Lori Beth Denberg, a star of the ‘90s Nickelodeon hit “All That,” has accused Dan Schneider of showing her pornography on multiple occasions and initiating phone sex when she worked on the sketch series between 1994 and 1998.
In a statement obtained by The Times, Schneider called the accusations “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.”
Denberg said in a recent interview with Business Insider that Schneider “preyed” on her, showing her pornographic videos under the pretense of a meeting — allegedly including one in which a woman performed oral sex on a donkey, which Denberg called the “grand finale” of the footage. She was 19 and he was 29.
She also alleges that Schneider, who was the head writer on “All That” at the time, developed an inappropriate relationship with her, which included frequent phone calls and time spent alone off-set. She said they regularly discussed sexual topics on the phone and Schneider once initiated phone sex.
Denberg also claimed that when she moved to L.A. in 1996, she frequently spent late nights at Schneider’s home and often slept over. While she said the sleepovers were not sexual in nature, she added that they would often give each other massages and that Schneider frequently played porn on his computer.
“As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader,” Schneider said in a statement. “If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do.”
Schneider recently faced similar accusations following the release of the Investigation Discovery docuseries “Quiet on Set,” which detailed the experiences of child actors and adult employees who worked on Nickelodeon classics like “All That,” “The Amanda Show” and “Zoey 101.” In the documentary, “Amanda Show” writer Jenny Kilgen said Schneider played pornography on his computer at work and made degrading jokes at her expense.
Kilgen and several others interviewed for the documentary, including Christy Stratton, another female writer on the show, also said Schneider frequently requested massages from his employees and actors.
Schneider recently sued the creators of “Quiet on Set” for defamation, calling the series a “hit job” in the suit and saying it falsely implied he was involved in child sex abuse.
In his statement on Tuesday responding to Denberg’s accusations, Schneider questioned the timing of the Business Insider article. Its author, Kate Taylor, was interviewed for the ID documentary and served as its executive producer.
Schneider said the fact that Taylor “would pursue allegations regarding what may have happened between adults nearly thirty years ago — only a week after I filed a defamation lawsuit accusing ‘Quiet on Set’ of being intentionally false and misleading — seems more than coincidental.”
Several of the stories Denberg detailed in the interview involved angry outbursts or verbally abusive behavior — both on and off set — and many child stars and Nickelodeon employees interviewed for “Quiet on Set” spoke of similar behavior.
Denberg also claimed her “weird, abusive friendship” with Schneider turned physical. When she won a bet, with the prize being a massage from Schneider, he allegedly fondled her breasts and put his mouth on them.
Denberg said she hopes that by sharing her story, others who worked with Schneider will feel comfortable opening up about their own experiences. “There’s right and wrong,” she said, “and there’s true and false.”
