As accusations of abuse against Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider continue to arise from the new docuseries “Quiet on Set,” his former assistant Amy Berg recounted her stress-inducing experience working under whom she called a “psychological tormenter.”
Berg, who works as a producer and TV writer on shows like “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” revealed Sunday night on social media that her “very first” job was working as Schneider’s assistant, though she noted she wasn’t aware of any “physically inappropriate behavior” from the man in question.
However, Berg called Schneider a “f–king asshole” and “a psychological tormenter” during the one year she worked under him, detailing the subsequent years of panic attacks she faced after working for him.
“He introduced me to panic attacks and the stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia,” Berg wrote. “I eventually had surgery to [mostly] correct the issue, but by that point I’d lost all of my 20s. He stole those years from me.”
While Berg said she doesn’t believe her career trajectory was affected by her time working under Schneider, she noted her “personal life undoubtably was.”
“I became a shut-in due to the fear of having a medical crisis away from home. I was unable to cultivate relationships or nurture friendships,” Berg wrote. “And to this day, I carry with me an anxiety disorder that fierce rears its head when faced with other manipulators. Fortunately, I’ve only twice been in bad situations in my career where this trauma was reignited.”
The producer concluded by announcing her decision to not watch “Quiet on Set,” explaining, “I’ve no interest in reliving anything, nor do I want to be in a situation where I’d feel inclined to defend Dan in any way.”
“Dan expected and asked a lot from his teams. They worked long hours and consistently made successful shows. In the challenges of production, Dan could get frustrated at times, and he understands why some employees found that intimidating and stressful,” a spokesperson for Schneider told TheWrap. “In a career spanning 30+ years, Dan worked with thousands of people, many of whom still tell him how much they enjoyed and appreciated working on his shows. But he also knows some people did not have a positive experience, and he is truly sorry for that. Dan knows he should have done better and feels awful about anyone who saw him at his worst, instead of his best.”
Investigation Discovery’s “Quiet on Set,” which will stream on Max beginning Monday at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT, details accusations of child sexualization and fat-shaming, among other abusive behaviors from Schneider, who worked with Nickelodeon child stars like Kenan Thompson, Drake Bell, Ariana Grande and Amanda Bynes.
