Scandals Rock Nickelodeon – 3 Prominent Creators Exposed And Ousted From The Network Since Last Year
Last month, Dan Schneider – a figurehead of programming at Nickelodeon for the past 24 years – abruptly parted ways with the network.
Notably, Schneider’s departure occurred though he still has three shows airing on the channel: Henry Danger, The Adventures of Kid Danger, and Game Shakers.
Amidst leaving the network, rumors circulated of complaints against Schneider for “abusive behavior” and “bloated budgets and long production days” for his shows. Shortly after Schneider’s exit, John Kricfalusi was accused of preying on two girls – aspiring animators – both underage at the time, who came forward with explosive claims at the end of March.
There’s a great deal of discussion online about Schneider’s (and Kricfalusi’s) alleged behavior, but it is imperative to disregard unconfirmed information, focusing on the facts.
For instance, Deadline reports of Schneider’s “well-documented temper issues” that spanned his time at the network. Schneider also has a noted and lurid history of being a foot fetishist – which seeped into his children television shows and his online use…
The image above (which I recommend you open in a new tab to ensure you can zoom in on the finer details) holds a myriad of Schneider’s foot fetishism appearing in his shows and online tendencies exposing that he even manipulated young girls on Twitter to post pictures of their feet. Schneider also had no problem invading the personal space of his female stars, grasping onto them from behind.
Below, you can see the Twitter profile for Sam & Cat – one of Schneider’s past shows on Nick – asking for fans to take a picture of the bottom of their feet to promote the upcoming new episode.
As you can see, many young female fans obliged…
A Twitter thread compiles a massive amount of sexually-charged content in Schneider’s television shows and hits on the unverified, unfounded rumors surrounding his career – it’s worth a read, though it is important to note that some of the information is unsourced and/or unconfirmed.
thread of how much of a pedophile creep with disgusting fetishes dan schneider is and what really goes on behind the scenes of his shows:
— maddie (@deludedkiss) September 16, 2017
Although there is an aura of mystery surrounding Schneider’s departure, John Kricfalusi’s accusations are a bit more cut-and-dry.
Two females claim that when they were teenagers and contacted Kricfalusi in the 1990’s for help and guidance sparking their animation careers, Kricfalusi took advantage of them.
Robyn Byrd claims that when she was thirteen, she began talking with Kricfalusi online. When she turned sixteen, he allegedly flew her to Los Angeles and sexually assaulted her. She claims she moved in with him – temporarily, at first – and then permanently after she graduated high school. According to Kricfalusi’s attorney, Byrd was John’s “16-year-old girlfriend” for a “brief time”.
Katie Rice also claims she corresponded online with Kricfalusi when she was fourteen and he made sexually inappropriate comments and masturbated on the phone with her. When she turned eighteen, he offered her an animation job and began to sexually harass her when she started to work for him.
According to Buzzfeed, both women have old letters, e-mails, and transcripts of AOL chats that support their claims; and both also have witnesses to parts of their stories.
Kricfalusi’s attorney sent a statement to Buzzfeed:
The 1990s were a time of mental and emotional fragility for Mr. Kricfalusi, especially after losing Ren and Stimpy, his most prized creation. For a brief time, 25 years ago, he had a 16-year-old girlfriend… Since that time he has worked feverishly on his mental health issues, and has been successful in stabilizing his life over the last decade. This achievement has allowed John the opportunity to grow and mature in ways he’d never had a chance at before.
The attorney also hit on Rice’s claims of sexual harrassment, saying “John’s avid pursuit of her romantically was all after the company went out of business and he was no longer her employer”.
No matter what his attorney claims, Kricfalusi’s supposed growth and development to becoming a more stable person doesn’t negate his abusive, sexually-explicit history.
Schneider’s departure and Kricfalusi’s allegations come nearly a year after Loud House creator Chris Savino was fired from Nickelodeon for sexual harrassment allegations. In just little under a year, three prominent Nickelodeon creators have been ousted from the network or exposed…
However, it’s important to remember in today’s world of countless #MeToo scandals seeing liberal Hollywood accused, most of the accusations are unverified and unproven; rumors – therefore, all are innocent until proven guilty. With the hyper-charged nature of the digital sphere, witch hunts abound. It’s very easy to get lost in an embattled mob of emotions and reaction, it’s harder to withhold narratives until all of the facts and judgment are out and finite.
The manipulation and sliminess of Dan Schneider is well-proven and documented, however, and usually – where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Schneider’s innuendo-filled media and his documented online behavior should be a massive concern. Evidence, court trials, and testimony will (hopefully) land Schneider where he belongs: in jail.