“Zoey 101” star Alexa Nikolas recently spilled more shocking details about her time on Nickelodeon. The Nickelodeon child star portrayed Nicole Bristow on the hit show and worked with producer Dan Schneider on several occasions. Looking back at her days on the show, the actress shared that she did not have a “positive experience” with the producer.
The 30-year-old recounted several instances when Schneider acted in a weird manner that she deemed inappropriate for someone of his position on the network.
Schneider was subsequently investigated years after Nikolas quit the show, although no evidence of sexual misconduct was uncovered. He has also denied the allegations table against him by other Nickelodeon child stars.
Keep reading to learn more.
Alexa Nicolas Claims Dan Schneider Asked Kids For Feet Pics In Exchange For Money
During her appearance on the “Vulnerable” podcast, Nikolas opened up about her time as a Nickelodeon star on the show “Zoey 101.” While recounting many details from those days, the actress once again spoke out against one of the network’s showrunners, Schneider.
Nikolas aired some serious allegations, claiming that the producer had a weird foot fetish. She shared that on one occasion, while they were on set, he took pictures of children’s feet, offering them money as a trade-off.
“He had a digital camera, and he would go around with money and ask to take photos of the kids’ feet – their toes,” she told host Christy Carlson Romano, per Daily Mail.’ I remember thinking it was weird, and silly almost, as a kid.’
Reflecting further on the incident, the actress shared she was lucky that her mother stopped her from getting her picture taken.
The actress said, “I remember my mom going, ‘Don’t go over there.'” She continued, “My mom actually said ‘no’ to it, but I saw other parents allowing their kids to do it.”
Alexa Nikolas Claims Dan Schneider Was Always Hanging Around The Dressing Rooms
Earlier in her conversation on the podcast, the “That’s Life” alum shared that her “experience with Schneider was not positive” before going on to list some other weird things he did on set.
She recounted how obscenely close Schneider would hang around the wardrobe fitting locations, unlike other showrunners who stayed away from the area.
Nikolas said, “There was always like a curtain – it was in the trailer – and I remember he was so close to the other side that I could hear the chair creaking whenever I was changing.”
In retrospect, the actress shared that though her younger self thought nothing of it, her feelings about the producer’s actions changed as she got older.
“When I got older, I looked back at that, and I thought ‘Oh, that’s so weird. I don’t remember any other creators in every single wardrobe fitting’.”
Dan Schneider Was Investigated For Improper Conduct
From 2005 to 2006, Nikolas starred in Zoey 101 as Nicole Bristow alongside lead actress Jamie Lynn Spears. Years later, after her departure, Schneider was investigated by Nickelodeon’s parent company ViacomCBS in the wake of allegations of misconduct on sets making the headlines.
The investigation, which was carried out in 2018, yielded no evidence of sexual misconduct, although it unraveled other improper behavior the producer was said to have engaged in.
Schneider has since parted with Nickelodeon and has continually denied doing anything out of place during his time with the network.
In 2021, while giving his first major interview since he left, the producer disclosed he “took a break to take care of a lot of stuff that I’d let go by the wayside for decades,” per People.
He also stated that the allegations against him at the time were “ridiculous,” adding that the comedy was totally innocent.
Other Nickelodeon Stars Have Also Made Complaints
Nickelodeon has also faced backlash recently from some of the stars of their hit shows. Per Insider, Victoria Justice, Ariana Grande, and Daniella Monet have all expressed discomfort about some of the scenes they acted in.
Monet told the publication in a recent exposé that she complained to the network about a “Victorious” scene that she felt was sexualized. However, the showrunners chose to air the scene despite her concerns.
“Do I wish certain things, like, didn’t have to be so sexualized?” she told Insider. “Yeah. A hundred percent.”
However, Russell Hicks, Nickelodeon’s former head of content and production, told the news outlet that a standards-and-practices group checked out every script of every show, including Schneider’s, adding that parents of the actors were always present during filming.
