TMC
08-20-2022, 07:53 PM
https://slate.com/culture/2022/08/jennette-mccurdy-memoir-im-glad-my-mom-died-nickelodon-kids.html
In her book, McCurdy details many instances of The Creator’s misconduct. According to the iCarly star, he would coerce kids into drinking alcohol, scream at actors over minor mistakes, and dole out back massages. He would pit iCarly’s stars against the kids on Victorious, the other Nickelodeon hit he was producing at the time, in order to manipulate their behavior. McCurdy recalled extreme discomfort with all of this, but was afraid to speak out. The Creator had promised McCurdy her own show, and she didn’t want to jeopardize that opportunity and risk the wrath of her mother.
There are many shocking revelations in the memoir, but with a little reflection, none of it should be shocking. In 2018, Schneider was ousted from Nickelodeon, reportedly for verbally abusing actors, a few years after dialogue coach Brian Peck was convicted of sexually abusing one of the network’s child stars, who chose to remain anonymous in the proceedings.
One could argue that Schneider and Peck were just two bad actors who have faced consequences for their actions, but Nickelodeon’s response illustrates the network’s inability to confront a culture of abuse. After wrapping up her final season on iCarly, McCurdy says the network offered her $300,000 in exchange for an agreement never to speak publicly about her experience with The Creator. And it wasn’t until 2018, after the #MeToo movement put Hollywood’s abuses on center stage, that he was fired.
Until now, rumors about Schneider’s behavior made the rounds online with little more than passing interest from Nickelodeon fans. Like Harvey Weinstein’s misconduct, it was an open secret. But something changed when McCurdy told her story. Fans are now reexamining allegations against Schneider under a closer lens, wondering what the network is hiding and if their other favorite stars are simply locked under NDAs. Some are even arguing that child stardom should be banned altogether.
If this blows up any more than it already has, Nickelodeon and the entire industry of child acting may finally land itself a #MeToo reckoning. But the question still stands: Why now?
The answer might have to do with the nature of McCurdy’s story. Everything and nothing was normal about it. Not many people rise to her level of fame or are so deeply abused, but McCurdy’s narrative will feel familiar to anyone who has navigated poverty and trauma. Taking advantage of the store discount at your dad’s retail job, tuning out screaming matches between parents, avoiding calls from debt collectors … this is what childhood is like for millions of Americans. Like many, I recognized myself in her words. I, too, had an unpredictable, violent, controlling birth parent, and during weekly custody visits, I spent most of that time immersed in––you guessed it!––Nickelodeon. (While visits with my father were unpleasant, he was the parent with an Internet connection, and the internet had AmandaPlease.com. There are worse coping mechanisms.) Or perhaps McCurdy’s narrative resonates simply because we’re the generation that’s ready to hear it. Young people are more likely to be open about mental health than past generations, and more likely to initiate estrangement in the face of abuse. Like McCurdy, we’re simply demanding better.
In her book, McCurdy details many instances of The Creator’s misconduct. According to the iCarly star, he would coerce kids into drinking alcohol, scream at actors over minor mistakes, and dole out back massages. He would pit iCarly’s stars against the kids on Victorious, the other Nickelodeon hit he was producing at the time, in order to manipulate their behavior. McCurdy recalled extreme discomfort with all of this, but was afraid to speak out. The Creator had promised McCurdy her own show, and she didn’t want to jeopardize that opportunity and risk the wrath of her mother.
There are many shocking revelations in the memoir, but with a little reflection, none of it should be shocking. In 2018, Schneider was ousted from Nickelodeon, reportedly for verbally abusing actors, a few years after dialogue coach Brian Peck was convicted of sexually abusing one of the network’s child stars, who chose to remain anonymous in the proceedings.
One could argue that Schneider and Peck were just two bad actors who have faced consequences for their actions, but Nickelodeon’s response illustrates the network’s inability to confront a culture of abuse. After wrapping up her final season on iCarly, McCurdy says the network offered her $300,000 in exchange for an agreement never to speak publicly about her experience with The Creator. And it wasn’t until 2018, after the #MeToo movement put Hollywood’s abuses on center stage, that he was fired.
Until now, rumors about Schneider’s behavior made the rounds online with little more than passing interest from Nickelodeon fans. Like Harvey Weinstein’s misconduct, it was an open secret. But something changed when McCurdy told her story. Fans are now reexamining allegations against Schneider under a closer lens, wondering what the network is hiding and if their other favorite stars are simply locked under NDAs. Some are even arguing that child stardom should be banned altogether.
If this blows up any more than it already has, Nickelodeon and the entire industry of child acting may finally land itself a #MeToo reckoning. But the question still stands: Why now?
The answer might have to do with the nature of McCurdy’s story. Everything and nothing was normal about it. Not many people rise to her level of fame or are so deeply abused, but McCurdy’s narrative will feel familiar to anyone who has navigated poverty and trauma. Taking advantage of the store discount at your dad’s retail job, tuning out screaming matches between parents, avoiding calls from debt collectors … this is what childhood is like for millions of Americans. Like many, I recognized myself in her words. I, too, had an unpredictable, violent, controlling birth parent, and during weekly custody visits, I spent most of that time immersed in––you guessed it!––Nickelodeon. (While visits with my father were unpleasant, he was the parent with an Internet connection, and the internet had AmandaPlease.com. There are worse coping mechanisms.) Or perhaps McCurdy’s narrative resonates simply because we’re the generation that’s ready to hear it. Young people are more likely to be open about mental health than past generations, and more likely to initiate estrangement in the face of abuse. Like McCurdy, we’re simply demanding better.