Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider files defamation lawsuit against 'Quiet on Set' producers

Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider is suing the people and companies behind “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” claiming the explosive docuseries defamed him by falsely implying he sexually abused the children he worked with.

The four-part Investigation Discovery docuseries, which aired in March and had a bonus episode drop in April, featured interviews with several crew members and former child stars who alleged abuse, inappropriate behavior and a toxic work environment while they appeared on some hit Nickelodeon shows Schneider produced.

Schneider, who was behind hits like “The Amanda Show” and “Drake and Josh,” parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018. He does not appear in the docuseries, but he responded to several of the allegations with written statements that aired throughout it.

The lawsuit, filed Wednesday in Los Angeles County Superior Court, describes the docuseries' portrayal of Schneider as a “hit job.” It claims Schneider had no knowledge of and was not complicit in the sexual abuse alleged in the series and that he had condemned the abuse after he learned of it.

“And, critically, [Schneider] was not a child sexual abuser himself,” the complaint says. “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.”

Warner Brothers Discovery, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television and the series’ directors, Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, are named as defendants.

Representatives for the defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment Wednesday.

“Quiet on Set” expanded on the allegations of gender discrimination and a hostile work environment first reported by Business Insider in 2022. It included interviews with a wide array of people, including two female writers who spoke about the gender discrimination lawsuit they filed against the network.

Actor Drake Bell, of the Nickelodeon hit “Drake & Josh,” also spoke for the first time about the sexual abuse he alleged he experienced at the hands of his former dialogue coach, Brian Peck, who was convicted of sexually abusing a minor in 2004.

Schneider, who apologized for several of his behaviors after it aired, wrote in a statement Wednesday that while the docuseries truthfully showcased “mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon,” seeing “Quiet on Set” and the reactions it drew left him with “no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it.”

“I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss, but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators,” Schneider wrote. “I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight.”

Schneider is seeking preliminary or permanent injunctive relief, including editing or removing all or part of “Quiet on Set” and its trailer, as well as damages for reputational, financial and emotional harm, according to the lawsuit.

Though “Quiet on Set” did not explicitly name him as a sexual abuser, Schneider’s complaint says that throughout the series and its trailer, certain voiceovers and graphics were juxtaposed or edited with visual depictions in ways that made them “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 by countless average, ordinary or reasonable viewers.”

The complaint also claims the series refused to interview witnesses who did not fit its “false and defamatory narrative” and that “Quiet on Set” has been accused of being “dishonest or deceptive” about the purpose of its questions during witness interviews.

It cited several online comments and posts as evidence that viewers interpreted the docuseries as revealing Schneider to be a sexual offender.

Schneider said that he has lost “valuable deals” from major networks or platforms in the wake of “Quiet on Set” and that it is now “virtually impossible” for him to obtain such opportunities.

“Schneider’s reputation has been irreparably damaged as a result of Defendants’ defamatory statements,” the lawsuit says. “Schneider continues to endure emotional pain and suffering, and mental distress, as a result of Defendants’ defamatory statements, as well as financial and career damages.”