Schneider started his career acting in minor roles in several teen comedy films of the 1980s such as Making the Grade (1984), Better Off Dead (1985), Hot Resort (1985), Happy Together (1989), and The Big Picture (1989).

The Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV (2024) detailed the numerous allegations against him of fostering a toxic workplace environment, which he has partly denied.

[6] He found work repairing computers upon returning to Memphis, but soon moved to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the entertainment industry.

[7][8] In the 1980s, Schneider appeared in minor roles in several films including the teen comedies Making the Grade (1984) starring Judd Nelson, and Better Off Dead (1985) with John Cusack.

[citation needed] Schneider co-hosted the 1988 Kids' Choice Awards, where he met Nickelodeon development executive Albie Hecht.

Schneider has made cameo appearances in TV series that he has helped to create and/or produce: All That, and its subsequent film Good Burger, Kenan & Kel, The Amanda Show, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Henry Danger.

[citation needed] In 1993, Hecht, now head of production for the network, hired Schneider to work on a new sketch-comedy show for children called All That.

Schneider himself often appeared on The Amanda Show as a frustrated old man who was frequently the victim of strange prank phone calls.

While a modest commercial success[14] it received negative reviews from critics [15] with Roger Ebert of Chicago Sun-Times giving the film two stars out of four, writing "It didn't do much for me, but I am prepared to predict that its target audience will have a good time.

He wrote and co-produced the comedy film Big Fat Liar (2002) starring Frankie Muniz, Amanda Bynes, and Paul Giamatti which earned a total of $52.4 million at the worldwide box office.

It starred Justice, Ariana Grande, Elizabeth Gillies, Leon Thomas III, Matt Bennett and Avan Jogia.

[13] After a three-year hiatus, Schneider announced that he had several new projects in development; The New York Times commented that he seemed "set on returning to television and reintroducing his brand of comedy to new audiences".

[30] In August 2022, Insider reported several new allegations from former actors and employees, including accusations of gender discrimination and asking for "massages from adult female colleagues".

[35] Russell Hicks, a former executive at Nickelodeon, denied allegations of "sexualized" scenes in Schneider's shows and claimed that, "everyday on every set, were the parents and caregivers and their friends watching every single frame of footage and listening to every joke.

Discovery (WBD), Sony Pictures Television, and the series' directors, claiming the docuseries defamed him by falsely implying he sexually abused child actors he worked with.

[41] In a statement, Schneider acknowledged "mistakes and poor judgment" exhibited during his time at Nickelodeon, and expressed that reactions to the series left him "no choice but to take legal action against the people behind it.

Alexa Nikolas, who appeared in Zoey 101 for two seasons from 2004 to 2006, has said that, during her time on the show, she did "not feel safe" around Schneider,[43][44] and that he had pressured her to wear revealing clothing and responded to her complaints about the way her costar Jamie Lynn Spears treated her by screaming at her.

[45] Lori Beth Denberg, who appeared in All That from 1994 to 1998, accused Schneider of touching her inappropriately, showing her pornography, and attempting to initiate phone sex with her when she was 19.

[47] They lived in the Encino neighborhood of Los Angeles until 2016,[48] when they purchased a $9 million mansion from heiress Lori Milgard in Hidden Hills, California.