CONTENT WARNING: This article discusses alleged child sexual abuse.
Former Nickelodeon child actor Matthew Underwood has claimed he was sexually harassed when he was 19, which led to him quitting the entertainment industry for good. The Zoey 101 alum also defended his fellow actors who chose to stay silent after Quiet On Set was released.
After receiving criticism for being silent after the release of Quiet On Set — a docuseries that investigated the allegations within the Nickelodeon workplace — Matthew Underwood (@mattunderwood) revealed that he was sexually harassed and molested on two separate occasions before he left acting.
The former actor — who played Logan Reese on Zoey 101 — also defended his fellow Nickelodeon stars who have decided to stay silent on the chilling docuseries.
“I know many folks want me to respond to the Quiet On Set documentary. I’m going to share something with you that I never thought I’d have to talk about publicly, as it’s honestly none of your business anyways,” Underwood began.
He went on to claim that he was “groomed and molested by [his] best friend’s stepfather” at the age of 12. Underwood then alleged that he was “sexually harassed and then assaulted” by his agent at the time when he was 19.
“I reported him to the agency and he has since been fired — although he is still active in the industry,” Underwood wrote.
“This experience provoked my move away from LA and ended my pursuit of acting.”
In the second photo of his IG statement, the Zoey 101 actor said he shared his story due to multiple threats he’s received that claim he and his mother are “pedophile defenders”.
“I’m sharing this with hope that some of you can recognise that just because person doesn’t shout from the rooftops that pedophiles are bad or that people can suck — that does not mean they don’t have their own reasons for staying silent, good reasons, personal reasons,” Underwood continued.
“I also ask you all to take a few moments and consider why someone might not share their experiences publicly and not immediately shame them for reserving their right to privacy.”
In the following slide of his Instagram post, Underwood addressed the allegations made against Dan Schneider, which were made in the Quiet On Set docuseries. The four-part series, which featured employees and actors from Nickelodeon, explored allegations that Dan Schneider created work environments which allowed misconduct, as well as allegations of child sexual abuse at the hands of other Nickelodeon staff.
“I never had a bad experience working on set of a Nickelodeon show and I never had a bad experience with Dan,” Underwood added.
“I have nothing to add to the conversation that people would care to hear.”
Concluding his statement, Underwood called for folks to stop wishing death upon his family since he chose to stay silent after Quiet On Set was released.
“Please stop wishing death upon my family and please reconsider harassing other actors who wish to maintain their privacy — you never know who has already been a victim of the hell you’re wishing upon them,” he wrote.
Ever since the docuseries was released, many former child actors have spoken out to support those who shared their stories. Victorious star Matt Benett, Josh Peck of Drake and Josh, and Kenan Thompson of All That and Good Burger are just a few of the former Nickelodeon stars who have shared their support.
Dan Schneider has also publicly commented on the docuseries, acknowledging that he owes an apology to some of the people he previously worked with.
Image source: Getty Images / Phillip Faraone/Getty Images for Nickelodeon
Help is available.
- If you require immediate assistance, please call 000.
- If you’d like to speak to someone about sexual violence, please call the 1800 Respect hotline on 1800 737 732 or chat online.
- Under 25? You can reach Kids Helpline at 1800 55 1800 or chat online.
