Who is March's Shitbag of the Month?

Our first candidate is Dan Schneider. The disgraced Nickelodeon producer made headlines this month after Investigation Discovery’s docu-series, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, explored the abuse and inappropriate behaviour allegations made against Schneider during his tenure at the network. Schneider has previously denied all allegations, claiming in a 2021 NYT interview that he was never inappropriate with staff. He claimed he would never have such long-term friendships and loyalty from so many reputable people if he’d mistreated actors of any age, especially minors. This sounds like something Harvey Weinstein would’ve said, only coated in the signature Nickelodeon green slime. 

Danielle Monat, who starred in Victorious, claimed she had expressed concerns over  a scene being “too sexual” but Nickelodeon sided with Schneider and did not cut it. She also says female actors would often sit on Schneider’s lap on the Zoey 101 set.  Several actors from All That claim that Schneider was racist toward them, casting them in stereotyped roles and generally treating them with disrespect. iCarly actor Jeanette McCurdy had allegedly called Schneider out in her memoir, claiming that an executive of the show had pressured her to drink alcohol and gave her an unwanted massage. There are plenty more disgusting allegations made against Schneider, who parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018. I am glad victims are finally speaking up, and the network is being exposed for protecting abusers like Schneider and Brian Peck.

Next up we have Diddy. Sean "Puffy" Combs won November's Shitbag of the Month crown and I am sure it won’t be the last we’ll hear of his evil deeds. We last wrote about the lawsuit his ex-girlfriend, Cassie,  accusing the rapper of rape, physical abuse, and trafficking. That suit was settled a day after filing. Since Cassie’s lawsuit, three more women have come forward with their own allegations of assault, two of whom claim they were teenagers at the time of the incidents. He is also facing a slew of other civil lawsuits, all of which have similar claims. On March 25th, Diddy’s homes in LA and Miami were raided by US Homeland Security agents, which usually isn’t a good sign. While he hasn’t formally been charged with anything, he is being investigated for federal sex trafficking. His old buddy Ashton Kutcher (fellow Shitbag nominee) is “expecting a subpoena” in the suit. Let’s hope Diddy finally faces long-overdue repercussions for his horrific behaviour.

Third on the list is Rebel Wilson. The Australian actress has faced backlash after accusing Sacha Baron Cohen of pressuring her to film a nude scene in his 2016 film The Brothers Grimsby. She also claimed he asked her to "stick her finger up his ass" because he thought it would make a funny scene in the film. Wilson, whose memoir Rebel Rising is set to release in April, said her experiences caused her to adopt a “no assholes” policy in deciding who she works with, and she subsequently warned others against working with him. But Baron Cohen slapped back at those claims, calling them demonstrably false and claiming that he has extensive documents, film footage and eyewitness accounts that directly disprove her allegations. Wilson claims that Barron Cohen is bullying her and trying to stop her book from being released. It’s allegedly been pulled from Amazon’s shelves with no updated release date.

Our fourth contestant is Christian Richard. Richard, whose real name is Christian Dumonte. The tech entrepreneur married Selling Sunset star Christina Quinn in December 2019. In May 2021, the pair welcomed their son, Christian. Quinn left Selling Sunset after five seasons and launched her own real estate company with her husband. However, in March of this year, police were called to the couple’s residence for a domestic violence call involving Quinn and the couple’s young son. According to the LAPD, Richard threw a bag containing a glass bottle at Quinn, but missed and accidentally hit and injured their child with the object. Richard was then arrested for and charged with assault with a deadly weapon. Richard was arrested again less than a week later for allegedly violating the protective order placed against him by Quinn. Well, what a nice guy. That will be a fun story to share with their son when he grows up. I wonder who will get custody of their pet tiger in the divorce?

Last up is Oprah. Another past Shitbag contender, Oprah received backlash in March when she resigned from the Weight Watchers board after ten years due to her taking weight loss drug Ozempic to slim down. The host claimed she stepped down to avoid any conflicts of interest. Winfrey wasn’t always transparent about how she lost the weight, though. Originally she claimed it was mostly due to diet and exercise, but anyone with eyes remembers how Winfrey has struggled for years with her weight, and has yo-yo dieted several times. She even once claimed that using a weight-loss drug was “the easy way out,” so it comes as no surprise that people are calling her out for her hypocrisy on the subject. She now claims that obesity is a disease and her new ABC special will attempt to lift the stigma and shame around obesity….all while promoting these new miracle drugs.

Well, Peckers, there you have it. Please cast your votes below!

Sources: InStyle, The Independent, Us Weekly, People, Bloomberg, Jeff Kravitz/FILMMAGIC