Dan Schneider suing ‘Quiet on Set’ producers for defamation: ‘I sadly have no choice’
Dan Schneider, the Nickelodeon producer behind hit shows “Drake & Josh” and “iCarly,” is taking legal action against the teams behind the popular “Quiet on Set” docuseries.
Schneider announced in a statement shared with The Times on Wednesday that he plans to sue producers Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television for defamation.
“Quiet on Set,” which premiered in March on the Investigation Discovery channel, alleged sexual abuse and discrimination occurred on the sets of Schneider’s shows during his Nickelodeon reign in the late ‘90s and early 2000s. In the docuseries, several former child actors (including abuse victim Drake Bell), parents and crew members offered accounts of Schneider’s alleged abuse of power.
“After seeing ‘Quiet on Set’ and its Trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it,” Schneider said in the statement. “In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, 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.”
Representatives for the production studios did not immediately respond to The Times’ requests for comment.
‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,’ the ID documentary series premiering Sunday, delves into Dan Schneider’s hit Nickelodeon shows and the abuse former employees say happened.
Schneider’s suit, filed in Los Angeles County Superior Court on Wednesday, revolves around several episodes of “Quiet on Set” and a trailer shared in February to promote the five-part docuseries. He alleges that the studios, and co-defendants directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, “falsely state or imply” in the docuseries that he “sexually abused the children who worked on his television shows.” Schneider dismissed the allegations as “fabrications.”
“‘Quiet on Set’s portrayal of Schneider is a hit job,” the complaint continues. Schneider previously addressed the docuseries’ allegations in a lengthy video in March, and echoed his previous sentiments about “poor judgment” during his tenure in Wednesday’s statement. “I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it,” he added in his missive.
Schneider’s complaint alleges multiple defamatory edits throughout the February trailer and in multiple “Quiet on Set” episodes, including a cutaway in promotional material from an image of Schneider with a young star to the ID logo, which has “True Crime Event” in text underneath.
Schneider also takes issues with language used in an episode disclaimer and the series’ alleged “conflation” of him with convicted sex offenders Brian Peck and Jason Handy, who both worked on Nickelodeon shows. The lawsuit also notes the series’ “manipulative use of editing and photographs,” which he alleges implied he was complicit in child sex crimes.
Dan Schneider offers a video response to the documentary ‘Quiet on Set’ and the claims that he fostered a toxic work environment during his Nickelodeon reign.
In his suit, Schneider denied any involvement in “committing a criminal act toward a child” and all allegations of child sex abuse. “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,” he alleged. He also accused the defendants of defamatory acts to earn “clickbait, ratings and views — or simply put, money,” citing the director’s interviews — including with the Los Angeles Times — and other media coverage.
Schneider seeks an undisclosed amount in compensatory damages, for past and future economic loss, “damage to reputation,” emotional distress and legal fees, according to the complaint. He also seeks “editing, taking down or removing all or a portion” of the “Quiet on Set” docuseries and its trailer.
“Quiet on Set” is streaming on Max.
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