue other opportunities and projects.”
The firing came after Nickelodeon launched an internal investigation in 2017 after multiple victims claimed that Dan was “inappropriate,” asking female employees for massages on set almost daily.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which was released on March 17, 2024, revealed that Dan did not see his ousting from the network coming, calling it a “huge shock.”
“Nickelodeon literally changes the locks of this place that he turned into an empire,” Business Insider journalist Kate Taylor explained during part four. Meanwhile, Rick Ellis, founder of AllYourScreens.com, claimed, “They gave him an amount that was reported at the time at about $7 million. You know, it was just a really quick, really sharp break.”
Is Dan Schneider in Jail?
Despite numerous complaints, Dan was never charged with formal criminal charges.
What Has Dan Schneider Said About the Allegations?
The former creator responded to the allegations two days after the Discovery docuseries aired on March 17.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult, me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret,” Dan told BooG!e – who played T-Bo on iCarly – in a YouTube interview published on March 19, 2024. “I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
When asked about the massages he would request from staffers, Dan admitted “it was wrong.”
“I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then,” the writer explained. “I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation, and even additionally I apologize to the people who were walking around Video Village or wherever they happened because there were lots of people there who witnessed it who also may have felt uncomfortable.”
He also came clean about making “inappropriate jokes” and revealed that, in hindsight, many were not appropriate for children’s programming. “Let’s cut those jokes out of the show,” Dan said, before pointing out that there were executives and “many levels of scrutiny” relating to his shows and their content.
What Has Dan Schneider Said About His Relationship With Amanda Bynes?
He also addressed claims surrounding one of the stars whose career he helped launch, Amanda Bynes. During the docuseries, Dan was accused of interfering with Amanda’s relationship with her parents, ultimately helping her try to get emancipated from her parents when she was still a minor.
“She wanted to get emancipated from her parents, which was a fairly common with successful young actors at least at the time. And she wanted that for herself.” He continued, “So, she turned to her team, which included her lawyer, her agent, her manager, her publicist, me, cause she included me as part of her team, thought of me that way. We supported her. She tried to get emancipated and it ended up not working out and she didn’t.”
Is Dan Schneider Still Producing?
Dan has kept a low profile since his axing from Nickelodeon. He told the New York Times in 2021 that he was writing two pilots, however as of publication neither has been produced.
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