“Zoey 101” actor Matthew Underwood claims he was sexually harassed and assaulted by his former agent when he was only 19 years old.
After fans criticized the former Nickelodeon star for staying quiet following the release of the explosive “Quiet on Set” documentary, he took to Instagram to share why he chose not to speak out about the alleged claims made against employees of the network.
“When I was 19, I was sexually 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. Again, my trust was betrayed and my self image was crushed,” he wrote on Instagram on Friday.
“I reported him to the agency and he has since been fired — although he is still active in the industry. This experience provoked my move away from LA and ending my pursuit of acting.”
Underwood, 33, said he shared his story because he has been getting negative emails, calling him a “pedophile defender” after he didn’t speak out after several former child stars made alarming allegations about “Zoey 101” creator Dan Schneider and former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
“I imagine many of my friends in the business are being equally harassed if they aren’t joining in the chorus,” the “Zoey 102” star wrote.
“So 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 — who also revealed that he was allegedly “groomed and molested” by his best friend’s stepfather when he 12 — said he “never had a bad…
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