“Zoey 101” star Matthew Underwood accuses agent of sexually harassing him when he was 19

Matthew Underwood says he was the victim of sexual harassment and assault by a former agent at the height of his fame.

The “Zoey 101” actor made the disturbing allegation in a note posted to Instagram on Saturday. His statement came in response to the Investigation Discovery documentary series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which takes an in-depth look at numerous allegations of toxicity at Nickelodeon in the late ’90s and 2000s.

“When I was 19, I was sexually harassed and then assaulted by my then agent, who had spent a lot of time building trust with me as a friend and mentor,” wrote Underwood, now 33. “I reported him to the agency and he has since been fired – although he is still active in the industry. This experience caused me to move away from LA and ended my career as an actor.”

Although Underwood did not name his abuser, he said he felt compelled to speak out after being branded a “pedophile defender” following the release of “Quiet on Set.” The film also contains allegations of abuse against “Zoey 101” creator Dan Schneider and other crew members.

“I share this in the hope that some of you can realize that just because someone isn’t shouting from the rooftops that pedophiles are bad or that people can be caustic, doesn’t necessarily mean they have their own reasons for staying silent – good reasons, personal reasons,” he wrote. “I have great compassion for anyone who has been taken advantage of by people they trusted.”

“Zoey 101,” which ran on Nickelodeon from 2005 to 2008, followed the life of Zoey Brooks (played by Jamie Lynn Spears), who enrolls in a prestigious Californian boarding school that was previously only for boys. Underwood played Logan Reese, the son of a film and television producer who becomes the boyfriend of Zoey’s sidekick Quinn Pensky (Erin Sanders).

As Underwood indicated in his note, his acting credits became scarce after the end of “Zoey 101.” However, he reprised the role of Logan in the sequel film “Zoey 102,” which was released on Paramount+ last year.

In the caption to his note, Underwood clarified that his claims do not refer to his current agents, Lauren Green and Sam Hampton of Modern Artists Entertainment, whom he described as “incredible people who are sincere, genuine and smart professionals.”

Regarding the allegations against Schneider, Underwood stated: “I have never had a bad experience working on the set of a Nickelodeon show and I have never had a bad experience with Dan. I have nothing to add to the conversation that anyone would like to hear.”

“I like to believe that people have the ability to be better people, and Dan seems to recognize that he’s been an asshole in his past,” he continued. “I like to believe that he’s perfectly capable of being a creator and a colleague that everyone enjoys working with.”

Need help? Visit RAINN’s National online hotline for sexual assault cases or the National Sexual Violence Resource Center website.

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