Over the years, Nickelodeon seems to have served up slime and scandal in equal measure. While many
children have grown up enthralled with the fun and laughs of seemingly innocent entertainment,
things aren't quite as innocent or funny behind the scenes. Let's
look at the network's biggest controversies ever.
Producer and writer Dan Schneider was involved with some of the most popular
Nickelodeon live-action shows throughout the '90s,
up till 2018. He produced "All That" and "Kenan & Kel," and created some of Nick's biggest hits,
including "The Amanda Show," "Zoey 101," "Drake & Josh," "iCarly," "Victorious," and "Sam & Cat."
However, at the height of the #MeToo movement, rumors started to swirl about the showrunner.
Users on the internet started to make note of his alleged obsession with feet. The Nickelodeon
logo was once a foot and some have connected this with Schneider's rumored foot fetish.
Feet have been a recurring theme on many of his Nick shows. There’s a scene where
Ariana Grande puts her own toe in her mouth, and another where Miranda Cosgrove gets her
toe stuck in the faucet while in the bathtub. A quick internet search reveals many others.
The official Twitter account of the series "Sam and Cat" also tweeted an odd request in 2013
for kid-fans to write on the bottom of their foot and share the pictures under a hashtag,
guaranteeing they would retweet it.
"This?" "Ehh."
"Ew."
"This?"
"Ehh."
"Ew."
The New York Times directly asked about the foot fetish accusations
and Schneider claimed that the comedy was, quote,
"totally innocent." The publication described his explanation by saying that kids find feet
goofy and funny. They also dismissed the claims made on social media as ridiculous.
Following the foot fetish controversy, as well as workplace misconduct allegations,
Dan Schneider was officially investigated. According to The New York Times,
"The review found no evidence of sexual misconduct by Schneider [...] but
it did find he could be verbally abusive to people he worked with."
A few co-workers additionally told the outlet that they felt uncomfortable when
he frequently asked an employee from the costume department for
shoulder and neck massages, or texted child actors outside of work hours.
Schneider avoided talking directly about the investigation,
but chalked his leadership style up to his high standards. He also said,
"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."
Still, Schneider left the network shortly after the 2018 investigation.
The joint statement issued by Schneider and Nick indicated the decision was mutual,
and he apparently got a 7 million dollar payout to leave.
Early in his career, animator Chris Savino worked on several '90s Nickelodeon classics,
including "The Ren & Stimpy Show," "Rocko's Modern Life," and "Angry Beavers." After working
years in animation in a variety of different studios, he created the Nickelodeon animated
series "The Loud House" in 2016. It quickly became the most watched kids' cartoon on TV.
In 2017, at the height of the success of the series, Cartoon Brew reported that Savino was
accused by a dozen female employees at Nickelodeon of inappropriate behavior and harassment.
An investigation ensued, revealing that his behavior had been inappropriate for
at least a decade. A professional animator, who remained anonymous, wrote a letter to Cartoon
Brew detailing Savino's behavior towards her, which included offering her a job if she did,
quote, "inappropriate things with him." The animator further explained that she
turned down a job at Nickelodeon because of his presence. The incident revealed
the ongoing difficulties of being a woman in the male-dominated world of animation.
Savino responded to his accusers in a since-deleted Facebook post,
saying that he was deeply sorry and ashamed. He also acknowledged how his actions impacted
the workplace, creating a, quote, "unacceptable environment." He was fired from Nickelodeon and
suspended from The Animation Guild for one year. "The Loud House" continued production
without Savino, and still enjoys success, including a 6th season and a Netflix movie.
John Kricfalusi, the man behind the Nickelodeon cult classic cartoon, "The Ren & Stimpy Show,"
is now linked to serious accusations of predatory behavior. He allegedly
took advantage of two "Ren & Stimpy" fans in the '90s who were aspiring animators.
"I guess their job is to keep entertainment from polluting your mind."
"I sorta have the opposite philosophy."
Speaking with BuzzFeed News in 2018, the alleged victims, Robyn Byrd and Katie Rice
recalled their unsettling interactions with Kricfalusi when they were only teenagers.
Byrd says she reached out to Kricfalusi in 1994 when she was 13 years old. Kricfalusi,
who was 39 at the time, began communicating with her and eventually began a sexual relationship
with her when she was 16. Byrd says she was then groomed into a lengthy relationship,
with Kricfalusi convincing her that she was being mentored. Associates of both Byrd and
Kricfalusi also claimed to BuzzFeed that he routinely took lewd photos of
Byrd and shared them with others without her consent or knowledge. Byrd told the outlet,
"He ruined a good bit of my childhood and my early adulthood,
gave me PTSD, and forced me to change careers."
Rice claims she suffered sexual harassment from Kricfalusi for years.
Like Byrd, she started communicating with Kricfalusi in writing as a teen,
before becoming his collaborator. Although they never had physical sexual contact,
Rice claims Kricfalusi repeatedly attempted to cross that line with her.
"I became a better artist by working for him [...] I'm not grateful for it. I wish I hadn't.
I wish I were a worse artist now and I didn't have all this [...] to deal with."
Kricfalusi was no longer at Nickelodeon when Rice and Byrd's made their accusations,
but when the BuzzFeed story broke, Nickelodeon still declined to comment.
Even so, we did eventually hear from Kricfalusi in the 2020 documentary "Happy Happy Joy Joy: The Ren
& Stimpy Story." While it’s unclear if he’s truly repentant, after a bit of prying and deliberate
questioning by the interviewer, Krisfalusi did say that he wishes he could apologize.
At a young age, Jamie Lynn Spears sought to separate herself from her pop icon sister,
Britney Spears, by pursuing acting. She began her Nickelodeon career on "All That" at age 11,
and a couple years later became the star of Dan Schneider's hit series, "Zoey 101."
When Spears became pregnant at 16, many considered it a scandal for Nickelodeon,
though Nickelodeon was supportive in an official statement via TMZ:
"We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive
and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family,
and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."
However, "Zoey 101" was cancelled shortly thereafter,
and many fans blamed the star's pregnancy.
Spears set the record straight in 2020 in an interview with Nylon,
claiming her contract had already ended by the time she realized she was pregnant. She explained,
"Some of the episodes had not aired yet. I think that there was a conversation with Nickelodeon,
rightfully so, of, 'Do we air these episodes?' But the show
had already wrapped and there was never a negotiation to go into any more seasons."
As of 2020, there was talk of a "Zoey 101" reboot. Some fans have wondered whether or
not the Britney Spears conservatorship drama would sink the prospect. However,
cast member Chris Massey told TMZ that the reboot was still in the works as of July 2021.
Jennette McCurdy played Sam Puckett on Nickelodeon's "iCarly," and later on the
spin-off "Sam & Cat" alongside Ariana Grande. In March 2014,
lingerie selfies of McCurdy were leaked online. To some, the leaked photos were scandalous,
as is often the case when a child star does something that reveals
they are actually an adult. In fact, McCurdy was 21 years old at the time.
The next month, McCurdy skipped the Kids' Choice Awards,
spurring speculation that the photos caused a rift between her and Nickelodeon.
She explained her absence on Twitter, denying that the photos played a role, but rather, that
she was put in an uncomfortable, compromising, unfair situation by Nickelodeon. She also added,
"I chose to not go because sticking up for what is right and what is
fair is what my mom taught me is ALWAYS the most important thing."
Nickelodeon didn't respond, but the drama rolled on from there,
including an alleged salary feud between Grande and McCurdy, which Grande denied.
"Sam & Cat" ended up axed after just one season. Of the show ending, McCurdy said,
"[I had] to remove myself from the role model battle, the falsified standard set
by the bubblegum industry, is — in my eyes — to remove myself from the counterintuitive battle
of attempting to be something perfect while being glaringly aware of my imperfections."
In 2012, Nickelodeon decided to reboot "The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles" in an
animated series, casting Jason Biggs as the voice of Leonardo. Biggs, however,
is known for his at-times controversial comedy. Biggs tweeted a string of lewd
tweets right after Nickelodeon had encouraged "Ninja Turtle" fans to follow the actor.
Nickelodeon promptly issued an apology, saying,
"Nickelodeon does not support or condone the use of graphic or vulgar language on any of
our platforms [...] It was our mistake to link from our 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' twitter
feed to Jason's personal twitter account, and we quickly corrected our error. We also insisted
Jason use better judgment and discretion in public communications while affiliated with our brand."
Nickelodeon quietly replaced Biggs with actor Seth Green for Season 4 of the series in 2014,
making no public comment about the reason for his ouster. In a 2018 appearance on Dax
Shepard's "Armchair Expert" podcast, however, Biggs admitted that the tweets resulted in his
firing. He said that, despite warnings from the network, he "doubled down" and continued
with more vulgar tweets, resulting in the network continuing to receive backlash for employing him.
The "American Pie" star explained he was struggling with addiction at the time,
and that the whole episode traumatized him and served as a huge wake-up call.
Angelique Bates was one of the original cast members of Nickelodeon's sketch
comedy show for kids, "All That." In 2016, she spoke to The Shade Room,
opening up about her experience on set. She discussed how she was abused in
front of producers who did nothing to help. Without naming her abuser, Bates explained,
"I was only 12 years old and that's when my nightmare began. I was physically,
mentally, emotionally abused in front of the producers and cast members and sometimes
they could even hear me yelling, but nothing was done to help me."
The following year, she tweeted more allegations
of physical abuse she endured — abuse, she insisted, the network knew about.
The details of Bates' allegations remain unclear,
though The Shade Room suggested that Bates experienced abuse at the hands of her mother,
D. Bates. Even so, D. Bates hasn’t come out saying she was the one who actually abused Angelique. A
statement from D. Bates seemingly placed blame on Nickelodeon and "All That" producers, claiming,
"The viewers were unwittingly and unknowingly my witnesses and Angelique's witnesses to
Nickelodeon's and the Producers of All That's own 'unlawful' punishment/psychological
abuse of Angelique, a minor, which appears to have been retaliation
on the part of Nickelodeon and the Producers of All That for a
conversation in which I was involved with the California Child Labor Department."
According to Angelique Bates, Child Protective Services did show up to the production in 1996,
but she said the adults on set pressured her to, quote, "stay silent." Her mother claimed that
Nickelodeon and the producers of 'All That' only contacted CPS after the Police became involved
and the situation became known, adding that it was merely an attempt to cover their own butts.
In a video for Inner Warrior, Bates explained that she was pretty much
released from her contract at age 15. She claims that she was then rejected
from the entertainment industry due to her past. She explained,
"When I was a child star dealing with aspects of the child abuse. It pretty much affected
the workplace which later affected my adulthood because I was blackballed."
Nickelodeon has never come forward with an official response to the accusations.
Caitlin Sanchez was one of the three actors who have voiced Dora in the long-running Nick
Jr. series, "Dora the Explorer." After voicing the character for two years,
Nickelodeon fired her when she was 14 years old, because she reached puberty and her voice changed.
Shortly after she was let go from the role, Sanchez filed a $10 million
lawsuit against Nickelodeon, MTV Networks, and their parent company, Viacom. She claimed that
Nickelodeon made promises that weren't kept, and that her rushed contract was never submitted to
court for approval, as it should be when dealing with minors. Nickelodeon issued a
statement saying that the claims being made were baseless, and that Sanchez's contract
was extensively negotiated through her agent and in compliance with her union. The network
also claimed that they offered Sanchez a contract to do other work with them.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, Sanchez's attorney also threatened to expose, quote,
"humiliating secrets about Nickelodeon" if it failed to settle the lawsuit appropriately. The
issues were settled confidentially soon thereafter. However, two years later,
Sanchez and her family attempted to revoke the apparent settlement,
which included a $500,000 payment and future royalties on merchandise,
due to alleged lawyer fraud. Unfortunately for Sanchez, the court denied the appeal.
Child stars don't always have the easiest time transitioning to adult life,
and Nickelodeon stars are no exception. Several Nick stars have been involved with scandals after
their time with the network ended. This was the case for Amanda Bynes, the actress who once had
the starring role in her own Nickelodeon sketch comedy show, "The Amanda Show."
In 2010, Bynes abruptly announced on Twitter that she was retiring from acting. In 2012,
Bynes made headlines concerning a series of driving-related legal issues,
including DUIs and a couple of hit-and-runs. Then, in 2013, she was held at a hospital for mental
evaluation after setting a small fire in an L.A. neighborhood, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
She also received a lot of negative attention for her Twitter account during this time.
After disappearing from the public eye for several years, Bynes sat down with Paper in 2018
and explained that her strange behavior during those years was due to drug use. She shared,
"The mixture of marijuana and whatever other drugs and sometimes drinking really messed
up my brain [...] It really made me a completely different person. I actually am a nice person. I
would never feel, say or do any of the things that I did and said to the people I hurt on Twitter."
As of April 2021, Bynes's lawyer told People that she was doing much better. Apparently,
she lives by the beach and attends school. She’s also enjoying meditation and Soul Cycling.
"Drake & Josh" was another one of Dan Schneider's Nickelodeon sitcom hits. It starred Drake Bell
and Josh Peck in the titular roles, playing two stepbrothers with polar opposite personalities.
The Nickelodeon alum, Bell, first ran into trouble in 2015 with a DUI charge.
Then, in 2021, a real scandal hit the star when he was accused of predatory
behavior towards a minor. A 19-year-old woman accused him of 'grooming' her since she was 12,
sending her graphic photos, and engaging in sexual misconduct in two separate incidents,
both when she was still underage. Bell pleaded guilty to attempted child endangerment and a
misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. However,
he denied the more serious charges, including the victim's claim that Bell had forced her to
perform sexual acts. He received a sentence of two years probation, was ordered to have
no further contact with the victim, and had to perform 200 hours of community service.
In the trial, held over Zoom, Bell stated, in part,
"Today I accept this plea because my conduct was wrong.
I'm sorry that the victim was harmed in any way — that was obviously not my intention."
Bell's Nickelodeon co-star and on-screen brother, Josh Peck,
when asked about his reaction to Bell's sentence. He told Variety,
"It's upsetting, and it's an unfortunate situation. It's disappointing."
"Again, I just want to apologize to her and [...]
anyone else who may have been affected by my actions."
Nickelodeon's hit animated show, "Avatar: The Last Airbender" was adapted into a live-action film
in 2010. It was produced by Nickelodeon Movies and directed by M. Night Shyamalan,
but many fans had a problem with the casting. The Asian-inspired characters were cast with
mostly white actors, which spurred fan protests and accusations of "whitewashing" the story.
Guy Aoki, the leader of the Media Action Network for Asian Americans, told CBC,
"It speaks volumes when the initial casting decision was to cast four white
leads [...] For them to be comfortable with that [...] it's embarrassing,
it says a lot about their attitudes."
The same outlet quoted the parent of an 8-year-old Asian child who shared thoughts
and concerns concerning the Nickelodeon and Paramount filmmakers. The parent said,
"[They] seem to have no clue that there's this huge fan base of young Asian-Americans who were
delighted to see themselves on screen [...] [It] could have really been groundbreaking."
The parent felt that Nickelodeon hadn’t even considered a large portion of the original series’
fan-base, not to mention the opportunity they had to use an authentic Asian cast.
Though the movie is the third highest grossing Nickelodeon film ever,
it was met with unfavorable reviews and has a ghastly 5% score on Rotten Tomatoes.
Shyamalan dismissed the criticism in conversation with UGO's Jordan Hoffman. He claimed,
"It is the most culturally diverse tent-pole movie ever made. And I'm proud of it."
The creators of yet another "Airbender" adaptation, this time for Netflix,
seemed to disagree, telling IndieWire in 2018,
"We can't wait to realize Aang's world as cinematically as we always imagined
it to be, and with a culturally appropriate, non-whitewashed cast."
Who doesn't know the answer to the the following question?: Who lives in a pineapple under the sea?
SpongeBob SquarePants has become one the biggest pop culture icons to ever come out of Nickelodeon.
His lasting legacy is partly due to the fact that the humor of the series appeals to a wide range of
ages. But there were times when its humor was accused of crossing into too-adult territory.
In 2018, the 2003 "Spongebob Squarepants" episode "Mid-life Crustacean" was pulled
from rerun circulation and streaming services, according to NBC News.
The episode was often cited as an example of the cartoon's salacious content. In the episode,
Spongebob and Patrick take Mr. Krabs on a panty raid that ends with Mr. Krabs accidentally going
through his mother's underwear drawer. After 15 years, the episode was re-evaluated and pulled.
David Bittler, the executive vice president of communications at Nickelodeon explained,
"Following a standards review in which we determined some
story elements were not kid-appropriate."
Another episode titled "Kwarantined Crab" was also
pulled due to sensitivities surrounding the global, real-world pandemic.
"Spongebob" isn't the only NickToon that has faced controversies.
Recapping "Rocko's Modern Life" series creator Joe Murray's commentary on a
special DVD collection of the series, Collider reported that the episode
"Leap Frogs" had been banned for a time because of the overtly sexual tones.
Stunt performers are known for being tough,
but they aren't entirely immune to injury. In fact, physical injury is just part of the
job when you're the one who has to take the actual kicks and punches. However,
stunt performer injuries are most definitely not supposed to happen because of human error.
That's exactly what a stunt professional named Katina Waters claimed in 2014,
when things got a little serious on the set of the otherwise silly sitcom "iCarly."
According to TMZ, Waters claimed that the production ruined her career when she was
recklessly dropped from high in the air during filming. She claims to have sustained serious
injuries. She sued both series creator Dan Schneider's production company and
Nickelodeon for unspecified damages regarding her pain, suffering, and loss of earnings.
It's unclear whether or not she won the lawsuit, but thankfully, Waters' injuries didn't seem
to have actually prevented her from working. According to IMDb, Waters continued to work pretty
steadily after "iCarly," most notably on "American Horror Story" and the Netflix hit "Bird Box."
When Nickelodeon's preschool network, Nick Jr., released a trailer for its animated series,
"Made by Maddie," the internet wasn't impressed. In fact, many people got pretty upset.
The reason for their anger was that the series looked a whole lot like
the 2019 Oscar-winning short film "Hair Love." Visually, the characters in "Made
by Maddie" looked almost identical to the characters in "Hair Love," even the pet cat.
Many disappointed fans of the Matthew A. Cherry short film took to Twitter
to express their disappointment in Nickelodeon's apparent plagiarism.
Nickelodeon was further criticized because the creator of the show was white,
while the show’s story was about a Black family.
Amidst the criticism, Nickelodeon pulled the show and released the following statement:
"In response, and out of respect to all voices in the conversation,
we are removing the show from our schedule as we garner further insight into the creative
journey of the show. We are grateful to Silvergate Media for all of their work.
And we hold Matthew A. Cherry and the wonderful and inspiring Hair Love in the highest regard."
Emma Roberts was born into a famous family. Eric Roberts is her father
and Julia Roberts is her aunt. Even so, she rose to fame in her own right in 2004
as a teen playing Addie Singer on Nickelodeon's "Unfabulous." Sbe later enjoyed success
outside of Nick, especially her recurring performances in "American Horror Story."
"You’re not even the star of your own hell! You’re a nameless day-player in my eternal suffering!"
Early on, Roberts was able to quickly shed her Nickelodeon teen-star image with
films like "Adult World," where she met her then-boyfriend Evan Peters on set. But their
relationship hit some trouble in 2013 when she was arrested in Montreal for domestic violence
after she allegedly hit Peters. TMZ reported that someone called police to
report a fight in Evan and Emma's hotel room. Apparently, once the cops arrived they found
Evan with a bloody nose. Though Roberts was arrested, Peters chose not to press charges.
Their relationship survived the fiasco and they even got engaged that same year.
After years of an on-again off-again relationship, they did eventually break up for good in 2019.
In "Zoey 101," Nickelodeon's series about tweens and teens at a boarding school in California,
Matthew Underwood portrayed Logan Reese. He was the bratty classmate of the main character, Zoey.
Underwood managed to mostly stay out of the limelight as a teen, but in 2012, the former
Nickelodeon star made headlines after he was arrested on misdemeanor. He was charged with
suspicion of cannabis, paraphernalia possession, and contributing to the delinquency of a minor in
Florida. According to the report, Underwood, who was 22 at the time, was found in the bedroom of
his home with a 17-year-old girl after police entered with a "narcotics search warrant."
The officers found he possessed marijuana, and claimed that the girl admitted that Underwood
gave her marijuana, hence, the "contributing to the delinquency of a minor" charge.
Underwood, later disputed that claim by police,
telling TC Palm that the girl, who he identified as his girlfriend,
definitely doesn't smoke marijuana in his home. He also asserted that the police only
targeted him because he was on the cusp of opening his local hookah lounge. He believed
his high-profile arrest would put the kibosh on the business, which he claimed encountered lots
of local government opposition. A Port St. Lucie police spokesman denied the assertion.
But it's not all bad headlines for the former TeenNick star. In 2017,
he garnered attention after he heroically saved a baby from a car crash.
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