As a former Nickelodeon/Disney Channel-obsessed kid, I’m extremely familiar with Dan Schneider’s work. As the creator behind some of my favorite childhood shows like Zoey 101, Drake & Josh, and Victorious, learning more about what Schneider was allegedly like behind the scenes on Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV was incredibly eye-opening.
While claims about Schneider running a toxic and inappropriate work environment have been circulating for years, former Nickelodeon stars and writers from shows like All That, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, have shared their experiences working with him in the new Investigation Discovery docuseries.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult — me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” Schneider said while addressing the allegations made against him in Quiet On Set during an interview with BooG!e (better known as T-Bo from iCarly), released by The Hollywood Reporter on March 19.
“When I watched the show, I could see the hurt in some people’s eyes, and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry,” Schneider added. “I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was OK to be an assh*le to anyone, ever.”
Fans were surprised to see a fan-favorite like T-Bo interviewing Schneider. Everybody loved T-Bo on iCarly — it’s impossible not to love a character who walks around selling bagels on sticks and overpriced smoothies. However, people were taken aback when they saw him having a conversation with Schneider about the documentary, as well as giving him a space to defend himself and express his feelings towards the series. Her Campus reached out to BooG!e’s team for comment, but did not hear back by the time of publication.
People thought this interview was a low blow on Schneider’s part because he turned down the opportunity to be on the Quiet On Set series, but chose to do this interview. One user TikTok user explained it perfectly: “So this is extremely calculated PR just to apologize enough and talking to someone who won’t ask the things that could incriminate him, to avoid more trouble.”
This interview had everybody talking and many people have since shared their own video responses to it on TikTok.
The way Schneider talked and apologized in the interview was faced with lots of criticism. To many, his responses seemed ingenuine and calculated. “This is so deeply unbelievable and you can tell he knows that with every word he’s saying,” one user commented.
If you want to hear more about this, I recommend watching Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV on Max to hear personal testimonies from former stars who have worked with Schneider.