‘Zoey 101‘ star Alexa Nikolas is reacting to former Nickelodeon producer and screenwriter Dan Schneider‘s “apology” he issued after watching Discovery’s bombshell documentary ‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV.’
RELATED: ‘Zoey 101’ Star Alexa Nikolas Claims Show’s Creator Dan Schneider Allegedly Paid Minors On Set For Photos Of Their Feet
Alexa Nikolas previously starred in Nickelodeon’s ‘Zoey 101‘ and in November 2022, she called out the show’s creator Dan Schneider, alleging that he paid minors on set for photos of their feet. During an appearance on former Disney Channel star Christy Carlson Romano‘s podcast ‘Vulnerable,’ Nikolas detailed her experience of allegedly having witnessed her boss doing creepy things with minors.
Nikolas told Romano, “He had a digital camera and he would go around with money and ask to take photos of the kids’ feet – their toes.” Nikolas admitted that although she found the behavior somewhat strange, she was still a child and didn’t understand the severity of things at the time. She also claimed that her mother was vehemently against the idea, while other parents seemingly remained open to the request.
RELATED: Nickelodeon Alumni Accuse Former Producer Of Creating “Toxic Work Environment” In Docuseries
Nikolas said, “I remember my mom going, ‘Don’t go over there.’ My mom actually said ‘no’ to it, but I saw other parents allowing their kids to do it.” Nikolas also addressed the conflicting reasons for why she no longer appeared on the show. It was initially believed that she had been fired from the show after having an alleged argument with the show’s lead Jamie Lynn Spears.
However, Nikolas said she left the show due to the toxic work environment she experienced. Although the feud is said to have contributed to the reason for her departure, Nikolas admitted that she had several run-ins with Schneider, which she believed may have also played a factor in her character being written off.
RELATED: Dan Schneider Addresses Toxic Workplace Claims On ‘Quiet On Set’ Doc
Since Alexa Nikolas’ November 2022 claims against Dan Schneider, Investigation Discovery’s docuseries ‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV‘ continued to expose the toxic and abusive environment Dan Schneider allegedly fostered on the sets of his hit Nickelodeon shows, like ‘All That,’ ‘Kenan & Kel,’ ‘The Amanda Show,’ ‘Zoey 101,’ ‘iCarly,’ ‘Victorious,’ ‘Sam & Cat,’ and ‘Drake & Josh.’
Responding to Alexa Nikolas and handfuls of other Nickelodeon stars and crew members affected by Dan Schneider’s alleged abuse, the former show creator and screenwriter uploaded an “apology” interview, which was conducted by Bobbie K. Bowman, aka BooG!e, who played “T-Bo” on Schneider’s hit teen series ‘iCarly.’
During the 19-minute sit-down, Schneider attempted to take accountability for his past behavior with the cast and crew from his various Nickelodeon shows. Schneider said, “Watching over the past two nights was very difficult — me facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.”
Schneider added, “When I watched the show, I could see the hurt in some people’s eyes, and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry. I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was OK to be an asshole to anyone, ever.”
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Reacting to Dan Schneider’s “apology” interview, Alexa Nikolas uploaded her own video to her ‘Eat Predators‘ YouTube channel and slammed her former boss for not genuinely “taking accountability” for his past actions. Replaying some of Schneider’s comments in his “apology” video, Nikolas fired back, “I’m sorry, him centering what he feels is bizarre to me. It’s like you literally… You are awful! To be quite honest with you, awful. You’re embarrassed? Not embarrassed enough! Not embarrassed enough to go reach out to the people you actually harmed.”
After alleging that BooG!e was “being used” by Schneider, Nikolas continued to dismiss his feelings and fired back, “Uncomfortable? You exploited children! I don’t even feel any remorse from him. He’s not even crying, he’s not even…I know everyone deals with emotions in their own way, but I don’t feel anything from you, Dan.”
Nikolas continued to respond to different statements from Schneider and said, “You’re embarrassed? I’m going to cut to the chase here: you don’t feel anything, Dan. You’re like every freaking privileged male, white male, I’ve honestly ever met on set. You have no idea what accountability is. You’re searching for it, maybe, but you haven’t landed on it. That’s for sure. This is not the way.”
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