Nickelodeon teen star levels new allegations against Dan Schneider after Quiet on Set

All That actor Lori Beth Denberg has accused Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider of inappropriate behavior when she was a teen star on the show.

The accusations come hot on the heels of Investigation Discovery’s bombshell docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, in which former child actors detail a toxic underbelly of abuse, harassment, racism and sexism on the sets of Schneider’s shows.

Denberg – now 48 – starred in four seasons of the kids’ sketch comedy series from 1994 to 1998 after being cast aged 17.

Around her 19th birthday in 1995, Schneider invited Denberg into her office, she told Business Insider, and showed her graphic pornography, including a video depicting bestiality.

Denberg alleges that during her four years on the show, Schneider put her in numerous uncomfortable positions and once initiated phone sex.

In a statement sent to The Independent, Schneider called Denberg’s accusations “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.”

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Schneider noted in his statement that the author of the Business Insider report, Kate Taylor, was also an executive producer on Quiet on Set: “[The fact she] would pursue allegations regarding what may have happened between adults nearly 30 years ago – only a week after I filed a defamation lawsuit accusing Quiet on Set of being intentionally false and misleading – seems more than coincidental.”

In the documentary, two female writers who worked on The Amanda Show alleged that series showrunner Schneider acted inappropriately in the workplace, showing them pornography and asking for massages.

“Dan was showing pornography on his computer screen. He’d ask me several times to massage him in the writers’ room and in the studio and he would say things sometimes like, ‘Can you please give me a massage, I’ll put one of your sketches in the show,’” one of the women, Jenny Kilgen said.

Following the release of the docuseries, Schneider released an apology video, saying that watching it was “very difficult” as he faced his “past behaviors – some of which are embarrassing and that I regret”.

Addressing Kilgen’s claims that he asked people to give him massages on set, Schneider added: “It was wrong. It was wrong that I ever put anyone in that position. It was wrong to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologise to anybody that I ever put in that situation.”

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However, in his lawsuit filed 1 May, the producer’s attorneys state: “Quiet on Set’s portrayal of Schneider is a hit job. While it is indisputable that two bona fide child sexual abusers worked on Nickelodeon shows, it is likewise indisputable that Schneider had no knowledge of their abuse, was not complicit in the abuse, condemned the abuse once it was discovered and, critically, was not a child sexual abuser himself. 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.”

ID did not respond to The Independent’s request for comment.

Schneider began his career as an actor, best known for playing Dennis Blunden in Head of the Class. As a kids’ TV producer, he is credited with launching the careers of stars including Ariana Grande, Amanda Bynes and Kenan Thompson.

Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018 following a ViacomCBS investigation that deemed he committed verbal abuse on set, but found no evidence of sexual misconduct.