A​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌ popular TikTok video that claimed that ex-Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider had sexually assaulted Amanda Byneswhen she was 13 has been debunked as a lie.

The clip that stirred a riot of worry on the web was made by a fan account that was pretending to be the former child star, according to the information.

The fight to remember Bynes' childhood career and her collaboration with Schneider, who was the producer of The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2001, comes back with a new force. Bynes, 39, was 13 when the show first ​‍​‌‍​‍‌​‍​‌‍​‍‌aired.

Schneider, 59, has been the subject of scrutiny before, including in Investigation Discovery's 2024 docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV."

Close But Professional Relationship on Set

Several former cast and crew members described Bynes and Schneider as having a close but professional working relationship.

Karyn Finley Thompson, a former editor on "The Amanda Show," recalled that the pair "were very physically close," noting that she often saw Bynes hugging Schneider or giving him a neck massage. "Dan and Amanda had a close relationship, and I didn't think anything different than that," Thompson said.

In response, Schneider's spokesperson told Entertainment Weekly, "Dan deeply regrets asking anyone for neck massages. Though they happened in public settings, he knows this was highly inappropriate and would never happen again."

Former director Virgil L. Fabian also described the duo as having a particularly warm rapport, saying, "Very few people made Dan laugh, and Amanda did."

The dynamic, while notable, was widely regarded by colleagues as part of the show's collaborative and energetic environment.

Growing Independence

Other cast members on Nickelodeon series All That, where Bynes had appeared prior to getting her own show, noted she sometimes disappeared from the set to work with Schneider.

Leon Frierson recalled, per Us Weekly, "There would be times when Amanda would just be missing. A lot of times we would hear she would be with Dan, pitching ideas and writing. We see them grow closer to each other on set."

Schneider also addressed public concerns in a video on his YouTube channel, DanWarp, emphasizing Bynes' agency during her teenage years.

He explained that Bynes "wanted to become emancipated from her parents" around age 16 or 17.

"She wanted that for herself, so she turned to her team, which included her lawyer, her agent, her manager, her publicist, me – because she included me as part of her team, thought of me that way."

"We supported her, she tried to get emancipated and it ended up not working out and she didn't," Schneider said.

Tags
Amanda Bynes, Dan Schneider