In the wake of the explosive Quiet on Set docuseries, former Nickelodeon star Matthew Underwood has bravely shared his own experiences with sexual harassment and assault within the entertainment industry.
Underwood, who played Logan Reese on Zoey 101 from 2005-2008, revealed in an emotional Instagram statement that he was sexually assaulted by his agent at age 19 after being groomed and betrayed.
“My trust was betrayed and my self-image was crushed,” the 31-year-old actor wrote. “I reported him to the agency and he has since been fired – although he is still active in the industry.”
Matthew Underwood says this traumatic experience caused him to leave Los Angeles and ultimately abandon his pursuit of acting. Tragically, it wasn’t his first such violation, as he also disclosed being molested at age 12 by his best friend’s stepfather.
The star says he initially chose to remain silent about the allegations in the Quiet on Set docuseries examining the “toxic” work environment at Nickelodeon. However, he decided to speak out after receiving intense public backlash and accusations of being a “pedophile defender.”
In his statement, Underwood expressed understanding that friends may have faced similar harassment for not immediately condemning figures like Dan Schneider, the creator of Zoey 101 who has been accused of abusive behavior on set.
While making clear he never personally experienced misconduct from Schneider, Matthew Underwood said he hopes the disgraced producer can become “a better human” and treat people with more respect going forward.
The actor later attempted to clarify those comments after facing more criticism, explaining on Reddit that he wishes for a world where people can be “positively reinforced” to improve themselves, but certainly not enabled to continue harming others, especially children.