Fans are convinced that an episode of the popular cartoon ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ tried to warn viewers of Dan Schneider and Brian Peck‘s behavior at Nickelodeon.
As you know, many allegations have come forward accusing Dan Schneider and Brian Peck of abuse, creating a toxic work environment, racism, favoritism, and more. The newly released docuseries, ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’, is shedding more light on those allegations, with former Nickelodeon cast and actors telling their stories for the first time.
As those allegations come to light, many are going back and dissecting old Nickelodeon clips. Now, some fans have a theory that Spongebob Squarepants and Patrick Star tried warning its audience about Schneider and Peck.
New Theory States Spongebob and Patrick Warned Of Nickelodeon Allegations
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A new X post, which has gained nearly 65,000 views, claims that “The cast of SpongeBob was low-key warning us about Dan Schneider and Brian Peck in 2001, but we were too young to realize it then.”
According to some, Stephen Hillenburg, the creator of the Nickelodeon cartoon, did not get along with Dan Schneider, leading to the belief that there were subtle hints in select episodes mocking the former producer.
The episode in question is the one where Spongebob and Patrick play the characters of “Dirty Dan” and “Pinhead,” who some are convinced were references to Dan Schneider and Brian Peck.
Watch the Clip Of ‘Spongebob Squarepants’ Below
The cast of SpongeBob was low key warning us about Dan Schneider and Brian Peck in 2001 but we were too young to realize it then. #Nickelodeon #QuietOnSet pic.twitter.com/sxvY3meult
— Old Man Walker (@OldManWalker98) March 21, 2024
The user who shared the clip later responded to some fans, claiming, “SpongeBob saved Nickelodeon. Everybody on that show is good people and if the ‘Dirty Dan’ reference was actually referring to Dan Schneider, then I applaud them for doing that. Every predator that worked at Nickelodeon should be brought to justice.”
As you may know, Brian Peck has faced accusations of sexual misconduct involving minors. In 2004, he pleaded guilty to lewd acts with a child and oral copulation of a person under 16. These charges were related to incidents involving a minor who had acted in films where Peck served as an acting coach.
It was later revealed those accusations were made by ‘The Amanda Show’ and ‘Drake & Josh’ star Drake Bell.
Is Dan Schneider ‘Dirty Dan’?
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Various allegations have surrounded Dan Schneider’s behavior and treatment of young actors when he was with Nickelodeon, many of which were highlighted in the newly released docuseries. These accusations range from verbal abuse to favoritism to creating a toxic work environment.
One of the accusations that continued to surface was those of Schneider allegedly asking staff members for massages — something he has now regrets.
“It was wrong that I ever put anyone in that position,” he said during his lengthy apology video, “it was a wrong thing to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then.”
“Additionally, I apologize to the people who were walking around Video Village or wherever they happened because there were lots of people who witnessed it who may have also felt uncomfortable,” he continued, “So I owe them an apology as well.”
Drake Bell Accuses Brian Peck Of S-xual Assault
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In 2003, Brian Peck, 43 at the time, was arrested on 11 charges — including sodomy, lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older, and oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance — however, the victim was not named as they were underage at the time.
For the first time, Drake Bell came forward in the ‘Quiet On Set’ docuseries, revealing he was the minor who made the allegations about Peck.
In the docuseries, Bell recalled one time when he “was sleeping on the couch where I usually sleep and I woke up to him… I opened my eyes and I woke up and he was…he was s-xually assaulting me. And I froze, and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react.”
Dan Schneider Comments On Drake Bell’s Allegations
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Dan Schneider also addressed the Drake Bell allegations in his apology:
“When Drake and I talked and he told me what had happened, I was more devastated by that than anything that ever happened in my career thus far. I told him, ‘I’m here for you. What do you need?’ which Drake mentioned in the show last night that we watched last night.
I don’t know if people know this, but Drake’s mom — lovely woman, who I stay in contact till this day — she came to me at the time and she said, ‘Dan, I’m not good with words like you are. Would you help me with my speech for the judge?’ I said, ‘Of course.’ And I did.”
As he tried to hold back tears, Schneider continued, “[Peck] ended up going to prison and serving his time. And yeah, that was probably the darkest part of my career.”
It should be noted that this is strictly a theory, and it has not been confirmed that this was a reference to Dan Schneider and Brian Peck.