I’m a Gen Zer Who Loved ‘Zoey 101’—But I’m Gonna Have to Sit This Reunion Movie Out

Watching Zoey 101 at the time had every Gen Z kid wanting to attend a school like PCA or own the latest Tek-Mate. And I would be lying if I said I wasn’t living for the day when Chase Matthews and Zoey Brooks would *finally* get together.

In the original show, Jamie Lynn Spears (the younger sister of Britney Spears) played Zoey, who transfers to Pacific Coast Academy—formerly an all-boys school—and starts living with two new roommates. During all four seasons, we got to watch Zoey navigate friendships, relationships and just live life as a teenage girl.

Even years after the series ended, I still found myself going back and rewatching the show whenever it came on television. Of course, I lived for the nostalgia. But in many ways, I loved the show more and more with subsequent viewings. So, when I heard that the original cast would be starring in a new reunion movie, a part of me got excited, but then I thought, “Wait, um, what…?”

For one, knowing that Zoey 101 was created by Dan Schneider just says it all. From allegations of inappropriate behavior toward the young female stars in his shows to stories of misconduct on set (and please don’t even get me started on the whole feet situation…), the once-famed Nickelodeon producer has tainted the shows he was a part of.

It would be impossible to forget the devastating stories told by Alexa Nikolas, the young actress who played Nicole in the first two seasons of the show. Just a few years back, Nikolas publicly opened up about working with Schneider and went on to detail alleged verbal abuse she personally faced from the show’s star, Jamie Lynn Spears.

Back in August 2022, the former child actress candidly spoke out against Nickelodeon and even protested outside of the network’s headquarters with a sign, which read: “Nickelodeon didn’t protect me.”