Former Nickelodeon teen star’s disturbing sex allegations
Ex-Nickelodeon star Lori Beth, who shot to fame in All That, has accused a producer of fondling her and showing her clips of porn.
Celebrity Life
Don't miss out on the headlines from Celebrity Life. Followed categories will be added to My News.
Actress Lori Beth Denberg has come forward with accusations against writer and series creator Dan Schneider, claiming he “preyed” upon her from the time she was a teenager working on the Nickelodeon children’s show All That.
A new report from Business Insider written by journalist and Quiet on Set producer Kate Taylor details several incidents Denberg allegedly had with Schneider in which he is accused of fondling her, showing her clips of pornography and more as they developed what Denberg claimed was a “weird, abusive friendship.”
Schneider has denied Denberg’s accusations, calling them “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.”
In a statement to BI, Schneider said, “As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader. If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologise to her. But I cannot apologise for things I did not do.”
Denberg, who was cast in the series in 1994 when she was 17 years old, claimed that her relationship with Schneider became sexual when she was 19 and he was 10 years older.
In one instance, she says he initiated phone sex with her. She said she later began sleeping over at his house, where Denberg claimed Schneider would play porn on his computer and request massages from her.
Denberg’s friendship with Schneider allegedly turned physical when she was around 20 to 21 years old. She claimed that he fondled and put his mouth on her breasts while giving her a massage.
BI reports that Denberg “did not necessarily see these interactions as inappropriate” at the time because she was over the age of 18, but she recently began “grappling with the power imbalance in these sexual encounters.”
“I couldn’t have been more green,” Denberg said. “I couldn’t have been more vulnerable.”
“Nobody thinks it is their responsibility,” she said of the working conditions at Nickelodeon. Denberg claimed that the network execs think employees “should thank them for the privilege — and it’s just absolutely disgusting.”
This is the latest in a slate of accusations levelled against Schneider, who was once a leading creator and writer at Nickelodeon. He is now suing the Quiet on Set filmmakers for defamation. In a statement shared with Variety, Schneider noted that Taylor had a hand in producing the Investigation Discovery docuseries.
“[The fact she] would pursue allegations regarding what may have happened between adults nearly thirty years ago — only a week after I filed a defamation lawsuit accusing Quiet on Set of being intentionally false and misleading — seems more than coincidental,” he said.
This article originally appeared in Decider and was reproduced with permission.
Originally published as Former Nickelodeon teen star’s disturbing sex allegations
Meghan joins Oprah for ‘badly timed’ book event
Meghan Markle has appeared as a “light-filled” speaker at a star-studded book event with Oprah Winfrey on the anniversary of Queen Elizabeth’s death.
Why Sienna Miller ‘doesn’t want to be a movie star’
As one of Hollywood’s most stylish celebrities, Sienna Miller is used to the spotlight. But in recent years, the 42-year-old British actor confesses, she is much less interested in fame.