The mother of Zoey 101 star Chris Massey has nothing but praise for the show's "genius" creator, Dan Schneider.
Schneider was one of the controversial subjects of the recent Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, where he was accused of salacious and insulting behavior. As a former Nickelodeon showrunner/producer, Schneider was also behind shows like Drake & Josh, iCarly, and Sam and Cat.
Angel Massey, Chris' mother, is now coming to Schneider's defense, putting "blame" on child actors' parents for the on-set behavior enacted on them. In a variety of posts on Instagram, Massey gave effusive support to Schneider, calling him "awesome" and a "genius."
"I can't thank this guy enough for the opportunity he gave my son @chrismasseytmb and my family," she wrote. "BLAME THE PARENTS. NOT DAN."
Angel Massey's IG posts were among the more offensive reactions from former Nickelodeon entertainers and those associated with the children's network, including the cast of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide. "@chrismasseytmb and my family had an exemplary experience with Dan Schneider. Define 'toxic work environment,'" she wrote in one.
She told one user via comment, "There are so many vetting steps that tv shows must go through before it hit the screen. ... For my self and my family, I am honored to have had an experience of a lifetime with Dan Schneider and Nickelodeon. Also know that the actual STARS / top BILLING actors have not said one negative thing about him. ... This man WAS NICKELODEON. He is a genius. He has no criminal accusations against him. Google it. Tv is for entertainment. It's called PROGRAM for a reason. You are programmed to like characters."
In several of her posts, Angel used photos of her son onstage next to Schneider:
Chris Massey posted an Instagram Story in response, writing, "My story will be told from me.....not from a parent, a friend, a co worker.....ME!!! and only ME...so please stop messaging me about what my mom said....respectfully."
After Quiet on Set debuted its third installment on March 18, Schneider responded with a homemade interview, conducted by actor BooG!E, who occasionally appeared on on iCarly. On QOS, Schneider was alleged to have requested massages from employees, made crude remarks in the work environment, and implemented suggestive content on the children's sitcoms.
"When I watched the show, I could see the hurt in some people’s eyes and it made me feel awful and regretful and sorry," Schneider said of the allegations made about him on the show. "I wish I could go back, especially to those earlier years of my career, and bring the growth and the experience that I have now and just do a better job and never, ever feel like it was okay to be an asshole to anyone, ever."
