Former Nickelodeon star Amanda Bynes has issued a strong denial against disturbing claims circulating on social media that producer Dan Schneider impregnated her when she was just 13 years old.
The Viral TikTok Controversy
The now-39-year-old actress explicitly stated she had no involvement with a viral TikTok video that made shocking allegations about her relationship with the Nickelodeon producer. Bynes described the clip as being filled with "lies" and clarified it didn't originate from her official social media accounts.
The controversial video, which has since been deleted, came from a fan account called 'amandabynesupdates'. It featured manipulated content showing Bynes in a self-recorded video with text overlay claiming "the man I got pregnant with him at the age of 13!" followed by a crying emoji.
The TikTok then cut to footage from Bynes' childhood appearance on The Amanda Show, specifically from her recurring sketch Amanda's Jacuzzi. The clip showed a young Bynes in a bikini sitting in a hot tub with a fully clothed Schneider, who is now 59. This particular footage gained renewed attention after featuring in the 2024 documentary Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Legal Battles and Documentary Fallout
Bynes explained to TMZ that the TikTok video was altered, splicing together a recent Instagram Story she posted of herself on a date with the resurfaced clip from her Nickelodeon days. She emphatically told the publication that the circulating video contained "lies for click bait."
This controversy emerges amidst ongoing legal proceedings involving Schneider. In May 2024, the producer sued the creators of Quiet On Set for defamation, claiming the documentary falsely portrayed him as a child sex abuser. Schneider's legal representatives have declined to comment on the TikTok allegations to Daily Mail.
The lawsuit targets Warner Bros. Discovery, Maxine Productions, Sony Pictures Television and other production companies behind the explosive documentary series. Schneider argues that the programme misleadingly associated him with convicted sex offenders who worked on Nickelodeon shows.
Documentary Backlash and Legal Progress
In a significant legal development from November 2024, Los Angeles Judge Ashfaq G. Chowdhury allowed Schneider's defamation lawsuit to proceed. The ruling determined that Schneider's claims weren't frivolous and that a "reasonable viewer" might conclude the documentary made "damning implications about his conduct."
The judge rejected attempts by Warner Bros. and Sony attorneys to dismiss the case under California's anti-SLAPP statute, which is designed to protect free speech on matters of public concern.
Schneider's legal team has described the documentary as a "hit job" created for "clickbait, ratings, and views - or simply put, money." They emphasise that while Schneider acknowledges displaying poor leadership and bad behaviour during his Nickelodeon tenure, he had no knowledge of or involvement in child sexual abuse cases involving other Nickelodeon employees.
The lawsuit specifically mentions two convicted sex offenders who worked on Nickelodeon productions: dialogue coach Brian Peck, who served 16 months in prison, and production assistant Jason Michael Handy, sentenced to six years for offences involving minors.
Schneider has previously admitted in a March 2024 YouTube interview that he "sometimes a bad leader" and owed "some people a pretty strong apology" for his past behaviour. However, he maintains the documentary falsely implied his involvement in criminal activities.
Meanwhile, Amanda Bynes has maintained a relatively low profile since stepping away from Hollywood in 2010. Her recent activities include hosting a pop-up art show in December 2024, attended by celebrities including Noah Cyrus. This follows a challenging period for the actress, who experienced a highly publicised breakdown in the early 2010s and was under a legal conservatorship managed by her parents for nine years from 2013.
