Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider apologises after claims of abuse and inappropriate behaviour
Dan Schneider has apologised for inappropriate behaviour on the sets of Nickelodeon shows.
The former producer, who was behind shows such as Drake and Josh, iCarly, Victorious and The Amanda Show, left Nickelodeon in 2018.
Over the weekend, several actors, staff and former child stars alleged abuse, inappropriate behaviour and a toxic work environment while working on Schneider’s shows in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
In a 20-minute video posted on YouTube on Tuesday, he called the docuseries “difficult” and “embarrassing” to watch.
“Facing my past behaviours – some of which are embarrassing and that I regret – and I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” Schneider said.
In Quiet on Set, former writer for The Amanda Show Jenny Kilgen claimed Schneider would make inappropriate and sexual remarks on set and said he had asked her for a massage.
He said in his video it was “wrong” of him to do so, and added: “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.”
Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018. Pic: Reuters
Schneider also said that any questionable content or jokes in the shows he produced should be cut, adding: “Every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience because kids thought they were funny.
“Now we have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens. I have no problem with that. Let’s cut those jokes out of the show.”
Schneider also reiterated there were “many, many levels of scrutiny” on his programmes, that multiple network executives approved the content and look of his shows, and dozens of adults were on set and never raised concerns.
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Drake and Josh star Drake Bell also alleged on Quiet on Set that he was sexually abused by Brian Peck, a former dialogue coach at Nickelodeon.
A representative for Peck did not respond to a request for comment from Sky News’ partner outlet NBC News on Bell’s allegations in the docuseries.
Peck pleaded no contest to and was convicted of lewd or lascivious acts with a 14- or 15-year-old child and oral copulation with a minor under 16, according to a case summary from Los Angeles County Superior Court.
Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison. Bell said in Quiet on Set that Schenider was supportive of him.
When asked about Bells’s allegations of abuse, Schneider became emotional and said he did not hire Peck. He also called it the “darkest part of his career”.
Schneider called Drake Bell’s allegations of abuse from Brian Peck the “darkest part of his career”. Pic: Rex
In June 2021, Bell entered a guilty plea during a case involving attempted child endangerment. The charges related to an online incident involving a 15-year-old fan in 2017.
He was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
A Nickelodeon spokesperson previously said in response to Quiet on Set: “Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviours from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct.
“Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
The New York Times reported in 2021 Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider after an internal investigation found evidence of verbal abuse to colleagues. The investigation did not find evidence of sexual misconduct.
After Schneider’s video response, a spokesperson addressed the investigation and said “all that was found is that he was a challenging, tough and demanding person to work for and with, nothing else”.
Sky News has asked Dan Schneider’s representatives and Nickelodeon for comment.
A man has been found after spending 10 days lost in a California wood.
Lukas McClish, 34, was last seen on the morning of 11 June near Big Basin Redwood State Park, around 14 miles north of Santa Cruz.
He was reported missing on 16 June, according to the Santa Cruz County Sheriff’s Office.
Pic: San Mateo County Fire Department
The sheriff’s office said it received multiple reports of witnesses hearing someone yelling for help.
The force then used several drones to determine Mr McClish’s exact location.
State Parks rangers were the first to discover him and fire crews helped bring him to safety on Friday.
Mr McClish was only going for a three-hour hike before work when he got lost, he told local media.
“I didn’t bring anything because I thought I was doing a three-hour hike to go to work,” he said.
When Mr McClish got lost, he said he had only a flashlight and folding scissors.
“So, I kind of just hiked,” he added. “Each day, I go up a canyon, down a canyon to the next waterfall, sit down by the waterfall, drink water out of my boot.”
Pic: San Mateo County Fire Department
Mr McClish said he was “comfortable the whole time I was out there” and “wasn’t worried about it”.
“I had a mountain lion that was following me, but it was cool,” he added. “It kept its distances. I think it was just somebody watching over me.”
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Mr McClish drank water from creeks, ate wild berries and slept on a bed of wet leaves while yelling for help.
He said: “I want a burrito or a taco bowl. That’s what I thought about every day when I, after the first five days, when I started to kind of realise that I might be in over my head.”
Mr McClish had no major injuries and was reunited with his family.
“This truly was a team effort with the best outcome we could have hoped for,” the sheriff’s office said.
Justin Timberlake has performed his first gig since his arrest for alleged drink-driving, telling the crowd it had been a “tough week”.
The US star is currently on his The Forget Tomorrow World Tour and performed in Chicago on Friday night after being arrested earlier this week.
He told the screaming crowd: “We’ve been together through ups and downs, lefts and rights.
“It’s been a tough week, but you’re here and I’m here, and nothing can change this moment right now.”
The singer appeared emotional as he added: “I know sometimes I’m hard to love but you keep on loving me and I love you right back.”
Timberlake was in Long Island in New York state – having reportedly had dinner with friends – when he was pulled over by police in the early hours of Tuesday.
Officers said the 43-year-old had failed to pause at a stop sign and was seen not being able to stay in his lane.
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Timberlake’s car caught on CCTV
Timberlake was held overnight and formally charged with a DWI (driving while intoxicated) misdemeanour at Sag Harbor Village Justice Court on Tuesday morning before being released.
According to a source talking to Page Six, the officer who pulled Timberlake over “was so young that he didn’t even know” who the star was.
A second source told the celebrity news outlet that during the arrest, Timberlake said: “This is going to ruin the tour.”
Timberlake’s mugshot after his arrest. Pic: Sag Harbor/Reuters
Timberlake, who rose to fame with boyband NSYNC before finding huge success as a solo artist with hits including Like I Love You, Cry Me A River, SexyBack and Mirrors, is due to perform in Chicago again on Saturday night.
Further shows are scheduled across the US, Canada and Europe between June and December.
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According to court documents filed about the star’s arrest, there was “a strong odour of an alcoholic beverage… emanating from his breath, he was unable to divide attention, he had slowed speech, he was unsteady afoot and he performed poorly on all standardised field sobriety tests”.
Timberlake also told officers he had one martini and was following some friends home, and refused to take a breath test.
His lawyer has said he is “looking forward to vigorously defending” the singer.
Timberlake’s next court date is scheduled for 26 July.
A supermarket shooting in Arkansas, US, has left three people dead and 10 others wounded.
Parked cars and shop windows were left riddled with bullet holes after a gunman opened fire on Friday, forcing bystanders to dive for cover.
Among the injured were two police officers who shot back at the gunman – before he was arrested.
The incident took place around 11.30am local time at the Mad Butcher supermarket in Fordyce – a city of just over 3,000 people located 65 miles south of Little Rock.
Colonel Mike Hagar, director of Arkansas State Police, told reporters: “It’s tragic, our hearts are broken”.
The gunman was identified by police as 44-year-old Travis Eugene Posey.
Posey was taken to jail and charged with three counts of murder.
Other charges are still pending and no court date has been set, according to the inmate roster.
Police on the scene of the attack in the aftermath of the shooting. Pic: AP
Neither Posey’s, nor the officers’ injuries were life threatening, but among the others the injuries ranged from “not life-threatening to extremely critical”, Col Hagar said.
It wasn’t immediately clear what the motive for the shooting was, nor if it took place predominantly inside or outside the shop.
Roderick Rogers, a member of the city council, witnessed the attack.
He said he saw people fleeing for cover in all directions and added: “People were just jumping into cars to get to safety.”
Law enforcement officers work the scene of the shooting. Pic: AP
Amiya Doherty said she was in her mum’s car in the car park of the shop when she heard what she thought were fireworks.
But she then saw a man holding a gun and firing and said she ducked out of view.
“I held my sister’s hand and I told her I love her,” Ms Doherty told Little Rock television station KATV.
Images from the scene showed a slew of bullet holes in the grocery store’s window, and spent shell casings strewn throughout the parking lot.
The shooting took place at the Mad Butcher grocery store in Fordyce, Arkansas. Pic: AP
Arkansas governor Sarah Huckabee Sanders said she had been briefed on the shooting.
In a post on social media she added: “I am thankful to law enforcement and first responders for their quick and heroic action to save lives.
“My prayers are with the victims and all those impacted by this.”
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The White House said President Joe Biden has been briefed on the shooting and his team will continue to keep him updated.
David Rodriguez, 58, had stopped at his local petrol station in the town when he heard what he thought were fireworks.
But he too saw people fleeing from the shop and one person lying on the ground.
“The police started to show up, and then there was massive gunfire and ambulances pulling up,” he said.
“The bullets were just flying.”
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