Zoey 101’s Alexa Nikolas Protests ‘Unsafe’ Nickelodeon Environment


Alexa Nikolas
Courtesy of matchthesource/Instagram

Making a change. Alexa Nikolas led a protest exterior Nickelodeon’s headquarters over allegations of kid abuse.

“I’m crying over right here. Thanks for all of the love and assist,” the Zoey 101 alum, 30, wrote by way of Instagram on Thursday, August 25. “Survivors are watching and listening. The sort of love and assist goes to create main change! I’ll always remember this present day. At the moment was deeply therapeutic. My inside youngster felt empowered. Thanks for listening.”

Nikolas, who starred as Zoey Brooks’ greatest pal Nicole Bristow on the Nickelodeon sitcom upon its 2005 premiere, held up an indication that learn, “Nickelodeon didn’t defend me,” as she spoke out about her experiences working for the community.

The Legal Minds alum, who left the sitcom after its second season, hosted a “Slime Time Reside” rally on Thursday alongside the Eat Predators group to make clear the community’s alleged historical past of kid sexual abuse.

Zoey 101 Alexa Nikolas Protests Traumatic Unsafe Nickelodeon Environment 2

Alexa Nikolas
Image Good/Shutterstock

“My very own private expertise at Nickelodeon … I didn’t really feel protected at Nickelodeon as a baby personally,” she famous in an Instagram video from the protest. “And so, I’m demanding that Nickelodeon begins defending youngsters and never predators.”

Nikolas — who supposed to “slime” nondisclosure agreements, as a nod to the community’s well-known goo — additional referred to as out Dan Schneider because the “creator of childhood trauma.” (Schneider, 56, notably helped create community sitcoms Drake & Josh, iCarly, Zoey 101, Victorious, Sam & Cat and Henry Hazard.)

“He performed an enormous function in my private childhood trauma,” the Strolling Useless alum alleged. “I didn’t really feel protected round Dan Schneider whereas I used to be working at Nickelodeon. Truly, each time he got here on set, my physique obtained extraordinarily tense, and afterward, in season 2, he yelled at me [which] made me cry [in a room alone with him and several network executives].”

Nikolas additional alleged that “loads” of the footage on Schneider’s Bakery exhibits had been troubling, even calling a number of Zoey 101 scenes “deeply regarding as a mum or dad” to rewatch.

Schneider, for his half, has beforehand been accused of inappropriate misconduct throughout his time on the community, which he has since denied. “[It’s] ridiculous,” he instructed The New York Instances in July 2021. “The comedy was completely harmless. … I by no means interacted with actors in any approach, texting or in any other case, that ought to make anybody uncomfortable.”

Nikolas — who shares daughter Nova, 21 months, with husband Michael Grey — additionally sought to launch an investigation into the manufacturing firm, alleging they tried to “silence” her from talking out.

Whereas neither Schneider nor Nickelodeon have publicly addressed the Illinois native’s protest rally, the previous youngster star additional asserted that her personal expertise was “traumatic” and “unsafe,” which she recalled to TMZ on Thursday. Nickelodeon and Dan Schneider didn’t instantly reply to Us Weekly‘s request for remark.

The Mad Males alum costarred with Jamie Lynn Spears, Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood and Erin Sanders on Zoey 101, nonetheless, Nikolas left the present after season 2 amid rumors of a set feud with the Candy Magnolias star, 30.

“I used to be fairly shocked to see her mendacity up a storm in there,” Nikolas wrote by way of Instagram in January, slamming Spears’ Issues I Ought to Have Stated memoir as inaccurate. “I not too long ago thought we had been nice after she tried to make use of me in her Zoey 101 music video to make herself look higher after I lastly got here out about what occurred to me whereas on set/being disregarded as soon as once more throughout the reunion reboot ploy. I’m guessing the stress from others made her deal with the difficulty. I declined her supply. Why now? However I used to be joyful to get an apology lastly. So I forgave her.”

She added on the time: “She by no means addressed something that she talked about within the guide to me personally as a result of she is aware of all the pieces she is saying is a complete lie and I’d have referred to as her out on that. One on one. It’s unhappy to see somebody not change in any case these years. Nothing that she mentioned in her guide about me truly occurred.”

To report youngster abuse, seek the advice of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies’ Little one Welfare Data Gateway for state-specific reporting cellphone numbers.