Dan Schneider Reacts After Former Nickeloden Star Lori Beth Denberg Accuses Him Of Sexual Misconduct
Former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider is reacting after âAll Thatâ actor Lori Beth Denberg recently accused him of sexual misconduct.
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Former âAll Thatâ Star Lori Beth Denberg Comes Forward With Allegations Against Dan Schneider
On Tuesday, May 14, Business Insider published an exclusive interview with Denberg. During the conversation, Denberg explained that she starred in âAll Thatâ between 1994 and 1998.
Additionally, she alleged that the first time Schneider âpreyedâ on her was in 1995 when she was 19 years old.
Denberg explained that, at the time, she was called to Schneiderâs office. Eventually, the conversation between them allegedly shifted to him showing her clips of pornography. One of which allegedly included a woman performing oral sex on a donkey.
âI feel like that is the first time he preyed on me,â Denberg told the outlet.
According to Denberg, during her time at Nick, Schneider âlashed out at her on set, played porn for her on multiple occasions, and once initiated phone sex.â
On one occasion when Denberg was around 20 or 21, Schneider allegedly âfondled and put his mouth on her breasts.â Additionally, one evening, while she was out to dinner with Nick writers, staff, and Schnieder, he allegedly pointed out how her breasts were different sizes.
The actor told the outlet she never stopped Schneiderâs behavior out of fear he would retaliate against her by interfering with her career or humiliating her on set.
âI couldnât have been more green. I couldnât have been more vulnerable,â she told the outlet.
Furthermore, Denberg alleged that around 2000, she spoke with Nick execs about Schneiderâs alleged treatment of fellow star Amanda Bynes. At the time, Denberg was concerned about Bynes looking âemaciated and exhausted on the set of âThe Amanda Show.’â
âI felt like I tried to help her â to help Amanda, and couldnât,â she recalled.
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After Denberg shared her concern for Bynes, she was allegedly barred from the showâs set.
âNobody thinks it is their responsibility [to protect the people working at Nickelodeon],â Denberg told the outlet. â[Instead, higher-ups act as if employees] should thank them for the privilege â and itâs just absolutely disgusting.â
Dan Schneider Reacts To The Allegations
According to Business Insider, Schneider responded to Denbergâs accusations, calling them âwildly exaggerated.â Additionally, Schneider referred to Denbergâs claims as âin most cases, false.â
Schneider reiterated that he made âmistakes and exhibited poor judgmentâ in his early career at Nick. However, he canât apologize for acts he didnât commit.
âAs 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,â Schneider reportedly told the outlet. âIf I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do.â
According to Variety, Schneider also shared a separate statement with the outlet where he alleged that the author of Business Insiderâs article, Kate Taylor, was a producer in the recently released âQuiet On Setâ docuseries.
â[The fact she] would pursue allegations regarding what may have happened between adults nearly thirty years ago â only a week after I filed a defamation lawsuit accusing âQuiet on Setâ of being intentionally false and misleading â seems more than coincidental,â he told Variety.
IndyStar reports that Schneider filed the lawsuit on May 1 against Warner Bros. and Sony Pictures. The former Nick producerâs lawyers reportedly claim that the âfalse statements and implicationsâ shared in the âQuiet On Setâ docuseries about Schneider âdestroyedâ his âreputation and legacy.â
Hereâs Why Dan Schneider Recently Made Headlines
As The Shade Room previously reported, the four-part docuseries aired in March. During the show, former Nick star Drake Bell revealed he was sexually assaulted at fifteen years old by the companyâs dialogue coach, Brian Peck.
In addition to Bellâs revelation, âQuiet On Setâ explored claims that Schneider sexualized the child stars and maintained a hostile work environment. In the following weeks, numerous Nick stars added more claims against Schneider while the family members of others came to his defense.
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