Jamie Lynn Spears heaps praise on “Zoey 101” creator Dan Schneider in her new memoir but fails to acknowledge the allegations of misconduct that have been leveled against him.
When Spears, 30, first mentions Schneider, 56, in “Things I Should Have Said,” she credits him as the person who “recognized [her] talent” and “was the driving force” behind her landing the starring role on the Nickelodeon dramedy.
“The show attracted some of the best professionals in the business. The creator and director, Dan Schneider, was exacting and insisted on professionalism,” she writes.
Spears then applauds Schneider, who infamously had a habit of tweeting photos of young actress’ feet, for knowing “how to get just what he needed from a rambunctious group of teens who thought that they were all that.”
But any mention of the embattled showrunner ends there.
“Things I Should Have Said” hit stores Tuesday.Worthy PublishingSchneider was once an unstoppable force at Nickelodeon, creating children’s sitcoms including “The Amanda Show,” “Drake & Josh,” “iCarly” and “Victorious.”
But in March 2018, the network abruptly cut ties with the producer so he could “pursue other opportunities and projects.” Page Six broke the news at the time that he walked away with a $7 million payout.
Deadline reported soon after that “for years Schneider had been under a cloud of suspicion over the treatment of some younger stars of his shows,” while the New York Times revealed in June 2021 that an internal investigation at Nickelodeon had found Schneider was verbally abusive toward co-workers. (The review found no evidence of sexual misconduct.)
Schneider is the sole recipient of the Kids’ Choice Award for Lifetime Achievement.FilmMagicSchneider denied to the Times that he had ever acted inappropriately at work, saying in part, “I couldn’t and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors.”
He also insisted that his photos and videos of kids’ feet were “totally innocent.”
Schneider was most recently credited as the creator of Paramount+’s “iCarly” revival, which premiered in June 2021, though he had no creative involvement.
