This story mentions sexual assault and harassment. If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-4673.
Former Victorious and Zoey 101 star Victoria Justice is opening up about her time at Nickelodeon in the wake of the bombshell Investigation Discovery documentary series, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
"Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan (Schneider) had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people," Justice told Marie Claire in an interview for our May 2024 issue.
"And there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly," she added.
The five-part docuseries details the toxic and abusive environment inside '90s television programming within Nickelodeon, including allegations of rampant sexual misconduct, harassment, discrimination, and sexual assault.
In a statement to Entertainment Weekly, the network responded to the documentary, saying that while it "cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago," the network's policy is to investigate "all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct."
"Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience," the statement concluded.
The network's former producer, Dan Schneider, was at the center of the documentary—the creator behind shows like iCarly, All That, The Amanda Show and Zoey 101 has been accused of inappropriate and abusive behavior by many of Justice's peers, including Leon Frierson , Katrina Johnson and Bryan Hearne of All That.
Schneider responded to the docuseries via his YouTube page , saying it was "very difficult" to watch.
"Facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret," he said at the time. "I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology."
Schneider has since sued the makers of the documentary for implying "he sexually abused the child actors he worked with," the Associated Press reports.
Justice told Marie Claire that her time at the network "wasn't perfect," and that in "hindsight" some of the moments she experienced "were in poor taste." She also believes she is "definitely one of the people" Schneider needs to strongly apologize to for his actions during his tenure at Nickelodeon.
"I would say I'm definitely one of the people on that list," she said.
Still, Justice would consider her time at Nickelodeon to be "for the most part positive," and says that her mother's strong influence played a major role in protecting her from what others allegedly experienced.
Justice also stressed that she never experienced "anything sexual," referring to the documentary's more serious allegations as well as Schneider's alleged habit of including sexual overtones, pornographic-like imagery and double entendres into his made-for-children television series.
Since departing the network, Justice also said she has "rarely been in contact" with Schneider.
"I'm not condoning any of his behavior," she said about her former boss. "At the end of the day, my relationship with Dan is a very complex one: I met him when I was 12 years old, and he's the person that gave me this big break. He completely changed my life. Most likely I wouldn't be here where I am today if it weren't for him, and for him seeing something in me. For that I will always be grateful. After watching his apology, I think he recognizes that he did a lot of things wrong, and I think if he could step back into a time machine, he would do a lot of things differently."
