After an impressively long run with Nickelodeon, Dan Schneider was unceremoniously fired by the network after suggestions of inappropriate behavior. But his "firing" was somewhat disguised as Schneider backing out of his contract (for a $7M payoff), and no formal statement came from Nick afterward.
Dan Schneider racked up a $40 million net worth during his time with Nickelodeon on countless projects, including such nostalgia-inducing shows like 'All That.' Dan was also behind the shows 'Zoey 101,' 'Victorious,' and more.
So when he walked away from the network, a lot of people felt like he got off scot-free. No formal statement came from Nick, and there was only smoke and mirrors surrounding his departure. But fans of Nickelodeon, and, yes, the shows Dan Schneider produced, have a theory about why that's so.
What Do Viewers Think Dan Schneider Did?
The allegations against Dan Schneider are all relatively vague, but people suggest that he acted inappropriately around the kids he worked with, and some suspicions are pretty dark.
There were also suggestions that Dan Schneider has some kind of foot fetish, and there are multiple accounts of children who auditioned with him being asked to take off their shoes or even get foot massages from Dan.
Anyway, of all those allegations, viewers of Nickelodeon shows say that many are visible in the show footage, both what was aired on Nick and the behind-the-scenes videos from the shows' tapings.
So with so much "evidence," if that's what one can call it, why do people say that Dan Schneider was able to get away with his bad behavior? If so many people recognized that he was doing allegedly immoral things, why didn't someone say something?
Viewers Think Nickelodeon Covered For Dan
The simplest explanation for why Dan allegedly got away with what critics call predatory behavior is that Nickelodeon had his back, say viewers. They point out that "his shows... were all very commercially successful."
Others noted that things like "money and power" helped protect Schneider. There was also the fact that none of his shows really lasted a long time, so each time one had its ratings dip, Dan moved on to another one.
Online commenters reasoned that the fact that he was always working with different casts (of kids and teens) meant that Dan's weird behavior went unnoticed, or at least, people moved on when they began to feel uncomfortable.
Not everyone walked away quietly, though.
Critics Say Dan Schneider's Victims Didn't Speak Up
The major reason why people think Dan Schneider got away with all kinds of bad things is that no one has ever blatantly spoken up about what he has supposedly done. Though many interviews and firsthand accounts suggest Schneider is pretty weird, no one seemed to want to come forward with formal or very clear accusations against him.
As one commenter pointed out, there was a "lot of smoke but no fire," in terms of people reading between the lines on social media commentary from former child stars who had worked with Dan Schneider.
For example, Alexa Nikolas, who used to appear on 'Zoey 101' but was apparently fired, said on social media that Dan was a "bad guy." She claimed that she wasn't let go from the show for being "boy crazy" (which was apparently the narrative?) but because of "bad things" that happened.
There's also footage from shows like 'Victorious' that shows, fans say, the cast visibly looking uncomfortable when Dan Schneider breaks out his own camera (not the set camera). Picking apart the seemingly adult jokes on the show, mostly coming from Ariana, also had fans feeling creepy crawlies.
And as one fan pointed out, Ariana Grande seems very reluctant to discuss her Nickelodeon character in interviews, which they think is telling in terms of how far she has tried to remove herself from the experience.
No Clear Accusations Mean No Action
Fans further theorized that because there was literally no one willing to speak up about the very worst things Dan Schneider is assumed to have done, everything was swept under the rug.
As one person summarized, nothing happened, "he just got publicly attacked by the internet." Though he did aim to defend himself -- specifically against the accusations that he was obsessed with feet -- Dan Schneider also hasn't addressed every facet of the rumors about him.
And every piece of 'evidence' that fans come across feels like they're really reaching; Jennette McCurdy and Miranda Cosgrove's absence from Dan Schneider's award ceremony was seen as a boycott; Jennette McCurdy's off-putting videos were a cry for help after her trauma at the hands of Dan; 'Sam & Cat' was Schneider making amends to the two lead actresses for having hurt them...
It all sounds too crazy to believe, and that's part of the reason why fans of the Nick stars say no one will ever believe Dan did anything wrong.
