Lori Beth Denberg remembers Dan Schneider calling her into his office and telling her to shut the door.
It was 1995, around Denberg's 19th birthday, and Nickelodeon's hit comedy show "All That" had recently wrapped its first season. Denberg was one of the show's stars. So when Schneider, the head writer of "All That," heard that a female producer had met with Denberg to discuss her weight gain, he was angry.
Schneider told Denberg that he should have been the one to have that conversation. After all, he understood what it was like to be overweight.
At first, Denberg appreciated the support. But the conversation shifted, and before Denberg realized it, Schneider started showing her clips of pornography on his computer. The "grand finale," Denberg said, was a video in which a woman performed oral sëx on a donkey.
"I feel like that is the first time he preyed on me," Denberg told Business Insider.
During her four seasons starring in "All That" between 1994 and 1998, Denberg said Schneider put her in countless uncomfortable situations. She said he lashed out at her on set, played pδrn for her on multiple occasions, and once initiated phone sëx. Denberg said that looking back, she's disturbed by the power imbalance between herself and Schneider, who was a decade older than Denberg and one of the most powerful people working on "All That."
Schneider built a children's television empire at Nickelodeon in the early 2000s, creating shows like "The Amanda Show," "Drake and Josh," and "iCarly." But his legacy has been marred by accusations of inappropriate behavior. In a 2022 BI investigation, people who worked with Schneider said he requested on-set massages, pushed for young actors to wear revealing costumes, and inserted sexµal innuendos into his shows. The recent documentary "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" reported further allegations, with Jenny Kilgen, a writer on "The Amanda Show," saying Schneider showed writers pδrn on his computer while they worked. He was constantly testing those around him, seeing "how far can I push this person," Denberg said.
In a statement to Business Insider, Schneider, now 58, said Denberg's accusations are "wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false."
"As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader," Schneider said. "If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do."
This is the first time Denberg has publicly discussed Schneider at length. But it's not the first time she's voiced her concerns.
It was 1995, around Denberg's 19th birthday, and Nickelodeon's hit comedy show "All That" had recently wrapped its first season. Denberg was one of the show's stars. So when Schneider, the head writer of "All That," heard that a female producer had met with Denberg to discuss her weight gain, he was angry.
Schneider told Denberg that he should have been the one to have that conversation. After all, he understood what it was like to be overweight.
At first, Denberg appreciated the support. But the conversation shifted, and before Denberg realized it, Schneider started showing her clips of pornography on his computer. The "grand finale," Denberg said, was a video in which a woman performed oral sëx on a donkey.
"I feel like that is the first time he preyed on me," Denberg told Business Insider.
During her four seasons starring in "All That" between 1994 and 1998, Denberg said Schneider put her in countless uncomfortable situations. She said he lashed out at her on set, played pδrn for her on multiple occasions, and once initiated phone sëx. Denberg said that looking back, she's disturbed by the power imbalance between herself and Schneider, who was a decade older than Denberg and one of the most powerful people working on "All That."
Schneider built a children's television empire at Nickelodeon in the early 2000s, creating shows like "The Amanda Show," "Drake and Josh," and "iCarly." But his legacy has been marred by accusations of inappropriate behavior. In a 2022 BI investigation, people who worked with Schneider said he requested on-set massages, pushed for young actors to wear revealing costumes, and inserted sexµal innuendos into his shows. The recent documentary "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" reported further allegations, with Jenny Kilgen, a writer on "The Amanda Show," saying Schneider showed writers pδrn on his computer while they worked. He was constantly testing those around him, seeing "how far can I push this person," Denberg said.
In a statement to Business Insider, Schneider, now 58, said Denberg's accusations are "wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false."
"As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader," Schneider said. "If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do."
This is the first time Denberg has publicly discussed Schneider at length. But it's not the first time she's voiced her concerns.
he did that shyt
we finally got him
