Nickelodeon Star Victoria Justice Says Dan Schneider ‘Definitely’ Owes Her an Apology for On-Set Behavior

“At the end of the day, my relationship with Dan is a very complex one,” the former “Victorious” star says

Victoria Justice, Dan Schneider
Victoria Justice and Dan Schneider (Credit: Getty Images)

Victoria Justice, who starred on Nickelodeon series “Zoey 101” and “Victorious,” said in a new interview that the network’s former star producer, Dan Schneider, “definitely” owes her an apology for his on-set behavior.

The singer and actress, who just released new single “Raw,” told Marie Claire in an interview published Wednesday that nothing of a sexual nature happened under Schneider’s watch, but that her relationship with the embattled kids’ TV figure “is a very complex one.”

She agreed that some of the double entendre jokes that were highlighted in the “Quiet on Set” documentary — such as “Victorious” co-star Ariana Grande energetically trying to squeeze juice from a potato — were “in poor taste.”

Justice added, “Something that was very evident in the documentary is that Dan had a very large ego, and sometimes that ego clouded his better judgment and affected the way he treated people, and there were times I felt like I was being treated unfairly.”

The writer-producer’s initial response to the Investigation Discovery docuseries in March was that it was “very difficult” to watch.

He said in a video interview at the time that he was “facing my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret.”

“I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” he said.

“I would say I’m definitely one of the people on that list,” Justice told Marie Claire.

“I’m not condoning any of his behavior,” the now 31-year-old star added.

“At the end of the day, my relationship with Dan is a very complex one,” she continued. “I met him when I was 12 years old, and he’s the person that gave me this big break. He completely changed my life. Most likely I wouldn’t be here where I am today if it weren’t for him, and for him seeing something in me. For that I will always be grateful.”

She added, “After watching his apology, I think he recognizes that he did a lot of things wrong, and I think if he could step back into a time machine, he would do a lot of things differently.”

Schneider is suing the “Quiet on the Set” filmmakers and Warner Bros. Discovery for “falsely impl[ying] that I was involved in or facilitated horrific crimes for which actual child predators have been prosecuted and convicted.”

The highly watched series documented that three sexual predators, including one who was convicted for repeatedly assaulting Drake Bell, worked for Nickelodeon during Schneider’s heyday.

Comments