Dan Schneider is pushing back against Quiet on Set. He has sued Investigation Discovery for defamation over the new docuseries, which aired on Max. Schneider’s suit accuses the company of falsely implying that he sexually abused children who worked on his shows.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, he filed his suit with the Los Angeles Superior Court on Wednesday, May 1, 2024, calling the series a “hit job.” Schneider’s suit names Warner Bros. Discovery and producers Maxine Productions and Sony Pictures Television as defendants.
“But for the sake of clickbait, ratings, and views — or put differently, money — Defendants have destroyed Schneider’s reputation and legacy through the false statements and implications that Schneider is exactly that,” the suit reads.
The docuseries itself does not allege anything about Schneider other than his on-set behavior as described by writers on the show and cast members from the time. While the series focuses on the actions of Brian Peck and Jason Handy, it does also point out that Schneider would often add questionable storylines to his shows. The most jarring example of which is teenage Ariana Grande doing odd things with her feet on Victorious.
As of this moment, there is no news on what else Schneider’s suit alleges but the docuseries being a target for Schneider’s anger (as he claimed it ruined his reputation) is not surprising. Schneider’s reputation was already ruined when he left Nickelodeon back in 2018 after being accused of creating a hostile work environment.
Schneider is not happy with his inclusion in the docuseries
Quiet on Set put a spotlight on predators like Peck and Handy and also showed the kind of environment that Schneider was creating. According to THR, Schneider acknowledged in a statement the “mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon” but went on to say that he had “no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it.” Schneider added, “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.”
Most of Schneider’s complaints come from the docuseries discussing his on-set behavior paired with images that could imply his on-set behavior was inappropriate with the children he was working with. Schneider especially did not like his image being associated with that of Peck. He says: “The only reason to include Schneider’s image in this context was to falsely equate Schneider with Peck; the viewer is left to infer that just as Peck was a child sexual abuser, so was Schneider.”
In the suit, he acknowledges the two child abusers who worked on his shows but says that he had no knowledge of their abuse.
(featured image: Max)
