Disturbing footage has been circulated on social media of ‘abuser’ Dan Schneider in a hot tub with an underage Amanda Bynes during a Nickelodeon sketch.
The full-length clip was shared on X, formerly Twitter, in light of the allegations made in the recent documentary titled Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV – which made shocking claims about the ‘toxic environment’ at the network.
The scene in question – which is understood to have been filmed in 2002, when Bynes was around the age of 16 – shows Schneider sitting next to a bikini-clad Bynes for the skit, which he wrote himself, with commentators branding it as ‘very uncomfortable.’
The sketch resurfaced in the wake of the documentary that made accusations of child abuse and ‘pedophiles on set’ before also shining a light on the ‘close’ relationship that Schneider – who is 20 years Bynes’ senior – had with the teenage star.
The clip was taken from Bynes’ recurring sketch, simply titled Amanda’s Jacuzzi, which saw the young star interview guests while in the bubbling pool.
In the snippet featuring Schneider, who was described as ‘Nickelodeon’s golden boy,’ she begins: ‘Hi, welcome to my jacuzzi. Today my special guest is executive producer of The Amanda Show, Dan Schneider.’
Schneider – who is propped up against the sidewall wearing a white vest, navy shirt and sunglasses – smiles and replies with a simple ‘hi.’
Bynes, who is wearing just a bikini, quips that as he is also head writer at the channel, ‘you actually wrote the words that we are saying to each other right now.’
He agrees that he was the mastermind behind the scene and the pair continue to fool around with giggles and glances toward one another before being handed plates of spaghetti to chow down on.
Recently, a shortened version of the clip was included in the documentary that aired on ID at the weekend – and commentators were quick to share their thoughts.
More News: Remains of a child found in duffel bag on North 38th Street Philly Police confirm
‘When you watch the video it is Amanda Bynes, clearly very young, wearing a swimsuit in a hot tub and next to her is Dan Schneider fully clothed.
‘And he is kind of saying, “I created this situation. I am the reason we are in this hot tub. I am pulling the strings.” Maybe at the time people viewed it as a comedy but I think now some people are very uncomfortable with the implication,’ culture writer Scaachi Koul said.
Elsewhere, many seemed to agree that Bynes became Schneider’s ‘new favorite’ cast member when she arrived at the network as others claimed they were ‘edged out.’
Leon Frierson, who worked on All That as a teen, explained: ‘There would be times where Amanda would just be missing and a lot of times we would just hear that she would be with Dan – pitching ideas and writing.
‘We were seeing them grow closer to each other on set.’
Bynes’ own father was reportedly ‘very hands-on with her career’ and Leon said his presence was ‘always felt’ due to his relationship with Schneider.
‘They carefully crafted Amanda’s career. It was enviable for a lot of cast members,’ he dished.
Kate Taylor, from Business Insider, told the documentary: ‘Dan Schneider’s decision to have Amanda be the star of the show is forward thinking in a lot of ways. A lot of adult female comedians do not get their own shows without jumping through a million hoops.’
Koul agreed: ‘Dan Schneider was very responsible for Amanda Bynes’ career at the point and they were very tied to each other. I think she trusted him.’
Many other commentators recalled Schneider and Bynes being ‘very close’ – including ‘physically.’
Karyn Finley Thompson, who worked as editor on All That, The Amanda Show and Drake and Josh, explained: ‘There were many times that I saw Amanda sitting behind him, hugging him or giving him like a neck massage or whatever.
‘Dan and Amanda had a close relationship and I didn’t think anything different than that. The hot tub scene though I always thought was a little odd.’
© Copyright RawNews1st
