Matthew Underwood. (Picture by Phillip Faraone/Getty Pictures for Nickelodeon)
Zoey 101 alum Matthew Underwood shared his sexual assault story within the wake of Investigation Discovery’s four-part docuseries Quiet on Set: The Darkish Facet of Youngsters TV.
“After I was 19, I used to be sexually harassed after which assaulted by my agent on the time, who had spent a good period of time constructing belief with me as a good friend and mentor,” Underwood wrote in an announcement shared by way of Instagram on Friday, March 29. His former agent remained unnamed within the assertion.
“My belief was betrayed and my self picture was crushed,” Underwood continued. “I reported him to the company and he has since been fired — though he’s nonetheless energetic within the business. This expertise provoked my transfer away from LA and ended my pursuit of performing.”
Underwood additionally alleged that he’d been “molested by my finest pals’ stepfather” at age 12 and additional defined that he selected to talk up about his historical past of assault and harassment after receiving intense public criticism, saying “many individuals have been blowing up [his] e-mail” and calling him a “pedophile defender” for remaining silent after the discharge of Quiet on Set.
Quiet on Set: The Darkish Facet of Youngsters TV aired on March 17 and 18 and examined the poisonous work setting for baby actors at Nickelodeon. The documentary options allegations of abuse towards Dan Schneider, who created common Nickelodeon reveals like Zoey 101, Drake & Josh, iCarly, Victorious and Sam & Cat.
“I think about lots of my pals within the enterprise are being equally harassed in the event that they aren’t becoming a member of the refrain,” Underwood continued. “So I’m sharing this with hope that a few of you possibly can acknowledge that simply because an individual doesn’t shout from the rooftops that pedophiles are dangerous or that folks can suck — that doesn’t imply they don’t have their very own causes for staying silent, good causes, private causes.” (Underwood starred as Logan Reese for 4 seasons of Zoey 101 between 2005 and 2008. He reprised the position for the revival movie, Zoey 102, in 2023.)
Whereas actors, writers and crew members who labored on set with Schneider share related tales of office harassment, Underwood mentioned he “by no means had a foul expertise engaged on set of a Nickelodeon present” and “by no means had a foul expertise with Dan.”
“I’ve nothing so as to add to the dialog that anybody would care to listen to,” Underwood mentioned. “I prefer to imagine individuals have the capability to be higher people and Dan seems to acknowledge that he had been an asshole in his previous. I prefer to imagine he’s absolutely able to being a creator and coworker everybody can get pleasure from working with.”
Matthew Underwood. Picture by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic by way of Getty
After Underwood felt his phrases had been being taken out of context as a protection of Schneider, he redirected followers to a prolonged response he shared by way of Reddit. “I imagine persons are placing phrases in my mouth and making assumptions about my intentions with that a part of my assertion,” he wrote, partially. “I do know no matter I say will discover a technique to be twisted by somebody, however my consideration was sadly dropped at this thread and I really feel it’s essential to attempt to make clear.”
He continued: “I really feel I’d be capable to sum up my intentions in that part with an instance; I actually want that even the lads who violated me WANTED to be higher people, and if they really did need that and so they made an effort to attempt to be a greater human, I need to dwell in a world that might positively reinforce that change by providing them alternatives to be that higher human being. In that type of world, hopefully many extra individuals might discover achievement in being higher people and we’d have much less perpetuated s–ty conduct. Clearly I wouldn’t need them round kids, however it doesn’t matter what ache is introduced upon me, I’ll all the time need the world to be a greater place and wish people to have an opportunity to higher themselves.”
Investigation Discovery/YouTube Quiet on Set: The Darkish Facet of Youngsters TV offers former baby stars and crew members the chance to talk out about their damaging experiences at Nickelodeon. Investigation Discovery’s docuseries, which is able to air on Sunday, March 17, and Monday, March 18, focuses particularly on producer Dan Schneider’s notorious reign on the community. Schneider, […]
Whereas Underwood didn’t have any difficulties with Schneider, different Zoey 101 alumni have described a unique expertise with the showrunner. Alexa Nikolas, who starred as Nicole Bristow for 2 seasons of the collection, has beforehand spoken out about Nickelodeon’s “unsafe” working circumstances for baby actors. Specifically, she has referred to Schneider because the “creator of childhood trauma,” and accused the community of facilitating baby abuse. (Schneider parted methods with Nickelodeon in 2018.)
“My very own private expertise at Nickelodeon … I didn’t really feel protected at Nickelodeon as a toddler personally,” Nikolas wrote by way of Instagram in August 2022. “And so, I’m demanding that Nickelodeon begins defending kids and never predators.”
Nikolas was amongst many former Nickelodeon stars to be interviewed for Quiet On Set, together with All That forged members Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan and Bryan Hearne, in addition to Drake & Josh alum Drake Bell.
