Dan Schneider, the Nickelodeon producer behind the hit shows “Drake & Josh” and “iCarly,” is taking legal action against the teams behind the popular docuseries “Quiet on Set.”
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.
In “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 her reign at Nickelodeon in the late '90s and early 2000s. docuseries, several former child actors (including abuse victim Drake Bell), parents, and crew members offered accounts of Schneider's alleged abuse of power.
“After watching 'Quiet on Set' and its trailer, and the reactions to them, unfortunately I have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind this,” 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 real child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.” .
Representatives for the production studios did not immediately respond to The Times' requests for comment.
Schneider's lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, revolves around several episodes of “Quiet on Set” and a trailer shared in February to promote the five-part documentary series. He alleges that the studios and co-defendant directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz “falsely stated or implied” in the docuseries that he “sexually abused children who worked on his television shows.” Schneider dismissed the allegations as “fabrications.”
“'Schneider's interpretation of Quiet on Set is a successful work,” the complaint continues. Schneider previously addressed the docuseries' allegations in a lengthy video in March and echoed her earlier sentiments about “poor judgment” during her tenure in Wednesday's statement. “I sincerely apologize and regret that behavior, and I will continue to take responsibility for it,” she added in her letter.
Schneider's complaint alleges multiple defamatory edits throughout the February trailer and in multiple episodes of “Quiet on Set,” including a cut in promotional material from an image of Schneider with a young star to the ID logo, which has “True Crime Event” in the text below. .
Schneider also has issues with the language used in the episode's disclaimer and the alleged “conflation” of him with convicted sex offenders Brian Peck and Jason Handy, both of whom worked on Nickelodeon shows. The lawsuit also notes the series' “manipulative use of editing and photography,” which he claims implied he was complicit in sexual crimes against children.
In his lawsuit, Schneider denied any involvement in “committing a criminal act toward a child” and all allegations of child sexual abuse. “The statements and implications to the contrary in the trailer and Quiet on Set are false and made with reckless and malicious disregard for the truth,” she alleged. He also accused the defendants of defamatory acts to gain “clickbait, ratings and views – or simply, money,” citing the director's interviews – including with the Los Angeles Times – and other media coverage.
Schneider is seeking an undisclosed amount in compensatory damages for past and future economic losses, “reputational harm,” emotional distress and legal fees, according to the complaint. He is also seeking to “edit, delete or remove all or part” of the “Quiet on Set” docuseries and its trailer.
“Quiet on Set” is streaming on Max.
