Nickelodeon Teen Star Quit Acting After Alleged Horrific Assault, Details Heartbreaking History

Underwood posted on both Instagram and Reddit after he says he was asked to respond to Quiet on Set. The now 33-year-old says he has even been harassed because he has not responded to the documentary until now. For reference, Quiet on Set debuted on Investigation Discovery just a couple of weeks ago.

Matthew Underwood did not name the agent, but says that he reported the man to the agency and he was fired, however Underwood says the man is still active in the industry. Underwood says the experience was the beginning of the end of his acting dream at the time and he moved away from Los Angeles. Nowadays, his Instagram bio says “filmmaker”.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV examines allegations of toxic work environments for child actors at Nickelodeon. The series features claims of verbal abuse against Dan Schneider who created Matthew Underwood’s show Zoey 101, as well as Drake & Josh, iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat.

Although Underwood says he was sexually assaulted by his agent and that he was molested by his best friend’s stepfather when he was only 12-year-old, he also says he “never had a bad experience working on set of a Nickelodeon show” and “never had a bad experience with Dan.”

As US Weekly reports, following his post, Underwood felt his words were being taken out of context as a defense of Schneider. He then wrote even more on Reddit, “I truly wish that even the men who violated me WANTED to be better humans, and if they truly did want that and they made an effort to try to be a better human, I want to live in a world that could positively reinforce that change by offering them opportunities to be that better human being.”

While Matthew Underwood did not have a bad experience with Schneider, other Zoey 101 alumni have a different take. Alexa Nikolas starred as Nicole Bristow for two seasons of the show and has spoken out about Nickelodeon’s “unsafe” working conditions for child actors and called Schneider the “creator of childhood trauma”.

Matthew Underwood starred as Logan Reese for four seasons of Zoey 101 between 2005 and 2008. He then returned for the 2023 revival film Zoey 102. He has shared a lot of photos from the filming of Zoey 102 on Instagram.

Many former child actors, like Matthew Underwood, are being contacted and are speaking out in the wake of Quiet on Set. For example, former Nickelodeon star Kenan Thompson says he was not aware of what was happening at the network.

As for Quiet on Set, One of the most shocking parts was actor Drake Bell speaking about being sexually assaulted repeatedly by adult dialogue coach Brian Peck when Bell was 15. This was around the time when Bell landed a coveted spot on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show in 1999. “The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal,” Bell says in the documentary.

A new episode of Quiet on Set is set to be released April 7 with another Nickelodeon star coming forward; Shane Lyons who appeared on All That. According to Entertainment Weekly, journalist Soledad O’Brien will host a group conversation where members of the All That cast will react to Quiet on Set and discuss how the entertainment industry can become safer for young actors.