Former child star Jack Salvatore, who played Mark Del Figgalo on “Zoey 101,” fired off about troubling things he said he experienced while working with Nickelodeon producer, Dan Schneider.
Schneider’s alleged conduct, especially towards young child stars, has recently made headlines, alongside that of his colleague, Brian Peck. Salvatore credited the docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which dove into Peck’s alleged sexual assault on actor Drake Bell and allegations of Schneider’s toxic behavior, in an Instagram video posted Thursday that can be seen here.
Salvatore shared disturbing allegations about what he witnessed while working around Schneider. Salvatore says he worked in the writing room on “Sam & Cat” and “Victorious” and was a production intern on “iCarly.”
“We could talk about the massages,” he said. “We could talk about how sometimes he would bring out his shotgun to scare one of the writers when they were working at his house.”
Writer/producer Dan Schneider (C) accepts the Lifetime Achievement Award onstage with actors from his shows during Nickelodeon’s 27th Annual Kids’ Choice Awards held at USC Galen Center on March 29, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Salvatore had a lot to say about what it was allegedly like to work with Schneider.
“We could talk about the fact that he would literally count his gold coin collection in front of his crew who was living paycheck to paycheck,” Salvatore alleged.
Actor/musician Drake Bell attends the 23rd Annual Time for Heroes Celebrity Picnic to benefit the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation at Wadsworth Theater on June 3, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Imeh Akpanudosen/Getty Images
The actor went on to discuss some of the things he claims to have heard while onset.
“We could talk about the high-level conversations I wasn’t supposed to hear about how Nickelodeon didn’t want to recommend antidepressants for Jennette McCurdy after her mom died for fear that she might kill herself and make the network look bad,” he said.
Writer/producer Dan Schneider speaks at Nickelodeon’s exclusive premiere for the upcoming primetime TV event of the summer. Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Nickelodeon
Salvatore then told fans he was really trying to expose this alleged toxic behavior in an effort to protect others from having to live through it in the future.
“But what I do want to talk about is never letting this stuff happen again. This is an entire industry built on hope, and dreams, and adrenaline and wish fulfillment. And that can be a very dangerous thing for megalomaniacs to wield.”
Penny Marshall and Cindy Williams make a guest appearance with creator/executive producer Dan Schneider on Nickelodeon’s Sam & Cat, starring Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande on June 26, 2013 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Araya Diaz/Getty Images for Nickelodeon
“Even in posting this, I’m a little afraid,” Salvatore admitted in the video. (RELATED: Drake Bell’s Dad Says He Was Accused Of Being ‘Homophobic’ For Raising Alarm About Child Abuser Brian Peck)
“Is this going to screw up my career moving forward? I have no idea, but I think it’s important and it needs to be said. Because if my silence ensures the perpetuation of environments I don’t want to work in anymore then what is the point in working in them?”