Dan Schneider Reacts After Lori Beth Denberg Says He “Preyed” on Her
Dan Schneider Slams Allegations By ‘All That’ Alum Lori Beth Denberg
Dan Schneider is once again defending his character.
The former Nickelodeon producer is addressing recent allegations made by former All That cast member Lori Beth Denberg, who—in a new interview with Business Insider—accused Schneider of showing her porn and initiating phone sex during their time on the show.
Denberg, 48, starred in All That from 1994 to 1998, while Schneider, 58, served as a producer on the comedy series. In Business Insider, Denberg alleged that, around her 19th birthday in 1995, Schneider showed her clips of pornography on his computer during a meeting in his office, telling the outlet, “I feel like that is the first time he preyed on me.”
However, Schneider is combating those claims. “Lori Beth’s accusations of me are wildly exaggerated,” he told E! News in a May 14 statement, “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,” he added. “If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do.”
In Schneider’s statement to E! News, he noted that the writer of the Business Insider story was involved in the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV documentary.
“The fact that an Executive Producer of Quiet on Set would pursue allegations regarding what may have happened between adults nearly thirty years ago,” Schneider said, “only a week after I filed a defamation lawsuit accusing Quiet on Set of being intentionally false and misleading—seems more than coincidental.”
Bryan Bedder/Getty Images for Nickelodeon
In the docuseries, Schneider, who created The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, iCarly and Victorious prior to parting ways with Nickelodeon in 2018, was accused of inappropriate behavior on his TV shows.
All That Official/YouTube
“Recently the docuseries Quiet on Set highlighted mistakes I made and poor judgment I exhibited during my time at Nickelodeon, most of which happened decades ago during my early career as a producer, working on shows for Tollin/Robbins Productions,” he said in a statement to E! News May 1. “There is no doubt that I was sometimes a bad leader. I am sincerely apologetic and regretful for that behavior, and I will continue to take accountability for it.”
“However, after seeing Quiet on Set and its trailer, and the reactions to them, I sadly have no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it,” Schneider continued. “In their successful attempt to mislead viewers and increase ratings, they went beyond reporting the truth and falsely implied that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.”
The docuseries also featured details on Brian Peck, the acting and dialogue coach who served over a year in prison in the child sex abuse case involving Drake Bell.
Jeffrey Mayer/WireImage
“I have no objection to anyone highlighting my failures as a boss,” Schneider concluded, “but it is wrong to mislead millions of people to the false conclusion that I was in any way involved in heinous acts like those committed by child predators. I owe it to myself, my family, and the many wonderful people involved in making these shows to set the record straight.”
For more details from Quiet on Set, keep reading.
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