Nikolas said Schneider could be volatile and described the on-set environment as "traumatizing." Once, Britney Spears intervened in the contentious relationship between Nikolas and Jamie Lynn Spears. Nikolas said the pop star screamed at and berated her, leaving her sobbing in the fetal position. Schneider set up a meeting to discuss the situation. Nikolas remembers being summoned into a large conference room with Nickelodeon executives, alone. Nikolas, who was 13 at the time, said Schneider started yelling at her, telling her it was "not called 'Nicole 101'; it's called 'Zoey 101.'" She recalled silently crying, as executives nodded along to Schneider's tirade. (Nikolas' mother, Alexandra Nikolas, corroborated the incident to Insider.)

Afterward, Nikolas told her mother she wanted to quit "Zoey 101." Her mother demanded that Nickelodeon release Nikolas from her contract, and less than a week later, she was off the show.

"I was so happy to get out of there," Nikolas said. "It was the best day of my fucking life."