A former Nickelodeon star is coming to Dan Schneider's defense amid the numerous allegations made against him.
These allegations revolved around claims of inappropriate behavior, particularly involving young actors on his shows, which were discussed in the new docuseries ‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV’.
Despite those accusations, former Nickelodeon star Madisyn Shipman, who is known for playing Kenzie Bell in the sitcom 'Game Shakers', has spoken out, defending Schneider.
Madisyn Shipman Defends Dan Schneider Amid Allegations
In a lengthy Instagram post, the former Nickelodeon star addressed the people who slammed her for defending Dan Schneider.
"Many of the comments I have received in reference to my support of Dan Schneider really has hurt my heart," she began. "The way our society judges someone is disheartening to me. I will always stand up for what's right for me and my experience is my experience."
Former Nickelodeon Star Shares Her Experience With Dan Schneider
"For all you haters coming at me for commenting on this platform about my personal experience on the 'Game Shakers' set and Dan Schneider. You have just proven that you were never a true supporter of me. I'm sorry that you live such a miserable life that you have to try to tear someone down to feel better about yourself.
Hurt people hurt people. If any of you actually watched the 'Quiet on Set' documentary then you would hear from Drake Bell, himself, stating that Dan was the only person there for him after his traumatic experience."
It should be noted that while Drake Bell said Dan Schneider reached out to him after the Brian Peck allegations, many other stars, including young actors and actresses, writers, and staff members have alleged Schneider of creating a toxic work environment and of verbal abuse.
Investigations Launched Looking Into Dan Schneider
"If Dan was guilty of anything other than some anger moments, which everyone has episodes of at given times, then don't you think he would have been charged by now?! Keep in mind that it has been 6 years since he has worked in children network television," she added toward the end of her statement.
Keep in mind, there were two investigations that looked into the allegations against Dan Schneider at the time, and since the docuseries, the former Nickelodeon producer has apologized for his behavior.
“Watching over the past two nights was very difficult,” Scheider said, referencing the ‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV’, “Me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret, I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
"I am not in any way, shape, or form, discrediting anyone's personal experience or their traumas that they experience while on set -- I'm solely sharing my experience," she clarified. "For those of you that are so ignorant to know - the creators and producers have no hand in payroll - as for the real pedophiles that were hired not only by Nickelodeon but by Disney as well - that is strictly executed and disturbed through the Nickelodeon and Disney main production offices."
Shipman was referring to Brian Peck, who was arrested in 2015 for his alleged s-xual assault on Drake Bell. After spending 16 months in prison, and being ordered to register as a s-x offender, Peck was hired by Disney, who received backlash at the time.
After Dan Schneider released his apology, Shipman commented on his post, once again, backing the former Nickelodeon producer. "Dan - I’m so incredibly grateful for you and your kind heart," she began. "As for my experience on set with you, I have nothing but positive things to say about you. You were always patient and open-minded with me personally."
Adding, "I can’t speak on behalf of anyone else, but for me, you are a blessing and I’m grateful to have you and Lisa in my life. I love you and I have even more respect for you for taking accountability for your previous actions. If people focus on the negative then all they will see is negativity. You are a good man and I can only wish others knew and saw you for who you truly are."
In a lengthy Instagram post, the former Nickelodeon star addressed the people who slammed her for defending Dan Schneider. "Many of the comments I have received in reference to my support of Dan Schneider really has hurt my heart," she began.
Writers said that they were subjected to grueling, long work days. Female staff writers, who were sparse on Schneider's productions, accused him of being sexist. BI's investigation brought to light a gender discrimination and hostile workplace claim filed by "The Amanda Show" staff writer Jenny Kilgen in 2000.
Schneider's lawsuit claims that the voiceovers and graphics in “Quiet on Set,” as well as the series' trailer, “are purposefully and intentionally defamatory in that they falsely and repeatedly state or imply that Schneider is a child sexual abuser and committed crimes in this regard — and have been interpreted as such ...
Nickelodeon reacted to Bell's revelation in a statement shared with Deadline. "Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward," the statement read.
Paedophiles on set. The arguably most shocking reveal in the docu-series is that Nickelodeon had not one or two but three paedophiles on set who were later convicted and fired. The first paedophile was a production assistant, Jason Handy, who was in charge of walking the kids around the set to where they needed to be.
In the original four episodes of "Quiet on Set," Schneider was accused of inappropriate behavior on his Nickelodeon shows, including asking female employees for massages on set. Some also argued that the shows he worked on featured disturbing sexual innuendos, not suitable for young viewers.
Schneider was a producer on the sketch comedy show, which the actress starred on from 1994 to 1998 after being cast when she was 17. Denberg alleged that starting when she was around 19, Schneider began discussing sexual topics with her over the phone and once initiated phone sex.
However, her music career took a grinding halt. "I definitely took a break from music. I had a deal that just wasn't working out anymore ... for a lot of reasons. And so, I asked to be out of that deal," Justice tells PEOPLE exclusively.
Drake Bell, Josh Peck, Kenan Thompson and Victoria Justice are among numerous former Nickelodeon stars who have spoken out following the harrowing allegations revealed in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
In re Nickelodeon is a class action lawsuit brought in the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey in response to the collection of users information by Nick.com.
This proposed class action, filed in the United States District Court for the Northern District of California (San Francisco), challenges many of Schneider Trucking's payment practices, including its alleged failure to pay for all time the drivers are working and on duty during the work day.
In Quiet on Set, Bell alleged he was sexually abused by All That and The Amanda Show dialogue coach Brian Peck beginning when he was age 15 while he working as a child star at the network.
Nickelodeon (occasionally shortened to Nick) is an American pay television channel owned by Paramount Global through Paramount Media Networks' subdivision, Nickelodeon Group.
Ariana Grande addressed Quiet on Set on Podcrushed, saying she has been reprocessing her memories of the shows she starred on. “Obviously my relationship to it has been — and is currently — changing,” she said.
In the documentary, some of the writers, former child stars and other staffers who worked with Schneider allege the atmosphere behind the scenes was toxic. Bell — who starred in “Drake and Josh” as well as “All That” — also revealed that he was sexually abused by an acting coach who was employed by the network.
"Victorious" and its spin-off "Sam & Cat" were created by Dan Schneider, who in "Quiet on Set" was accused of creating toxic work environments and making female employees uncomfortable by asking for massages, among other allegations. He denied many of the claims and is suing the documentary's producers for defamation.
During Schneider's tenure at Nickelodeon, three men — production assistant Jason Handy, dialogue coach Brian Peck, and studio freelancer Ezel Channel — were arrested and charged with various crimes related to child sexual misconduct.
Emma Roberts. “I watched [Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV], and I was completely horrified and shocked because that was not my experience,” Roberts told Variety in July 2024. “It made me really, really, really sad that that was happening to people that I literally saw often and had no idea.”
Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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