Nickelodeon Zoey 101 star Matthew Underwood says he quit acting after an agent assaulted him

Philip Farone/Getty Images/Nickelodeon/Courtesy Everett Collection

Matthew Underwood, Nickelodeon star Zoe 101shares that he was sexually harassed and assaulted by his former agent.

In a post shared on social media, the former actor revealed that his experience with the agent was what made him quit acting.

“When I was 19, I was sexually harassed and then assaulted by my agent at the time, who spent a significant amount of time building trust with me as a friend and mentor. Once again, my trust was betrayed and my self-image was shattered,” Underwood wrote in a shared statement. . Instagram. “The agency reported him and he has since been fired – although he is still active in the industry. This experience prompted me to move away from Los Angeles and end my pursuit of acting.

Underwood shed light on this situation after the investigation was discovered Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Children's Televisionwhich includes allegations against Dan Schneider, creator Zoe 101. The former actor claims he shared this story after he was called out for being a “pedophile apologist” and defended his co-stars for remaining silent about the docuseries.

“Recently, several people have been blowing up my email saying they hope my mom and I die and burn in hell, calling me an apologist for pedophilia and all that jazz,” he wrote. “I have spent many years rebuilding my self-image, and those hateful words have little impact on me today.”

He continued, “I imagine many friends at work would be harassed just as much if they didn't join the choir, so I'm sharing this in the hopes that some of you can realize that just because a person isn't screaming from the rooftops 'that pedophiles are bad or that people can Being Bad – This does not mean that they do not have their own reasons for staying silent, good reasons, and personal reasons.

Underwood played Logan Reese on the Nickelodeon series during the sitcom's four seasons with co-stars Jamie Lynn Spears, Erin Sanders, Sean Flynn, and Christopher Macy, among others. He reprized the role of Logan in the 2023 sequel film Zoe 102.

“I've never had a bad experience working on a bunch of Nickelodeon shows and I've never had a bad experience with Dan. I don't have anything to add to the conversation that anyone wants to hear,” Underwood added. “I like to think that people have the ability to Being better human beings and Dan seems to realize that he was a jerk in his past. I like to believe that he is fully capable of being creative and a coworker that everyone can enjoy working with. I have no expectation of working with him again, it's just that I want the best for anyone who wants to be better.