Where Is Dan Schneider Now? What Happened To The Nickelodeon Creator From ‘Quiet On Set’

The explosive four-part docuseries, Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, premiered on March 17. The series sheds light on the alleged toxic, manipulative, and abusive environment that plagued the sets of Dan Schneider's Nickelodeon shows during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Where is Dan Schneider now and what has he said about the docuseries? Read on to learn more.

Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, uncovers the “toxic and dangerous culture” behind shows created by Schneider, including All That, The Amanda Show, Victorious, Sam & Cat, Zoey 101, iCarly, and more.

On March 19, Schneider responded to the docuseries in a 19-minute video interview posted to his YouTube channel. “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,” he told BooG!E, who played T-Bo on iCarly.

“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 okay to be an asshole to anyone, ever,” Schneider said in the video obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

The former Nickelodeon executive producer also agreed that some jokes crossed a line and should be removed from episodes that continue to air. “All those jokes… the show covered over the past two nights, every one of those jokes was written for a kid audience because kids thought they were funny, and only funny,” he explained. “Let’s cut those jokes out of the show, just like I would have done 20 years ago or 25 years ago. I want my shows to be popular. I want everyone to like (the shows), the more people who liked the shows, the happier I am. So if there’s anything that needs to be cut because it’s upsetting somebody, let’s cut it.”

Watch the full video below:

Who Is Dan Schneider?

Dan Schneider grew up in Memphis, Tennessee, before relocating to Los Angeles to pursue a career in acting. His early roles include ‘80s comedies like Making the Grade, The Big Picture, Better Off Dead, and the sitcom Head of the Class.

The following decade, Schneider connected with Nickelodeon’s executive Albie Hecht, who gave him a job to produce the sketch series All That, according to The Hollywood Reporter. (He quit that series after four seasons before being asked to revive it again in 2001.)

He eventually left All That to create The Amanda Show, starring All That alum Amanda Bynes. At the same time, he worked as an executive producer for other series on the network, including Kenan & Kel and the 1997 movie Good Burger.

In the early 2000s, he co-created the series What I Like About You starring Bynes and co-wrote and co-produced the 2002 film Big Fat Liar featuring Bynes and Frankie Muniz. Schneider returned to Nickelodeon in 2004 to executive produce Drake & Josh, starring The Amanda Show alums Drake Bell and Josh Peck.

Schneider’s popular titles for Nickelodeon include Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious, Sam & Cat, and more. He’s also credited for launching the careers of stars like Kenan Thompson, Amanda Bynes, Victoria Justice, Miranda Cosgrove, Jennette McCurdy, and more.

What Happened Between Dan Schneider And Nickelodeon?

Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon ended their longtime partnership in March 2018. Schneider’s split from the network came after the creator’s allegedly abusive behavior began to come to light. Deadline reported that members of his staff were filing multiple complaints of abusive behavior against Schneider. The site added that he was “under a cloud of suspicion” after he posted pictures of the feet of some of the young actresses he worked with.

“Following many conversations together about next directions and future opportunities, Nickelodeon and our longtime creative partner Dan Schneider/Schneider’s Bakery have agreed to not extend the current deal,” Nickelodeon and Schneider said in a joint statement.

The separation also came after ViacomCBS launched an investigation into Schneider and found no evidence of sexual misconduct but concluded that Schneider was verbally abusive on set, according to a 2021 report by The New York Times. Schneider denied all allegations of misconduct. “I couldn’t and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors,” he told the publication at the time.

Where Is Dan Schneider Now?

Although Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon ended their working relationship in 2018, Schneider was credited as a co-creator of the 2020 series Danger Force, a spinoff for Henry Danger, and a creator of the iCarly spinoff on Paramount+.

One year later, in 2021, The New York Times interviewed Schneider, and the former EP revealed he went on a three-year hiatus to “take care of a lot of stuff that I’d let go by the wayside for decades” and shared that he lost 100 lbs. At the time, Schneider said he was working on a pilot for a different network, which he called “ambitious and very different” from anything else he’s done and would be for “more of an adult audience.” He added that he was also working on another pilot for kids and their families.

In regards to the Nickelodeon investigation, the story said that “[Schneider] declined to comment on the investigation,” but defended “his leadership style, denied he left [Nickelodeon] on bad terms, and described his departure as a natural confluence of events after an ‘exhausting’ period in which he delivered as many as 50 episodes of shows each year.”

As of 2024, there has yet to be any news about the status of pilots or proof that Schneider is working for any other networks at this time. He occasionally posts on his Instagram page about the accomplishments of stars he formerly worked with, including Ariana Grande, Austin Butler, and Victoria Justice.

Watch the trailer for Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV below.