Ariana Grande has said she 'can't believe' the sexual innuendos placed in Nickelodeon scripts she acted out as a teenager.
The actress rose to fame aged 15 on Nickelodeon's Victorious as quirky red-head Cat Valentine, later reprising the role alongside Jeannette McCurdy in the iCarly cross-over and spin-off series, Sam and Cat.
Over recent years, people have been left very uncomfortable after seeing resurfaced clips of Grande.
Viral compilation videos have shown the star, who was aged 16 at the time, speaking directly to the camera as Cat.
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She was acting out non-sensical scenarios, like squeezing juice out of a potato, putting her toes in her mouth, and lying on her back and pouring water on her chest.
Many viewers were left outraged by the clips, claiming that the things Grande was doing sexualized her.
More allegations were uncovered against show creator Dan Schneider when the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV released this March.
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The series featured interviews with cast and crew members who worked with him in the late 90s and early 00s, with people recalling instances of alleged sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior with young cast members. He denies all allegations.
Now, in a new interview with Vanity Fair, Grande said she was shocked by the sexual innuendos found in the old scripts. She explained: “You don’t remember some of it, and then it’s thrown into this compilation in this thing, and you’re like, ‘Wait, that happened? I can’t believe that!’"
She added that 'the most important thing' is focusing on making the working environment 'safer for all performers and artists.'
Grande said: "If you’re going to sign to a major label and your life’s going to change the way that mine did, there should be therapy in the contract. You should have support on the mental side because it’s not normal. Nothing can really prepare you for what comes with this amount of visibility.”
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Schneider denied the allegations made against him in Quiet on Set. In a YouTube video in response to the Discovery series, he went on to insist jokes in the show were written for children only.
Reflecting on his 'past behavior,' however, he added: "I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology."
Nickelodeon previously said that while it 'cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago', it investigates 'all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct'.
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Schneider left Nickelodeon in 2018 after 20 years with the company.
Topics: Ariana Grande, Celebrity
Ellie Kemp