Keke Palmer’s mother, Sharon Palmer, recalled the disturbing atmosphere she felt on Nickelodeon sets that were led by Dan Schneider.
Speaking on the Tuesday, August 6, episode of “Baby, this is Keke Palmer,” a podcast hosted by her daughter, 30, Sharon spoke about being behind the scenes of the network while Keke starred in True Jackson, VP from 2008 to 2011.
Although Schneider, 58, was not involved in True Jackson, VP, the TV producer and writer was working on Zoey 101, iCarly and Victorious at the time.
“My honest opinion is I thought the whole atmosphere of the Dan Schneider set was very weird, very cultish,” Sharon claimed on the podcast. “The parents were very secretive, and I honestly thought they all took themselves way too seriously.”
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Schneider parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018 after he was accused of inappropriate misconduct. After the March docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, aired details into his alleged behavior, Schneider apologized for his “embarrassing” behavior in a YouTube interview with iCarly alum BooG!e on March 19.
However, Schneider announced in May that he was suing the producers of the show on the grounds of defamation.
Sharon recalled further details of her time on the studio’s sets during Keke’s podcast, alleging that there was an unwavering sense of insecurity at the time. “The whole conversation was, ‘Oh my God! What’s happening next? Did you hear they’re going to cancel this show? What’s coming next?’ It was always so frantic about what was being canceled,” she said.
Sharon also noted that she believes Nickelodeon was not the catalyst for her daughter’s success. Keke has won various awards for her acting, TV presenting and singing achievements since making her film debut in 2004’s Barbershop 2: Back in Business. The awards include two Emmys for her acting work in Keke Palmer’s Turnt Up with the Taylors and her gameshow presenting skills on Password.
“I always looked at you being at Nickelodeon as just a stopping station. You didn’t get your start on Nickelodeon or Disney,” Sharon said. “You were blessed and fortunate enough to work, and to work in adult situations and kid situations. My mentality about the entertainment business wasn’t that Disney Channel or Nickelodeon was the end all to be all, but a lot of the parents did.”
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Schneider’s recent lawsuit, obtained by Us Weekly on May 1, stated that he is seeking damages for his tarnished reputation, harassment he’s experienced since the series aired, emotional pain and suffering and his loss of financial and career opportunities.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, an ID docuseries, featured many former Nickelodeon employees who talked about the negative experiences while working with Schneider.
Christy Stratton and Jenny Kilgen, two writers on The Amanda Show which starred Amanda Bynes, claimed that the environment in the Nickelodeon writers’ room was inappropriate, especially since they were tasked with creating jokes for children’s programming. The women alleged that the room’s humor involved adult conduct and sexual innuendos. Kilgen also claimed that Schneider asked her for massages on multiple occasions.
