Matthew Underwood is the most recent victim of internet hate. His first appearance in a film was at 9 years old when he voiced several additional characters in Studio Ghibli’s 1999 animated movie My Neighbors the Yamadas.
Underwood has most famously played the role of rich and popular teenager Logan Reese in the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101. He has recently come forward to speak up about being an assault victim which eventually led to him leaving acting altogether.
Matthew Underwood on Why He Left Acting
In the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, allegations about the Nickelodeon creator Dan Schneider, who also created Zoey 101, are made. Numerous actors including Drake & Josh star Drake Bell appear in the series. Bell candidly spoke up about being s*xually abused by former actor, dialogue coach, director, and producer Brian Peck.
After discovering the startling revelations of the former child actors, the viewers have taken it upon themselves to call out some other former Nickelodeon stars who have not expressed their support for the victims. One of those actors is Matthew Underwood, who has finally put forth his side of the story.
In a recent statement released on his Instagram account, Underwood admitted that he was “groomed and molested” by his best friends’ stepfather when he was younger and then shed light on the reason he left Hollywood. He wrote:
“When I was 19, I was s*xually harassed and then assaulted by my agent at the time, who had spent a decent amount of time building trust with me as a friend and mentor.”
The actor also revealed that the agent who assaulted him is still “active in the industry” although he was fired from the agency after Underwood reported him. This led to the actor’s move from Los Angeles and subsequent divergence from acting.
Matthew Underwood was Indirectly Forced to Speak Up About His Abuse
The actors who appeared in the Quiet on Set docuseries showed a lot of bravery by coming forward to speak about their experience in the industry. However, these actors chose to do so, unlike Underwood, who had to release a statement about his abuse because many people have been labeling him as a “pedophile defender” due to his silence on the docuseries.
The actor went on to further clarify the situation as he wrote in the statement (via Instagram):
“I’m sharing this with hope that some of you can recognize that just because a person doesn’t shout from the rooftops that pedophiles are bad or that people can suck — that does not mean they don’t have their own reasons for staying silent, good reasons, personal reasons.”
Underwood wrote that he did not have a bad experience on the sets of Zoey 101. This, however, does not mean that he supports Dan Schneider. Even so, he believes that Schneider can become a better person. He also requested fans to stop sending death threats to his family, and not harass the actors who wish to remain private.
