"Nobody likes you." What was really going on behind-the-scenes of Nickelodeon's most loved shows.

Content Warning: Readers are advised this article discusses child abuse and might be triggering for some readers.

Allegations of misconduct at Nickelodeon are continuing to surface, this time from Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas.

Nikolas, who starred as Nicole Bristow on the mid-2000s show, has added to the list of rumours and allegations surrounding show creator Dan Schneider, who worked on the likes of Victorious, iCarly, Sam & Cat, Drake & Josh, and The Amanda Show.

Speaking on Vulnerable, the podcast hosted by Christy Carlson Romano, Nikolas spoke about the long-held foot fetish rumours levelled against Schneider.

She had previously shared that she “did not feel protected” by the network, and that her experiences with Schneider played a “huge role” in her “personal childhood trauma”.

Nikolas alleged on the podcast that Schneider would go around with money and a digital camera, asking to take photos of children’s feet. 

Her mother stopped her from being involved.

“My mum actually said no to it,” she said. “But I saw other parents allowing their kids to do it.”

Listen as hosts Holly Wainwright and Emily Vernem discuss Zoey 101 on Lowbrow. Post continues after.

The rumours of a foot fetish emerged online, when people began cutting together shots from Schneider’s shows, videos he had taken on set, and pictures of him with child stars. These were used as proof of a foot fetish, as reported by The New York Times.

Schneider confirmed he was aware of the rumours, but called them “ridiculous”.

“Kids find feet goofy and funny,” he was quoted as saying, confirming there was no “effort to sexualise” any young stars.

Aside from the fetish reports, Nikolas has also alleged that she was “abused” by Schneider privately after Britney Spears “screamed” at her in a trailer.

At the time, Nikolas was starring on Zoey 101 alongside Spears’ sister, Jamie-Lynn, who held the titular role.

While Spears has since apologised, Nikolas noted the rant, which she described as “unhinged”, caused her to throw up. But she was dismissed when she took the issue to Schneider.

“Do you understand that it’s called Zoey 101 and not ‘Nicole 101’?” he allegedly said to her, while also adding “no one likes you”.

While Zoey 101 ended in 2008, stories have continued to follow Schneider, who eventually parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018.

Before he left the network, he was investigated by ViacomCBS, Nickelodeon’s parent company, who found no evidence of sexual misconduct.

However, they did find he could be verbally abusive at times.

Alexa Nikolas in 2008. Image: Getty.

Nikolas is not the first to come forward with allegations about Schneider’s misconduct.

Jennette McCurdy, who famously starred as Sam Puckett on iCarly, opened up about her experiences working at Nickelodeon earlier this year while promoting her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died.

Referring to an unnamed ‘Creator’, she wrote that “he was mean-spirited, controlling, and terrifying”.

Speaking to The Washington Post, she added: “It's important to talk about. It was so commonplace, his behaviour, and it was so accepted because everyone was scared of losing their job”.

This person is assumed to be Schneider, but this has not been confirmed.

“I don't blame any of them,” McCurdy continued.

“I get it. But it was really unfortunate; everything that happened in a children's television series environment. It really seems like there's not much of a moral compass there.”

In the memoir, McCurdy also shared that she was offered $300,000 from Nickelodeon if she agreed to never speak publicly about her experiences working there, specifically in relation to ‘The Creator’. However, she turned it down.

Schneider told The New York Times that if he was perceived as “difficult”, it was because he had high standards.

“I’m very willing to defend creative things that I believe in,” he said.

Feature Image: Getty/Nickelodeon/Mamamia.