The Dark, Depressing Side Of Nickelodeon Studios

Shows like Victorious, Drake and Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, and its spin-off Sam & Cat kept audiences enthralled for years, all while subjugating its young cast members to majorly inappropriate scenes and dialogue.

The looming figure behind these shows and these careers is Dan Schneider, and Schneider’s abusive, predatory behaviors have been well-documented by YouTube content creators and now, by Nickelodeon alumna Jennette McCurdy in her bombshell memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died. McCurdy’s account of how she was exploited as a child star by both her mother and Nickelodeon producers has motivated past network stars to come forward with their own stories, revealing the truly dark, depressing side of Nickelodeon Studios.

The Allegations against Nickelodeon

In a now-viral Twitter thread, user Khalia, or @VERONASFILMS, compiled a lengthy record of primary and secondary sources outlining disturbing incidences of grooming and other predatory behaviors which occurred on the sets of the network’s most well-known shows. Specifically, the thread outlines allegations celebrities and castmates have made for years against Nickelodeon Studios, and more specifically, against producers and creators like Dan Schneider.

One tweet, taken from McCurdy’s recently released account of her time in Hollywood as a child actor, alleges that Schneider constantly compared the cast of iCarly to the cast of Victorious in an effort to get them to work harder. McCurdy also says the Victorious cast was constantly partying and drinking, which had clear ramifications on set, a claim which has been substantiated by cast member Avan Jogia. In McCurdy’s book, she relates how Schneider pressured her to drink alcohol, saying it would give the iCarly cast “more edge,” as the Victorious cast got “drunk together all the time.”

Staff at the network provided the underage actors with fake IDs so they could go out to clubs.

It doesn’t end there. Tyisha Hampton, Kel Mitchell’s ex-wife, had plenty of time to see depraved acts of abuse and exploitation on the set of All That when the pair were dating. Hampton alleges that she was sexually harassed by the Nickelodeon crew so much she stayed in Mitchell’s dressing room while on set rather than be out and about. Hampton also says staff at the network provided the underage actors with fake IDs so they could go out to clubs, and that an unnamed actor (assumed to be Amanda Bynes, which was later refuted) performed sexual acts on producers. Cast members aged 15-17 were also made to wash Dan Schneider’s car in bikinis.

Most recently, Daniella Monet from Victorious came out with her own claims against the network and producer, Dan Schneider. She claimed that they forced her to film a scene where she was applying lip gloss and eating a pickle (in an obviously sexual manner). She felt uncomfortable with it and despite objections, it was left in the final cut of an aired episode. Even more disturbing, Insider's exposé details a scene that Jamie Lynn Spears was forced to film for her show Zoey 101 in which she had, "goo 'roughly the consistency of an egg white' splattered onto her face." Daily Mail goes on to say that, "Her costar Alexa Nikolas recalled that Schneider wasn't satisfied with the take and made a crew member squirt her in the face multiple times. After Spears caught the goo on her forehead during one take, at which point it started to dribble down to her face onto her mouth. Nikolas recalled Schneider bursting into laughter at the sight, which led other crew members and even Spears' mother Lynne Spears to erupt into giggles. 'It's like a c** shot,' she recalled one of her male costars saying, before noting that the most sexualized take was the one selected for the episode."

Schneider left the network in 2018, but his legacy remains. Arthur Gradstein, a writer who worked under Schneider for six years, told The New York Times that Schneider constantly displayed “a wilful disregard for boundaries or workplace appropriateness.” Tyisha Hampton also alleges that the network’s writing staff fetishized young girls and often wrote these disturbing proclivities into shows. You only have to take one look at a sickening compilation of scenes starring Ariana Grande from Victorious and Sam & Cat (which are borderline pornagraphic) to know this claim can easily be corroborated.

Silencing Former Cast Members

Now, former cast members like McCurdy are speaking up, but she isn’t the only one. Speaking to ABC News, McCurdy disclosed that she was offered $300,000 – what she calls “hush money” – by the network, which she admits she thought about taking to put her nieces through college. McCurdy ultimately refused, but apparently the network felt that a well-known figure like Schneider and his behavior would be better put to bed than disclosed to the public.

Alexa Nikolas, who starred in the first two seasons of Zoey 101, has also spoken about her experiences with Schneider and the network’s attempted cover-up. Nikolas revealed in a conversation with YouTube’s Sloan how she was approached by a documentary filmmaker who asked her to talk about her experiences on set with Schneider. Nikolas did, and then her boyfriend received a call almost immediately from Schneider’s lawyer trying to track her down.

Schneider’s lawyer, according to Nikolas, wanted to “sit down” with her to discuss her potential participation in the documentary and get her to sign a nondisclosure agreement. Nikolas, pillar of strength that she is, refused, and even went on Instagram to talk about Schneider’s abusive and sometimes erratic behavior.

Other Nickelodeon stars have come forward to support McCurdy’s tell-all book, including Kel Mitchell and Josh Peck, who said McCurdy is “incredibly brave to tell her story and be as honest as she is.” 

Why Don’t We Take Protecting Children Seriously?

It’s becoming increasingly apparent that we’re failing our children. Every day we see stories of child exploitation and abuse, and if we're to move forward and function as a society, we have to confront the evil that’s in front of us.

It’s unfortunate, but Jennette McCurdy and her co-stars are not alone. Children are exploited online every single day. They’re also introduced to over-sexualized adult entertainment by their own parents, the very people who should be protecting them.

Had the adults in charge taken their role seriously, these child stars never would’ve had any abuse to disclose.

McCurdy’s mother was supposed to protect her. Instead, she exposed McCurdy to the toxic world of Hollywood at an impressionable age, and goaded her into forming an eating disorder, all while placing the financial responsibility of their family on her young shoulders. Debra McCurdy wasn’t alone either. Many have pointed out that while McCurdy struggled with an overbearing, abusive mother and an eating disorder, she portrayed a character (Sam Puckett) who had a problematic relationship with her mom and an obsession with food, which was Schneider's doing.

Why don’t we care about protecting the most vulnerable among us? Why are those who consistently call out the exploitation of children labeled as conspiracy theorists, even when they point out connections between powerful people and the cover-up of horrendous crimes? Why was Ghislaine Maxwell able to be convicted without the release of her client list?

We will likely never know the answer to any of these basic questions, as long as those who retain influence and money retain their status. McCurdy’s courage in coming forward about her life was a brave decision, but had the adults in charge taken their role seriously, she never would’ve had any abuse to disclose.

Closing Thoughts

Nickelodeon may have given us some of our favorite shows and best memories, but for many of its actors, all it gave them was nightmares. It’s only natural to consider a rewatch of the shows we loved from our childhood, but knowing what we know now, all that would accomplish is putting a bad taste in our mouth. Basic human decency demands we protect our children and hold their abusers accountable, and hopefully, McCurdy’s memoir has set that in motion. 

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