Kel Mitchell Gets Candid On Experience With Dan Schneider: ‘I Could Put Hands On Him Or We Could Argue’
Kel Mitchell is revealing how his depression started after a run-in with Nickelodeon executive producer Dan Schneider, who has been the headlines lately due to the explosive documentary, Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Atlanta Black Star reports that Mitchell talked about this dark chapter of his life on the May 15 episode of Club Shay Shay, hosted by Shannon Sharpe. The All That and Kenan and Kel star said that his depressive thinking began with the treatment he received from Schneider while at Nickelodeon. He said that Schneider’s treatment was so terrible that he began having suicidal ideation. Mitchell said that Schneider’s attitude toward him changed into something unhealthy when Mitchell disagreed with the direction certain content was headed in. Instead of listening to Mitchell, Schneider then singled him out and bullied him.
“I remember there was a point [with] one of the execs and one of the head writers. [The] show started to change a little bit. You know, the writin gof the show started to change, and I didn’t like the direction it was going in,” he said, adding that he “started butting heads” with the head writer, leading to Schneider to take him aside.
“[H]e said some real derogatory things and went off,” he said. “I mean, me being from the South Side of Chicago, in that thought process, it was like, OK, either I could put hands on him or we could go argue. This [was] not going to end well.”
After the skirmish with Schneider, Mitchell said he walked off the set, which was a move he said he regrets. But he added that the work was no longer fun to him after that. He also said he called his father, who asked him if he was disrespected. He said instead of telling his father to come help him, Mitchell said he would handle it himself. It’s another choice he regrets making.
The incident with Schneider, plus the pressures of being a young father–Mitchell was 18 at the time–affected his mental health, which in turn caused a downturn in his career.
“I’m explaining this to you because I want people to understand the mindset of what might happen to young actors and the things that they’re going through,” said Mitchell. “You know, we see it all the time, the suicide rate with actors and what goes on. I was friends with a lot of the actors that are not here anymore. I’ve been on Good Morning America and these different interviews and shows…telling people about suicidal thoughts and emotions that you might go through [as a child actor], and I never really pinpointed who the person was or who it is.”
Quiet on the Set has several allegations against Schneider for cultivating a toxic environment for some of Nickelodeon’s brightest child stars. Most recently, Lori Beth Denberg, also an All That cast member, revealed how Schneider sexually harassed her between the ages of 19 and 21. His behavior included fondling her breasts, putting her breasts in his mouth, showing her a lurid video of a woman with a donkey, and initiating phone sex. She said that at the time, she thought things were okay since she was over 18, but she said she realized later how the power dynamic was a prime situation for grooming.
If you or someone you know is battling suicidal ideation, call the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline by dialing 988.
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