Dan Schneider, who is famous for creating series like Kenan & Kel, iCarly, and Zoey 101, was an actor. People of a certain age may remember him as Dennis from Head of the Class, the sardonic physics-loving student who sat at the back of the room next to what appears to be the world’s first computer.
The show was about a ragtag group of geniuses and their ex-hippie teacher, who taught them that there was life outside of books.
It’s easy to see the person who played that character going on to cement Nickelodeon’s reputation as the go-to destination for kids and teens’ television.
Unfortunately, his reputation has been marred by controversy, resulting in Schneider and Nickelodeon’s split in 2018 after a 25-year association. Where is Dan Schneider now? Here is what we know.
Where is Dan Schneider now?
Schneider gave his first interview to The New York Times a year after Danger Force appeared, after semi-retiring from his business engagement with Nickelodeon. According to the newspaper’s 2021 article, “[Schneider] declined to comment on the investigation.”
However, he defended his leadership style, denied leaving on poor terms, and portrayed his exit as a natural confluence of events following an ‘exhausting’ time in which he delivered up to 50 episodes of shows every year.”
However, those who worked with him revealed a different story. The New York Times also reached out to four people who were interviewed by ViacomCBS but were legally permitted to speak about it. They denied witnessing anything sexually wrong on set but confirmed that he was verbally abusive. Schneider described this behavior as “difficult,” attributing it to his “high standards.”
Arthur Gradstein wrote for four of Schneider’s shows and he knew him well. Gradstein described his time working with Schneider as a “blast,” but added that his employer was “unreasonably demanding, controlling, belittling, and vindictive, with a willful disregard for boundaries or workplace appropriateness.” It’s funny how this type of activity is frequently portrayed as dedicated rather than destructive.
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Amid these allegations of violent behavior, Jeannette McCurdy, the actress of iCarly and Sam & Cat, wrote a memoir in 2022 that detailed her experience working on Schneider’s program. Though she did not mention Schneider by name, she did speak to a figure known as “The Creator,” who was “mean-spirited, controlling, and terrifying” and reportedly pressured her to drink. She also stated that Nickelodeon offered her “hush money,” but she declined.
Schneider was not a part of the iCarly resurrection, but he openly wished the show well.
What happened between Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon?
In March 2018, Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon discontinued their long-standing cooperation. Schneider left the network after allegations of the creator’s aggressive behavior surfaced.
According to Deadline, members of his staff had filed numerous complaints against Schneider for abusive behavior. The site also stated that he was “under a cloud of suspicion” after posting photos of the feet of some of the young women 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 press release.
The separation also occurred when ViacomCBS conducted an inquiry into Schneider, which found no proof of sexual misbehavior but concluded that Schneider was verbally aggressive on set, according to a 2021 New York Times report. Schneider denied all claims of misbehavior.
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“I couldn’t and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty of so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors,” the actor told the newspaper at the time.