Oct 17, 2017

UPDATED: Nickelodeon Suspends "Loud House" Creator Chris Savino for Harassment Allegations (Exclusive Report)

Chris Savino, creator of Nickelodeon's hit series "The Loud House," was placed on immediate administrative leave last week, Cartoon Brew has learned exclusively.

The leave of absence follows widespread allegations of sexual harassment against the 46-year-old animation industry veteran by Nickelodeon employees.

According to studio officials, as many as 12 women have accused Savino of inappropriate behavior, ranging from unwanted sexual advances to threats of being blacklisted in the industry after a consensual relationship with a co-worker ended.

Rumors of Savino's behavior date back at least a decade and have haunted several productions he has worked on over the years.

Nickelodeon has not confirmed that Savino is not currently at the studio. A Nickelodeon spokesperson told Cartoon Brew:

"Viacom is committed to employee safety and well-being and to fostering a harassment-free workplace. As a matter of policy, we do not comment on specific employees, but we take all allegations of this nature seriously, investigate them thoroughly, and take any necessary action as a result."

It is not known how Savino's absence from the show will affect other staff members or the production of the series about the adventures of Lincoln Laud, a boy growing up in a home with ten sisters.

The series has been a big ratings hit for the network. Loud House is comparable to Nick's ratings hit SpongeBob. Last December, Nick reported that "Loud House" was the #2 series in the 2-11 demo category, averaging 950,000 viewers per episode, just shy of Sponge Bob's average of 984,000.

If you would like to share further details about this situation, you can send a message to amid [at] cartoonbrew [dot] com. Please do not send requests for anonymity.

Update #4 (Fri, 11:45 am CST): one of Chris Savino's accusers told Cartoon Brew the details of his sexual harassment. The disturbing details include being offered work in exchange for sexual favors and explicit text messages. The artist told Cartoon Brew that he was unable to accept the offer of a job at Nickelodeon because he was in the studio.

Update #3 (thurs, 4:50pm pst): Nickelodeon has confirmed that Chris Savino has been fired from the company and is no longer involved in the production of The Loud House.

Update #2 (wed, 5pm pst): Ann Walker Farrell, currently director of Netflix's "Bojack Horseman," sued predatory figures in the animation world last August. After the Cartoon Blue article was published yesterday, she confirmed in a series of tweets that it was Chris Savino who harassed her when she first joined Cartoon Network 15 years ago. With her permission, Cartoon Brew reproduces some of her tweets below:

CHOMP pic.twitter.com/kwuIHJFQOp

- Anne Walker Farrell (@lemurmcfemur) October 18 2017

Beat him, @Nickelodeon. Grandma has been waiting for this day for a long time. #metoo

- Anne Walker Farrell (@lemurmcfemur) October 18, 2017

I regret not speaking up sooner. Lesson learned. Raise your voice and pay attention to the young kids out there. <3 Never again.

- Anne Walker Farrell (@lemurmcfemur) October 18, 2017

It's me, hi. It's been 15 years now. I talked a little about it in an earlier thread, but apparently the man's ways haven't changed.

- Anne Walker Farrell (@lemurmcfemur) October 18, 2017

What a night. I've been holding on to this story too long. Tiny animation bbs, I'm watching. Let's take care of each other. <3

- Anne Walker Farrell (@lemurmcfemur) October 18, 2017

Walker Farrell represents a new person to accuse Savino, in addition to the 12 women reported in the original article. She is the first woman to go public with her accusations. The other women who appeared in the initial report have been asked not to speak to the press because they are part of an ongoing personnel investigation at Nickelodeon.

Walker Farrell also commented to Cartoon Brew that I don't care if you like Loud House, but what angers me is Savino's prolonged plundering. I hope Nickelodeon's HR department and the entire animation community can come together to put an end to this.

UPDATE: An artist who wishes to remain anonymous spoke with Cartoon Brew about a previous incident involving Savino at Nickelodeon:

This happened about 4 years ago. Chris (Savino) was working in the development program at Nickelodeon. There was a project that a woman close to me was developing under his supervision. He obtained her personal contact information under the guise of "helping her develop the project after hours." He posed as if he was a mentor. He then proceeded to send her numerous unsolicited e-mails of a lewd and sexual nature. When she refused his advances, he let go of her development project. He is a classic case of a predatory man who uses his position and power for his female subordinates. Like most victims, she was concerned about how her outburst against him would affect her career, and no action was taken.