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Lori Beth Denberg is joining a long list of former Nickelodeon stars who have alleged they experienced a toxic work environment on the set of several popular television shows.
Denberg was a cast member of “All That,” a popular sketch comedy show starring Kenan Thompson, Kel Mitchell and later, Amanda Bynes.
Denberg said she was 19 when an executive producer for the show, Dan Schneider (who has been accused of misconduct by other actors and was fired from the network in 2018 for being verbally abusive), invited her into his office. She had recently been chastised about gaining weight, and Schneider, who was overweight himself, allegedly told her that he should have been the one to speak with her about it.
Lori Beth Denberg starred on “All That” for four seasons. (Jeff Kravitz/FilmMagic)
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“I feel like that is the first time he preyed on me,” she told Business Insider, claiming that the conversation transitioned away from her appearance and onto pornography.
She stated that Schneider began showing her clips of porn on his computer, alleging that the “grand finale” was a clip that involved an animal.
The entirety of their relationship ended up changing around this time. Denberg said the two would frequently speak about sexual subjects and that Schneider had even initiated phone sex.
She explained that their relationship had devolved into a “weird, abusive friendship” when she found herself getting physical with Schneider around 20 or 21 – she claimed that after winning a bet against him, he touched and put his mouth on her breasts as a reward. The original prize was a massage.
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Lori Beth Denberg says in recent years that she’s realized she was taken advantage of by Dan Schneider. (Everett Collection)
The actress, now 48, said that while at the time she didn’t consider herself a victim because she was an adult, only in recent years has she realized these encounters helped to establish a power dynamic where Denberg felt obligated to do what Schneider wanted.
“I couldn’t have been more green,” she explained of the situation. “I couldn’t have been more vulnerable.”
Lori Beth Denberg alleges that Dan Schneider frequently showed her pornography starting when she was 19 years old. (Michael Buckner/Getty Images for Nickelodeon)
When reached for comment by Business Insider, Schneider said Denberg’s allegations were “wildly exaggerated and, in most cases, false.”
“As I have previously stated, there were times, particularly in the early years of my career, that I made mistakes and exhibited poor judgment as a leader,” he admitted. “If I did that with respect to Lori Beth, I sincerely apologize to her. But I cannot apologize for things I did not do.”
A representative for Schneider did not immediately return Fox News Digital’s request for comment. Earlier this month, Schneider sued filmmakers of “Quiet on Set” for defamation.
Caroline Thayer is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital. Follow Caroline Thayer on Twitter at @carolinejthayer. Story tips can be sent to caroline.thayer@fox.com.
