Nickelodeon’s Zoey 101 star Matthew Underwood reveals he was molested and sexually abused as a teen: Former actor, 33, slams people branding him ‘pedo defender’ for not speaking out about Dan Schneider allegations
Zoey 101 star Matthew Underwood has revealed he was repeatedly abused as a child actor as he defended his silence amid the swirling allegations against Nickelodeon boss Dan Schneider.
The 33-year-old, who played Logan Reese in four seasons of the hit show, said he had received a barrage of hateful messages for not speaking out following the abuse claims exposed in the Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Former child stars, including Drake Bell and Alexa Nikolas, detailed how they were targeted by staffers, accusing Schneider of bullying, sexism and racism.
But Nickelodeon’s Underwood said many had good reason to remain silent as he revealed he was forced out of the industry due to the sexual abuse he suffered.
“When I was 12 years old, I was groomed and abused by my best friends’ stepfather,” he wrote on Instagram.
Matthew Underwood has broken his silence on allegations of abuse at Nickelodeon
Underwood played Logan – the popular kid at PCA – on the hit TV show Zoey 101
Zoey 101 cast members (top row, from left): Sean Flynn, Matthew Underwood, Christopher Massey, (center): Erin Sanders, Jamie Lynn Spears
‘When I was 19, I was sexually harassed and then assaulted by my then agent, who had spent a significant amount of time building trust with me as a friend and mentor.
‘Once again my trust was betrayed and my self-image was crushed.
“I reported him to the agency and he has since been fired, even though he is still active in the industry. “This experience was the catalyst for me leaving LA and ending my pursuit of acting.”
Underwood, who reprized his role as Logan in the 2023 rom-com Zoey 102, said that “a lot of people blew up my email” and that he had been labeled a “pedophile advocate” by some critics for his silence.
“I imagine many of my friends in the industry are similarly harassed if they don’t join in on the chorus,” he wrote on Instagram.
“So I’m sharing this in the hope that some of you can see that just because someone isn’t shouting from the rooftops that pedophiles are bad or that people are bad, doesn’t mean they don’t have their own reasons for doing so. silence, good reasons, personal reasons.’
Underwood did not name the officer he accused of abusing him and insisted he would not join the resistance against Schneider.
Underwood has revealed that he was the victim of two cases of abuse during his teenage years: one when he was 12, and again by an unnamed officer when he was 19. He is pictured on Zoey 101
Underwood (second from right) is pictured with his cast members on Zoey 101
The Nickelodeon actor, 33, is pictured with another TV network star, Victoria Justice, who had her own show ‘Victorious’
Underwood took to social media to reveal his past traumas – which he said he had kept secret
Underwood (left) is pictured on the set of the Halloween episode of Zoey 101
The former child actor called on people to stop harassing him for not speaking out amid the allegations against Dan Schneider
“I have never had a bad experience working on the set of a Nickelodeon show and I have never had a bad experience with Dan,” he wrote. “I have nothing to add to the conversation that anyone would like to hear.
“I like to believe that people have the ability to be better people 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 colleague that everyone enjoys working with.
‘I can’t believe I even have to say this, but of course I don’t support pedophiles.
“Please stop wishing death on my family and please reconsider harassing other actors who want to maintain their privacy. You never know who has already fallen victim to the hell you wish upon them.’
Schneider, who started working at the network in 1993, is credited with “launching the careers of child actors who became major stars,” including Miranda Cosgrove, Jamie Lynn Spears and Ariana Grande.
The HBO documentary Quiet on Set: the Dark Side of Kids TV also detailed the conviction of former Nickelodeon dialogue coach and actor Brian Peck, who molested child star Drake Bell when he was 15.
Previously described as “Nickelodeon’s golden boy,” showrunner Dan Schneider began working at the network in 1993 (photo with Ariana Grande)
Jennette McCurdy (pictured with Dan Schneider in 2013) has said that she dated a producer in her 30s at age 15 during her role on the Nickelodeon show iCarly
But he was later inundated with accusations before being indicted on charges of gender discrimination, hostile work environment and harassment – many of which were revealed in the new documentary.
Child safety activists claim the channel was infiltrated by predators who saw the power it gave them as a way to get close to their victims.
And court records show the company employed or worked with five child molesters, as well as two others accused of pedophilia.
The attackers include Jason Handy, a Nickelodeon production assistant who had sexual contact with a nine-year-old girl; and Ezell Channel, hired as a production assistant at the cable channel after a child molestation conviction, then arrested for sexually abusing an underage teenager in the studio.
Marty Weiss, a talent manager who placed clients on top Nickelodeon shows, was later convicted of “lewd acts” with a 12-year-old male client.
Dan Schneider has broken his silence following the release of an explosive documentary that made shocking claims about the ‘toxic environment’ at Nickelodeon during his tenure
Underwood with fellow cast members from Zoey 101, one of the channel’s biggest hits
And Cody Longo, the late star of the 2012 TeenNick show Hollywood Heights, was accused of sexually assaulting a 9-year-old girl in Colorado in 2019 and pleaded guilty to a lesser charge two years later.
The HBO documentary Quiet on Set: the Dark Side of Kids TV also details the conviction of former Nickelodeon dialogue coach and actor Brian Peck, who molested child star Drake Bell when he was 15.
After his conviction, he went to work at Disney.
Bell himself was later convicted of distributing child pornography after allegations emerged that he groomed and sexually abused a 15-year-old.
Schneider, 58, admitted last week that he had previously overstepped professional boundaries and admitted that he “owed some people a pretty strong apology.”