Alexa Nikolas is an activist and actress known for her role in the Nickelodeon series Zoey 101 and her appearance in the documentary series Quiet on Set. On March 9, 2024, days before Quiet on Set aired, series producer and Business Insider journalist Kate Taylor sent Nikolas a number of redacted Ohio court and police records concerning her fellow documentary participant Drake Bell. Taylor obtained these documents via a records request. The documents were not obtained
from Bell or his attorneys.

Over a month later, Nikolas shared these documents with me as part of her response to a series of questions I sent her for a proposed article, which was never published. In response to those questions, Nikolas provided me with the redacted Ohio court and police records concerning Mr. Bell. Eventually, in September 2024, I responded to posts and a livestream Nikolas made on X and YouTube about me and this proposed article with a series of comments of my own.

In these comments, I erroneously stated that the Bell documents Nikolas shared with me were sealed records and released personal identifying information on the victim. However, these documents are not sealed and did not contain personal identifying information on the victim. They are public records and all personal identifying information was redacted. I regret this error and am committed to exercising greater caution in the future.

Since making these comments online, I have learned the true nature of these documents and how Nikolas obtained them. I understand that my comments caused Nikolas distress and may have impacted her reputation. I also understand that my comments were included in videos created by third parties, including my friend Adam McIntyre and Ophie Dokie. I do not stand by these comments or any third-party content relying on these comments as evidence of Nikolas sending me sealed documents. Any videos restating the claims in these comments should be removed. I apologize to Alexa for any harm my comments caused her.

As part of her activism, Alexa started a group called Eat Predators. In my reporting process, I asked Alexa questions about conflicts regarding this group. I now understand that Alexa was solely responsible for the creation of Eat Predators and that she did not co-opt other members’ ideas. She did not represent the group solely as an ambassador, but rather led the group.

People voluntarily joined Eat Predators, and some members later left the group for various reasons. Some people left because they wanted to monetize Eat Predators or otherwise gain something to the detriment of Eat Predators. Conflicts that broke out afterward were not started by Alexa, but rather by other individuals. Notably, there was never any evidence Alexa defrauded members of Eat Predators, including through the group’s Patreon account.

In the process of learning about these conflicts, I encountered information posted by accounts on X called “Exposing Rich” and “Abuse of Power.” These accounts made various false, unsubstantiated, and unverified comments about Alexa and Eat Predators. They were clearly biased against Alexa. I did not independently verify or vet their claims. Furthermore, “Abuse of Power” engaged in behavior like cyberharassment, cyberstalking, and nonconsensual intimate image sharing. I expressly denounce such content. I regret any interactions I had with these accounts or any misplaced trust in content they posted or otherwise engaged with. To rely on or engage with these accounts causes real-world harm, and for that I apologize, too. I will exercise greater judgment with regards to engaging with and trusting anonymous accounts in the future.

Finally, Alexa has taken out and renewed a restraining order against an individual she has accused of stalking, on behalf of herself and her young child. To do so, Alexa compiled extensive documentation. As part of my reporting, I asked Alexa about allegations this individual has made against her in response. I recognize that these questions were harmful to Alexa’s wellbeing and I apologize for asking them.

I regret any other lapses in judgment that may have occurred throughout this process and will do better moving forward. I will independently verify claims made by anonymous accounts, approach sources’ biases with greater sensitivity, and exercise skepticism around these types of sources. I will also exercise significantly greater caution when engaging with biased sources or people who have been shown to victimize others.