All the harrowing Dan Schneider accusations revealed as the former Nickelodeon executive producer breaks his silence over shocking Quiet On Set documentary

Dan Schneider broke his silence this week following the release of an explosive documentary which made shocking allegations - but what other accusations have been levelled against the former executive producer in recent years?

The now 58-year-old, originally from Memphis, Tennessee, began working at Nickelodeon in 1993 as an executive producer when the channel was 'pushing the boundaries of kids entertainment.'

He is said to have 'launched the careers of child actors who became major stars' including Miranda Cosgrove, Jamie Lynn Spears and Ariana Grande - but the reality of the studio was a far cry from the carefree happenings that were mesmerizing kids onscreen.

Schneider has since been flooded with allegations of 'degrading' staff, creating inappropriate sketches and fostering a toxic work environment - many of which were divulged in the Quiet On Set documentary. 

Dan Schneider broke his silence this week following the release of an explosive documentary which made shocking allegations - but what other accusations have been levelled against the former executive producer in recent years? 

He is said to have 'launched the careers of child actors who became major stars' including Miranda Cosgrove, Jamie Lynn Spears and Ariana Grande (pictured together) 

Earlier this week, he appeared opposite BooG!E, who played T-Bo on iCarly, in an interview shared to his own YouTube account, which had been dormant for more than three years.

The 19-minute video saw Schneider, who left Nickelodeon in 2018, discuss ID's docuseries which he said had made him 'face his past behaviors.'

He admitted that had previously overstepped professional boundaries and conceded he owed 'some people a pretty strong apology.'

But, with the furor over his behavior showing little sign of slowing down, FEMAIL has rounded up all of the harrowing accusations leveled against Schneider.

Dan Schneider accused of 'degrading' staff before being sued over accusations of gender discrimination, hostile work environment and harassment

Quiet On Set alleged an 'insidious environment rife with allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate dynamics with its underage stars and crew.'

It wasted little time in dishing that the period of the 1990s and 2000s with Schneider at the helm 'marked one of the darkest chapters,' writer Scaachi Koul said.

Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen were hired as cowriters for The Amanda Show and split a single salary - as the network got 'two writers for the price of one.'

'It was early on when we first started that Dan said he didn't think women were funny,' Stratton said.

'He had fostered this very casual, fun atmosphere but I felt that Dan could be very volatile and could turn any moment. I was scared.'

She said that staff were left feeling 'paranoid and uncomfortable,' concluding: 'Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship.'

The now 58-year-old, originally from Tennessee, began working at Nickelodeon in 1993 as an executive producer when the channel was 'pushing the boundaries of kids entertainment' 

Kilgen also dished on having a similar experience, sharing that he 'didn't really value women in the writers' room.'

But that was not all because, dishing on the depths of the inappropriate behavior at the channel, she claimed: 'Dan was showing pornography on his computer screen. He asked me several time to massage him in the writers' room and in the studio....

'You always felt like disagreeing with Dan or standing up for yourself could result in getting fired. 

'One of the worst, we were in the writers' room and Christy was talking about high school which is relevant because we are writing for a young girl. 

'And Dan just said: "You know what would be funny? If you leaned over the table and acted like you were being sodomized and told that story about high school."'

Kilgen said that Stratton had initially said no, but Schneider kept insisting and 'she couldn't get out of it.'

'So she just leaned over the table and did what he asked her to do. It was upsetting to watch because I knew Christy at this point and I didn't feel at all comfortable complaining to him,' Kilgen added.

She concluded: 'It was probably the wrongest thing I have ever seen happen to a woman in a professional environment ever.'

Christy Stratton, who was hired as a co-writer for The Amanda Show, said: 'Working for Dan was like being in an abusive relationship'

Christy herself declined to talk about the incident, but remarked that she felt sorry for her former self as she was just a young woman at the time. 

Ultimately, after quitting her role at the network, Kilgen decided to sue Schneider because she 'didn't want it to happen to other women in the future.'

'I hired a lawyer and started blowing whistles. My lawyer filed complaints against the production company for gender discrimination, hostile work environment, harassment - and in response they did an internal investigation and they settled,' she said.

'But it had a lasting impact on my career... To learn that it didn't stop and that it was all for nothing.'

Scaachi concluded: 'How safe can any kids be in that environment if that's how the adult women are being treated behind the scenes?' 

The program stated that Schneider issued a statement claiming he 'never once considered gender while hiring.'

A spokesperson for Nickelodeon told DailyMail.com of the alleged behaviors on past production sets: 'Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. 

'Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.'

Former assistant furiously slammed Schneider as a 'f***ing a**hole' - claiming he left her suffering from heart issues as a result of his 'psychological torment'

Schneider's former assistant Amy Berg took to X, formerly Twitter, to write a lengthy statement in the wake of the documentary.

She branded him as a 'psychological tormenter' and a 'manipulator' before claiming his treatment caused her to suffer panic attacks, anxiety, and develop a 'heart arrhythmia.'

Writer Berg, who is based in Los Angeles, California, has issued a full statement which read: 'Awww, here it goes....

'So apparently there's an expose running right now called Quiet On Set about the toxicity of the Dan Schneider era on Nickelodeon. I don't talk much about my time there, but my VERY first job in town was as Dan's assistant.

Writer Amy Berg, who is based in Los Angeles, California, slammed Schneider as a 'f***ing a**hole' - claiming he left her suffering from heart issues as a result of his behavior

'I worked with him for less than a year. He left Nickelodeon to create a show on UPN while I stayed and became a writer on the final seasons of Kenan & Kel and All That under the leadership of extraordinary humans Kevin Kopelow and Heath Seifert.

'During my year with Dan, I wasn't aware of any physically inappropriate behavior.'

It continued: 'What I can confirm, however, is that he was a f***ing a**hole. A psychological tormenter. 

'He introduced me to panic attacks and the stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia. 

'I eventually had surgery (mostly) to correct the issue, but by that point I'd lost all of my 20s. He stole those years from me.

She branded Schneider as a 'psychological tormenter' and a 'manipulator' before claiming his treatment caused her to suffer panic attacks, anxiety and develop a 'heart arrhythmia'

'While I don't think my career trajectory was affected by my time with him, my personal life undoubtedly was. I became a shut-in due to the fear of having a medical crisis away from home.

'I was unable to cultivate relationships or nurture friendships. And to this day I carry with me an anxiety disorder that directly rears its head when faced with other manipulators. Fortunately I've only twice been in bad situations in my career where this trauma was reignited.'

Berg concluded: 'All that said, I will not be watching Quiet On Set. I've no interest in reliving anything, nor do I want to be in a situation where I'd feel inclined to defend Dan in any way.' 

Schneider's Nickelodeon sketches were marred with claims that they 'sexualized' child stars

Many of Dan Schneider's sketches for Nickelodeon were marred with allegations of 'sexualizing' child stars.

Grande famously starred as Cat Valentine in the network's Victorious series, which premiered in March 2010, when she was just 16. 

During the height of its popularity, Victorious launched a website called The Slap, in which Nickelodeon shared behind-the-scenes footage and extra content from the show.

One segment, called Cat's Random Thoughts, featured Grande's character sharing her opinions on various subjects. 

It was eight episodes in total, all of which were written and directed by Schneider. 

Many of Schneider's sketches for Nickelodeon were marred with allegations of 'sexualizing' child stars - this included Grande who featured in scenes sticking her hand down her throat and putting her toes in her mouth 

Other parts also showed Grande trying to get juice from a potato and attempting to drink water upside down in a provocative position 

More recently, clips from the Cat's Random Thoughts segments resurfaced and left many people on the web uncomfortable.

'Have you ever said something, like, a sentence and thought to yourself, "Wow, I bet no one on Earth has ever said those exact words that I just said,"' Grande said in one part of the show.

'That happens to me a lot. Now, just for fun, I'm going to say three sentences that I bet not one person has ever said before in the history of mankind.'

The first sentence was, 'Oh man, my uvula got stuck between those hamster's toes.'

Grande explained: 'See, that could never happen because your uvula is that swingy-thing in the back of your throat right here,' as she stuck her fingers inside her throat. 'So there's no way you can get it stuck between a hamster's toes.'

The God is a Woman songstress, now 30, proceeded to state her second sentence, which was, 'I'm soaking wet! Quick, somebody bring me the ocean!'

'No one would ever say that. Why? Because if you were soaking wet and you were upset about it, the last thing you'd want is for someone to bring you the ocean,' she continued. 'The ocean is even more wet than the wettest person in the world.'

Other segments featured her trying to fit her whole big toe in her mouth, and trying to produce liquid from a potato.

'Sometimes I wonder if you can get juice from a potato,' she said, before holding it in both hands and squeezing it, while letting out grunting noises.

One segment featured her trying to fit her whole big toe in her mouth, while another showed her trying to produce liquid from a potato

'Sometimes I wonder if you can get juice from a potato,' she said, before holding it in both hands and squeezing it, while letting out grunting noises

'It is possible for a teenage girl to drink water upside down?' she then asked. 

Grande laid on her back on the edge of her bed while looking up at the camera and said, 'Mmm, I'm thirsty,' before opening her mouth.

She then started pouring water all over herself while attempting to drink it before reporting, 'It's not possible.'

'It was clear that there was a permissibility around these sexualized jokes with children,' commentators in the Quiet On Set documentary shared.

Responding to the criticism in his recent apology video, Schneider said: 'All these jokes that you're speaking of... every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience because kids thought they were funny - and only funny.

'Now we have some adults looking back at them 20 years later through their lens and they're looking at them and they're saying, "Oh you know I don't think that's appropriate for a kid show."

'I have no problem with that if that's how anyone feels then let's cut those jokes out of the show.

'I want my shows to be popular... so if there's anything in a show that needs to be cut because it's upsetting somebody let's cut it.

'The last thing I want to ever do is put any content in a show that's going to upset my audience and make them want to turn off the TV. Why would I ever want to do that? That makes no sense.'

Schneider also insisted that there were 'many, many levels of scrutiny' at every stage to get a joke approved and also denied that he had ever been banned from his own set.

Schneider criticized over his 'close' relationship to Amanda Bynes when she was just a child 

Schneider's 'close' relationship with Amanda Bynes has often come under scrutiny and, in recent days, disturbing footage of the pair in a Nickelodeon sketch resurfaced.

The scene in question is understood to have been filmed in 2002 when Bynes was around the age of 16. 

It shows Schneider, who is 20 years Bynes's senior, sitting next to the bikini-clad teen for the skit, which he wrote himself.

The clip was taken from Bynes's recurring segment, simply titled Amanda's Jacuzzi, which saw the young star interview guests while in the bubbling pool.

In the snippet featuring Schneider, who was described as 'Nickelodeon's golden boy,' she begins: 'Hi, welcome to my jacuzzi. Today my special guest is executive producer of The Amanda Show, Dan Schneider.'

Schneider's 'close' relationship with Amanda Bynes has often come under scrutiny and, in recent days, disturbing footage of the pair in a Nickelodeon sketch resurfaced 

Schneider - who is propped up against the sidewall wearing a white vest, navy shirt and sunglasses - smiles and replies with a simple 'hi.'

Bynes, who is wearing just a bikini, quips that as he is also head writer at the channel, 'you actually wrote the words that we are saying to each other right now.'

He agrees that he was the mastermind behind the scene and the pair continue to fool around with giggles and glances toward one another before being handed plates of spaghetti to chow down on.

Recently, a shortened version of the clip was included in the Quiet On Set documentary - and commentators were quick to share their thoughts.

'When you watch the video it is Amanda Bynes, clearly very young, wearing a swimsuit in a hot tub and next to her is Dan Schneider fully clothed,' culture writer Scaachi said.

'And he is kind of saying, "I created this situation. I am the reason we are in this hot tub. I am pulling the strings." Maybe at the time people viewed it as a comedy but I think now some people are very uncomfortable with the implication.

Elsewhere, many seemed to agree that Bynes became Schneider's 'new favorite' cast member when she arrived at the network as others claimed they were 'edged out'

'Dan and Amanda had a close relationship and I didn't think anything different than that. The hot tub scene though I always thought was a little odd,' one member of staff said

Elsewhere, many seemed to agree that Bynes became Schneider's 'new favorite' cast member when she arrived at the network as others claimed they were 'edged out.'

Leon Frierson, who worked on All That as a teen, explained: 'There would be times where Amanda would just be missing and a lot of times we would just hear that she would be with Dan - pitching ideas and writing.

'We were seeing them grow closer to each other on set.'

Bynes' own father was reportedly 'very hands-on with her career' and Leon said his presence was 'always felt' due to his relationship with Schneider.

'They carefully crafted Amanda's career. It was enviable for a lot of cast members,' he dished.

Kate Taylor, from Business Insider, told the documentary: 'Dan Schneider's decision to have Amanda be the star of the show is forward thinking in a lot of ways. A lot of adult female comedians do not get their own shows without jumping through a million hoops.'

Koul agreed: 'Dan Schneider was very responsible for Amanda Bynes' career at the point and they were very tied to each other. I think she trusted him.'

Many other commentators recalled Schneider and Bynes being 'very close' - including 'physically.'

In recent years, following her early time in the spotlight, Bynes has suffered mental health issues and spent nine years under a conservatorship, which was controlled by mom Lynn 

Karyn Finley Thompson, who worked as editor on All That, The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh, explained: 'There were many times that I saw Amanda sitting behind him, hugging him or giving him like a neck massage or whatever. 

'Dan and Amanda had a close relationship and I didn't think anything different than that. The hot tub scene though I always thought was a little odd.'

In more recent years, following her early time in the spotlight, Bynes has suffered mental health issues and spent nine years under a conservatorship which was controlled by her mother, Lynn.

Schneider was thought to be the Nickelodeon staffer referred to as The Creator by Jennette McCurdy in her explosive memoir

Ariana's Sam & Cat costar Jennette McCurdy, now 31, previously detailed her traumatic childhood in her best-selling memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, which was released in August 2022.

She spoke in detail about her time on Nickelodeon and alleged that she was subjected to inappropriate behavior from an unnamed staffer whom she referred to as 'The Creator' with many speculating it was Schneider.

'I feel like The Creator has two distinct sides. One is generous and over-the-top complimentary... The other side is mean-spirited, controlling and terrifying,' McCurdy wrote.

Jennette McCurdy (pictured in 2013) has spoken in detail about her time on Nickelodeon and alleged that she was subjected to inappropriate behavior from an unnamed staffer whom she referred to as 'The Creator'

Many people have speculated that she was referring to Victorious and Sam & Cat creator Schneider before he left Nickelodeon in 2018

McCurdy claimed she was required to her pose in swimsuits, given unwanted massages, and told to drink alcohol by The Creator during her time on iCarly, which first aired when she was 15 - in September 2007 - and concluded when she was age 20 - in November 2012.

'My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited,' she told The New York Times, while discussing the book. 'It still gives my nervous system a reaction to say it.

McCurdy made the shocking claims in her  memoir titled I'm Glad My Mom Died

'There were cases where people had the best intentions and maybe didn't know what they were doing. And also cases where they did - they knew exactly what they were doing.'

She also wrote in her book that she was forced to film a kiss scene with her costar, Nathan Kress, seven times while 'The Creator' yelled things at her like, 'Move your head around a bit more.'

She added that it was first time ever locking lips with someone, and that she was severely uncomfortable doing it in front of so many people and cameras.

'My mind is saying who cares that this is your first kiss, that your first kiss is on-camera. Get it over with. Do what you're told,' she wrote.

'My body is saying no, I don't want this. I don't want my first kiss to be like this. I want my first kiss to be a real first kiss, not a kiss for a TV show.'

She also claimed that she was 'terrified of being looked at as a sexual being' and that 'The Creator' once gave her a shoulder massage against her wishes.