Jerry Trainor is a Nickelodeon actor best known for his recurring roles on Drake and Josh and iCarly — two hit shows created by Dan Schneider. If you’ve been on social media at all recently, then you’ve definitely heard about the controversy surrounding Schneider following the release of HBO’s Quiet on Set docuseries. It’s a four-episode (with episode five coming soon!) mini-series covering the hostile and sometimes inappropriate work environment that Schneider and colleagues created when working on creating some of our favorite TV shows. As it turns out, the former cast members of our favorite Nickelodeon shows do not have great things to say about many adults present on set — except for Trainor.
Most prominently, this docuseries has resurfaced claims of Schneider creating a hostile and boundary-crossing work environment. While these claims have been circulating for several years since Schneider’s abrupt departure from Nickelodeon in 2018, the release of the docuseries has caused fans to take a closer look at behind-the-scenes photos and video clips and to argue that his behavior may have extended beyond professional manner.
Fans have especially pointed to photos and videos of Schneider interacting with young actors who appear to be uncomfortable next to him. The most famous of these is a clip of Schneider casually relaxing in a hot tub with the then 16-year-old Amanda Bynes, the star of the 2000s hit The Amanda Show.
Amidst the distaste for Nickelodeon adults circulating social media right now, however, Jerry Trainor has become a fan favorite. This is because while taking a closer look at behind-the-scenes clips from the iCarly set, fans have spotted Trainor constantly showing up for his younger co-stars. While some videos and images, like the ones above, appear to show Schneider overstepping physical boundaries with the young stars, fans have noticed that in them Trainor appears to attempt to step in and halt these interactions.
In another clip, seen in the compilation video below, Trainor can be heard saying, “Ew! Don’t say that!” in response to Schneider referring to teenage Miranda Cosgrove and Nathan Kress as “cuteness.” Another clip in the video shows Trainor screaming at Schneider to let the actors go home from set one day — this aligns with Schneider’s allegations of bypassing child labor laws for after-hour shootings.
There is also a rumor going around on TikTok that Trainor often stuck around on set even when he had no lines or finished for the day, which fans theorize may have been his way of watching over the kids.
While the narrative of Trainor as a fatherly protector on set is just a theory, the child stars have nothing but great things to say about him. Trainor has since unfollowed Dan Schneider, iCarly, and Nickelodeon on Instagram in another wave of support for the exploited child stars.
It’s definitely refreshing to see a Nickelodeon adult utilizing their power position in a positive light. Rather than taking advantage of his young coworkers, Jerry Trainor seemingly acted as a big brother both on and off camera. Trainor still maintains friendly relationships with the cast today, which speaks volumes about the lasting impact he had on their childhoods as teen actors.
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