Drake Bell’s brave testimony in the docuseries Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV not only shed light on the abuse suffered by many young stars, but it motivated more victims to speak out about their experiences. Following Bell’s revelation about Brian Peck, another former star of Nickelodeon has broken his silence, sharing a similar traumatic experience.
Matthew Underwoodknown for his role as Logan Reese in the series Zoey 101 between 2005 and 2008, recently shared his story. Since her participation in the successful series, Underwood stepped away from acting until the 2023 premiere of the spin-off film Zoey 102.
In the series, Logan’s character was one of the main characters of the show. As a millionaire heir, he was known for his cocky attitude and having the ability to purchase all kinds of luxuries for the students’ dormitories. But no one imagined the hell that lived away from his role.
Matthew Underwood revealed his history of abuse in Hollywood
Last weekend, the actor Matthew Underwood He confessed that he was harassed and sexually assaulted by his former manager so he decided to move away from Hollywood.
“When I was 19, I was sexually harassed and then assaulted by my manager at the time, who had spent considerable time gaining my trust as a friend and mentor. Once again, my trust was betrayed and my self-image was crushed,” it reads. in a statement shared on his Instagram account.
“I reported him to the agency and he has since been fired – although he is still active in the industry -. This experience caused me to move away from Los Angeles and the end of my pursuit of acting,” he added. On the other hand, Matthew Underwood He told the reason why he decided to share his story since they called him a “defender of pedophiles” for not having defended his colleagues:
“Lately, a lot of people have been blowing up my email saying that they hope my mother and I die and burn in hell, they’re calling me ‘pedophile defender’ and all that stuff (…) I’ve spent many years rebuilding my self-image and those words of hate have little effect on me today,” he said.
Matthew Underwood did not have a bad experience on Nickelodeon
Although he did have a history of sexual assault, Matthew Underwood ruled out having had a bad experience in Nickelodeonexcept with producer Dan Schneider.
“I have never had a bad experience working on the set of a TV show. Nickelodeon and I have never had a bad experience with Dan. “I have nothing to add to the conversation that anyone would be interested in hearing,” he said.
“I like to believe that people have the capacity to be better human beings and Dan seems to recognize that he was an asshole in his past. I like to believe that he is fully capable of being a creator and a partner that everyone can be with.” can enjoy working. I have no expectation of working with him again, this is just me wanting good for anyone who wants to be better,” he concluded.
Dan Schneider apologizes after abuse allegations
In response to accusations by Nickelodeon actors, Dan Schneider decided to break his silence through a video published on his official YouTube channel. “I face my past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and which I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” she mentioned.
In the video of just over 19 minutes, the creator of programs like iCarly, Victorious y Zoey 101 He assured that he would not act in the same way today and reiterated his apology to those who may have been offended by his past behavior.
“It was wrong that I ever put someone in that situation. It was wrong. I wouldn’t do it today. I apologize to those who have felt harmed,” he said.