What the f**okay. As an increasing number of Nickelodeon stars converse out about their expertise working for the community — and one creator particularly — the story simply will get bleaker.
Zoey 101’s Alexa Nikolas is the most recent to talk in-depth about her troubling time starring in a sequence created by the now-controversial author Dan Schneider. She was within the first two seasons of the Jamie Lynn Spears-lead sitcom, Zoey 101. In Wednesday’s episode of the Actual Pod podcast with host Victoria Garrick, the actress claimed her boss used to take a seat in on all her costume fittings when she was simply 12 years previous. So gross.
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Getting candid in regards to the uncommon habits, the now-30-year-old defined Dan, 56, would all the time insist on being at her wardrobe fittings and would sit on the opposite facet of a “curtain” whereas she modified. She defined:
“At any time when I had wardrobe fittings, [Schneider] all the time needed to be in them. Thank God there was a curtain, however he was actually [sitting] on [a] chair proper exterior of the curtain.”
Significantly!
Alexa described her costumes for her character Nicole Bristow, a Pacific Coast Academy pupil, as largely “very brief skirts.” You’ll be able to see a have a look at what she wore within the inset (above). Referring to photographs taken of her wearing character, she continued:
“[It was] to the purpose the place he would sit within the chair, and I might come out and perform a little spin. [Schneider] would have a look at the wardrobe artist and say, ‘Can I’ve the Polaroids?’”
Oof. It’s one factor to obtain these photographs to make precise essential choices for the present, however the context through which he was asking to maintain the pics is tremendous sketchy. These claims additionally sound harrowingly just like what iCarly star Jennette McCurdy revealed whereas selling her memoir, I’m Glad My Mother Died.
Jennette by no means named Dan by title, however she did consult with a problematic determine, who was behind the scenes of her exhibits iCarly and Sam & Cat, because the “Creator.” So, most have linked the dots again to Schneider. Chatting with the New York Instances forward of the discharge of her greatest vendor, she revealed she was as soon as photographed in a bikini at a wardrobe becoming for Sam & Cat and was additionally inspired to drink alcohol by the intimidating determine. So, this appears to have been a behavior of the creator…
Whereas the showrunner has not responded to Web page Six’s request for remark, his press rep did reply to the allegations with an announcement from former Nickelodeon president of content material and manufacturing Russell Hicks. Standing in help of the TV producer, it learn:
“Dan cared in regards to the youngsters on his exhibits even when generally their very own households sadly didn’t. He was the shoulder they cried on when one thing occurred to them. He understood what they have been going via. Dan was like the good highschool counselor you could possibly all the time flip to for assist and steering. And he was their greatest champion.”
Russell additionally insisted Nickelodeon “has a expertise administration division that’s protecting tabs on the whole lot that’s taking place and going to each occasion these youngsters go to,” including:
“Each single factor that Dan ever did on any of his exhibits was rigorously scrutinized and accredited by executives at Nickelodeon.”
However maybe not nicely sufficient…
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In a while within the Learn Pod dialog, the actress admitted she didn’t understand her boss’ habits was out of the extraordinary till she labored on different exhibits, akin to Mad Males. She continued:
“I began to comprehend, ‘Oh, so the creator isn’t within the room for the wardrobe fittings.’ And I bear in mind them being like, ‘Yeah, no. We simply ship them a photograph, they usually approve with the producers.’”
Whoa. It should have been laborious for her to grapple with all of it. Hear WAY extra allegations from her time on Nick, together with particulars about her feud with Jamie Lynn and Britney Spears (beneath)!
This isn’t the primary time Alexa’s gotten candid about her unlucky begin within the biz. She’s lengthy been an advocate for change on the community and even protested exterior of Nickelodeon’s Burbank workplaces in August. In the course of the protest, she held an indication that learn:
“Nickelodeon didn’t defend me.”
She made her emotions much more clear on an Instagram Dwell on the time, sharing:
“I didn’t really feel protected at Nickelodeon as a toddler, personally. I’m demanding that Nickelodeon begins defending kids and never predators.”
She additionally name-checked the Drake & Josh producer, including:
“I didn’t really feel protected round Dan Schneider whereas I used to be working at Nickelodeon.”
So unhappy.
After working for the kids’s community for nearly 25 years, Schneider and Nick parted methods in 2018 amid rumors of “abusive habits” on the units of his many sequence. Business insiders later instructed Web page Six he took a $7 million payout to depart, however Paramount communications government David Bittler insisted his departure was a “mutual resolution.” In a 2021 interview with the NYT, Dan broke his silence on the enterprise break up in addition to the allegations, saying:
“I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many respected individuals if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, particularly minors.”
Properly, when you’re harassing literal kids who’re far decrease on the meals chain than you, it’s affordable to suppose a few of the little one stars have been both too scared to talk out for worry of dropping their jobs or have been unable to completely course of what was taking place to them in the meanwhile, as Alexa herself urged. Simply saying. Ideas, Perezcious readers? What do you make of Alexa’s feedback? Tell us (beneath).
[Image via Alexa Nikolas/Instagram & Fanlala/Nickelodeon UK/Real Pod/YouTube]
