Nickelodeon Star Alleges Disturbing Abuse Allegations Against Network Producer
Actress Alexa Nikolas accuses producer Dan Schneider of having an obsession with the feet of underage girls.
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Another Nickelodeon star has come forward with allegations of misconduct and abuse at the hands of producer Dan Schneider. Alexa Nikolas, a child star for Nickelodeon who starred on Zoey 101 as Nicole Bristow, alleges Schneider abused his position as producer on the series to exploit her for his own twisted fetishes when she was only 12 years old. She recently appeared on Christy Carlson Romano’s Vulnerable podcast to detail the accusations, which mirror the experiences of another child actor who worked with Schneider, Jennette McCurdy of the series iCarly.
Nikolas repeated accusations made by other Nickelodeon stars that appeared on Dan Schneider’s shows, that he had an obsession with the feet of the underage female actors, and would often take pictures of them. “He had a digital camera, and he would go around with money and ask to take photos of the kids’ feet – their toes,” Nikolas said during the podcast. She said her mother refused to allow Schneider to take the photos.
Even more disturbing, Nikolas said other parents would allow their children to be photographed by Schneider, including some well-known Nickelodeon stars that she would not name. She also says Schneider would sit on on costume fittings for the young girls, which required them to undress, and often asked for Polaroids taken during the fittings.
The series starred Jamie Lynn Spears, the younger sister of Britney Spears.
Dan Schneider was a prolific producer for Nickelodeon in the 1990s and 2000s, creating such classic shows as Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious, Kenan & Kel, and Henry Danger. After the accusations against him began to become public knowledge, he left the network in 2018.
In the years since his departure, a number of YouTube videos have surfaced that compiled clips from his shows in which underage actresses, including Ariana Grande, are doing strange things with their bare feet.
Schneider addressed some of the accusations in an interview with the New York Times in July of 2021. He denied any misconduct, although he did say that following his tenure at the network, he had to work on his physical and mental health. He has never been held accountable for his behavior.
A planned reboot of Zoey 101 was cancelled after the allegations of misconduct by Dan Schneider hit the media. However, a reboot of the show iCarly did move forward at Paramount+, although Schneider is not involved in the series.
Alexa Nikolas still acts, and has appeared on The Walking Dead and the NBC series Revelations. She is also an activist who routinely protests outside of Nickelodeon and their parent company, Paramount, hoping to bring accountability to those who allowed the abuse to occur.
Nikolas and other Nickelodeon stars are, inexplicably, seeing their accusations fail to gain traction. Whether it is “MeToo fatigue” or simply media outlets giving it no coverage, their accusations against Nickelodeon have not received the same level of outrage that other victims of Hollywood abuse have been given. Nikolas hopes her efforts change that.
