Zoey 101 Star Alexa Nikolas Speaks Out About Tragic Experience On Nickelodeon
This article contains discussion of child sexual abuse.
It turns out that Jennette McCurdy isn't the only former Nickelodeon star with a story to tell. In her wildly popular new memoir, "I'm Glad My Mom Died," the former "iCarly" star alleged that the network offered her $300,000 in "hush money" (via TheWrap) to stay quiet about abuse she allegedly suffered at the hands of her show creator, who she does not name. Now Alexa Nikolas, who starred in "Zoey 101" alongside Jamie Lynn Spears, is backing up McCurdy's allegations with experiences of her own.
Nikolas has opened up about her bad experience on the set of "Zoey 101" in the past, including with regards to her feud with Spears. After Spears accused Nikolas of bullying in her memoir, Nikolas clapped back in a lengthy Instagram post. "I was pretty surprised to see her lying up a storm in there," she wrote. "I recently thought we were fine after she tried to use me in her 'Zoey 101' music video to make herself look better after I finally came out about what happened to me while on set/being left out once again during the reunion reboot ploy."
Now, Nikolas's accusations are about more than just tensions with co-stars.
Alexa Nikolas described Nickelodeon as 'triggering'
Taking her fight right to the source, Alexa Nikolas led in-person protests outside of Nickelodeon's headquarters in Burbank, California. In a video published to TMZ, Nikolas said she "didn't feel safe," during her time at the network and said returning to Nickelodeon HQ was "pretty triggering."
"I want to make Nick safe for kids," Nikolas said. "I didn't feel like Nickelodeon was protecting me or had my best interests in mind." She explained, "After hearing so many different stories from different Nick stars it just feels like enough is enough." Nikolas went on to say that while everyone is capable of redemption, the network has not even released a comment yet. Nikolas would like to see an end to non-disclosure agreements as well as an apology issued to Jeannette McCurdy and "all of us."
In a video from the protest posted to her own Instagram, Nikolas went into more detail about her experience, specifically calling out Dan Schneider and calling him "the creator of childhood trauma." She said that his very presence on set made her whole body shake, and described an incident in which he and other executives made her cry "in a room alone." Nikolas called for an official investigation into Schneider's Bakery, and name-dropped five men she alleged were "child predators" who worked on set with kids and were convicted on charges of child molestation and rape.
If you or anyone you know has been a victim of sexual assault, help is available. Visit the Rape, Abuse & Incest National Network website or contact RAINN's National Helpline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).