‘Zoey 101’ Star Alexa Nikolas Claims Dan Schneider Paid to Take Pictures of Kids’ Feet

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Former Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas, who played Nicole on the hit show, is continuing to speak out against Nickelodeon and multi-show creator Dan Schneider after claiming at a protest earlier this year that she “did not feel protected” at the network at that Schneider allegedly played a “huge role” in her “personal childhood trauma.”

While speaking on Christy Carlson Romano’s podcast VulnerableNikolas added fuel to those long-held foot fetish rumors regarding Schneider, her former boss. She claims that he had a digital camera and “would go around with money and ask to take photos of the kids’ feet,” before clarifying, “Their toes.”

She said she remembers thinking it was “weird” and “silly” as a mere 12-year-old but noted that her mother would always say, “Don’t go over there.” She added, “My mom actually said no to it. But I saw other parents allowing their kids to do it.”

In a 2021 interview with The New York Times — three years after parting ways with Nickelodeon — Schneider called the foot fetish rumors, which began when social media users compiled clips from his shows and personal videos, “ridiculous” and said, “the comedy was totally innocent.”

Nikolas also alleged that she had been “abused by Dan Schneider in an exec room” after Britney Spears, who she says has since apologized, screamed at her in a trailer. The actress has been open about the supposed bullying she suffered at the hands of Jamie Lynn Spears during their time on Zoey 101, even noting that Britney’s “unhinged” rant caused her to throw up. Nikolas claims that when she took the problem to Schneider, he asked, “Do you understand that it’s called Zoey 101, not Nicole 101?” and told her “No one likes you.”

Prior to splitting from the network in 2018, Schneider was investigated by parent company ViacomCBS, who reportedly found no evidence of sexual misconduct, however, did find allegations that he could be verbally abusive at times.