Lori Beth Denberg, star of Nickelodeon's 1990s hit “All That,” accused Dan Schneider of showing her pornography on multiple occasions and initiating phone sex when he worked on the sketch series from 1994 to 1998.
In a statement obtained by The Times, Schneider called the allegations “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.”
Denberg said in a recent interview with Business Insider that Schneider “took advantage” of her, showing her pornographic videos under the pretext of a meeting, allegedly including one in which a woman performed oral sex on a donkey, which Denberg called the “grand finale” of the footage. She was 19 years old and he was 29.
She also alleges that Schneider, who was the head writer on “All That” at the time, developed an inappropriate relationship with her, which included frequent phone calls and alone time off set. She said they regularly discussed sexual topics over the phone and that Schneider once initiated phone sex.
Denberg also claimed that when he moved to Los Angeles in 1996, he frequently spent nights at Schneider's house and often stayed over. While he said the sleepovers were not sexual in nature, he added that they often gave each other massages and that Schneider frequently played pornography on her computer.
“As I said previously, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, when I made mistakes and showed poor judgment as a leader,” Schneider said in a statement. “If I did that regarding Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize. But I can't apologize for things I didn't do.”
Schneider recently faced similar accusations following the release of the Investigation Discovery documentary series “Quiet on Set,” which details the experiences of child actors and adult employees who worked on Nickelodeon classics such as “All That,” “The Amanda Show” and “ Zoey 101″. “In the documentary, the writer of “Amanda Show” Jenny Kilgen He said Schneider played pornography on his computer at work and made degrading jokes at his expense.
Kilgen and several other people interviewed for the documentary, including Christy Stratton, another writer on the show, also said that Schneider frequently requested massages from his employees and actors.
Schneider recently sued the creators of “Quiet on Set” for defamation, calling the series a “hit job” in the lawsuit and saying it falsely implied he was involved in child sexual abuse.
In his statement Tuesday in response to Denberg's allegations, Schneider questioned the timing of the Business Insider article. Its author, Kate Taylor, was interviewed for the documentary ID and executive produced it.
Schneider said the fact that Taylor “came forward with allegations about what may have happened between adults nearly thirty years ago, just a week after I filed a defamation lawsuit accusing 'Quiet on Set' of being intentionally false and misleading, seems more than a coincidence.”
Several of the stories Denberg detailed in the interview involved angry outbursts or verbally abusive behavior, both on and off set, and many child stars and Nickelodeon employees interviewed for “Quiet on Set” spoke of similar behaviors.
Denberg also claimed that his “bizarre and abusive friendship” with Schneider became physical. When she won a bet, the prize for which was a massage from Schneider, he allegedly fondled her breasts and put his mouth on them.
Denberg said she hopes that by sharing her story, others who worked with Schneider will feel comfortable telling their own experiences. “There is good and evil,” he said, “and there is true and false.”
