‘Zoey 101’ star alleges abuse by former agent in call for empathy amid ‘Quiet on Set’
Alexandra Del Rosario April 1, 2024 Actor Matthew Underwood
offered more than just “extreme empathy” for fellow stars
affectedimpacted
by the alleged abuse outlined in
the documentary series
“Quiet on Set
: The Dark Side of Kids TV
.”
He The “Zoey 101” actor alleged on social media that he was revealed he was allegedly
sexually harassed and assaulted by an agent when he was
19
.
19-years-old.
The former agent who was not named “spent a decent amount of time building trust with me as a friend and mentor,” Underwood said in a lengthy Instagram statement shared over the weekend. The actor, who also alleged he was molested by a friend’s stepfather when he was
12,years-old,
said the alleged abuse by his former agent broke his trust and “crushed” his self
–
image.
In a phone call with The Times on Monday, Underwood’s current agent, Lauren Green, said she was proud of the actor and praised his bravery in sharing his story. She also expressed support for “Drake & Josh” star Drake Bell, who in the documentary , detailed his the
from dialogue coach and Brian Peck. Commentary: ‘Quiet on Set’ allegations forced Dan Schneider to speak up. Now, more should
Underwood said the
agent’s
alleged harassment and assault prompted his decision to leave Los Angeles
,
and end his acting career. He said he reported the unnamed
former
agent,
but and Green confirmed that her client’s alleged abuser has died.
For the actor,
33
, sharing the alleged abuse he faced as a young star wasn’t about adding to the allegations that took the spotlight in Investigation Discovery’s “Quiet on Set.” Instead, Underwood said his revelation was a response to the mounting pressure to address the docuseries, which shed light on
the
allegations of sexual abuse and discrimination that loomed over producer Dan Schneider’s Nickelodeon empire in the late ’90s and early aughts.
After “Quiet on Set,” Underwood said he received emails from people “telling me they hope me and my mom die and that we burn in hell
,
” for not publicly voicing support for
the
Nickelodeon peers who told their
story stories
. Other messages allegedly branded the actor “a pedophile defender,” he said.
Nickelodeon stars from Quiet on Set: Where are they now?
“I’m sharing this with hope that some of you can recognize that just because a person doesn’t shout
form from
the rooftops that pedophiles are bad or that people can suck that does Not mean they don’t have their own reasons for staying
silence silent
, good reasons, personal reasons,” he wrote.
Underwood said he has “extreme empathy for anyone who has been taken advantage of by people they trusted,” and encouraged followers to reflect on why some people prefer to keep their experiences private.
From
2005
to
2008
, Underwood starred in Nickelodeon’s “Zoey 101,” one of the hit series
created by
producer Schneider
created
during his tenure. He said he did not have a
“
bad experience
“
while working with both Nickelodeon and Schneider. Underwood also cited
,
Schneider’s video response to the documentary, noting the producer acknowledged “he had been an a in his past.”
As he voiced hope for “anyone who wants to be better” and clarified, “I don’t f support pedophiles,” Underwood told his followers
to think
that revisiting allegations of abuse
can may
trigger some difficult memories and emotions for people.
Amid ‘Quiet on Set’ fallout, Kenan Thompson says sets for kids shows should ‘be a safe place’
“Please stop wishing death upon my family and please reconsider harassing other actors who wish to maintain their privacy you never know who has already been a victim of the hell you’re wishing upon them,” he concluded his statement.
“We all need to be there for each other,” Green told The Times. “We have to take a step back and be kind.”
Underwood is the latest Nickelodeon alum to address “Quiet on Set,”
followingincluding
Josh Peck, Kenan Thompson and Melissa Joan Hart.
Days after the docuseries premiered in March, Schneider also addressed the numerous allegations surrounding his Nickelodeon legacy. His production company released a 20-minute video response, in which the producer
claims admitted
that he hired
Brian
Peck (no relation to Josh Peck) to his sets, underlined the layers of executive approval on his shows and said he wishes he could have taken a different approach to leadership.
When I watched the [docuseries], I could see the hurt in some peoples eyes and it made me feel awful, and regretful and sorry,” Schneider said.
