Zoey 101 alum Alexa Nikolas says she’s settled her defamation swimsuit in opposition to former NBC Information reporter Kat Tenbarge, who has posted a prolonged apology on social media.
Nikolas sued Tenbarge in September, accusing her of defamation involving the sharing of data about Drake Bell, one other Nickelodeon alum. Nikolas and Bell each participated within the 2024 Quiet on Set docu-series that appeared into poisonous conduct on the set of a number of the greatest kids’s exhibits of the Nineties and 2000s.
“This lawsuit is a couple of propogandist masquerading as a journalist,” the lawsuit learn. Tenbarge “falsely acknowledged that Alexa publicly disclosed sealed courtroom paperwork and police data to assault an underage sufferer claiming sexual abuse. None of this was true. The courtroom paperwork and police data had been public. Nor did Alexa — a well known advocate for survivors of sexual abuse and assault — assault the sufferer. Slightly, Alexa reviewed courtroom paperwork and police data — which introduced the general public narrative surrounding claims of the underage sufferer into doubt.
“To advance this false narrative and procure unfavourable info on Alexa in any respect prices, Tenbarge facilitated Alexa’s stalker’s violation of the restraining order issued in opposition to him. Additional, Tenbarge relied on nameless and different clearly biased sources to advance her false narrative about Alexa. When Alexa offered Tenbarge info demonstrating that the courtroom paperwork and police data in query had been public, Tenbarge ignored that info.
“This lawsuit is to carry Tenbarge accountable for deliberately and knowingly prioritizing the dissemination of false narratives over the reality to advance her public standing.”
Nikolas had beforehand posted in 2024: “Kat lied to everybody. And defamed me. With malicious intent. These paperwork shared privately to her through a Gdrive when questioned by her weren’t SEALED. I despatched them to point out her that they weren’t sealed. They’re public redacted data.”
Nikolas had been asking for compensatory damages of not less than $150,000 together with punitive damages and the price of her attorneys’ charges.
On Saturday, Nikolas posted that the events have settled.
“Kat Tenbarge and I’ve settled,” she wrote on X. “Right here is her written apology. The reality all the time prevails. I might be making a video within the upcoming days.”
Nikolas linked to Tenbarge’s personal X publish, through which the latter issued a prolonged apology alongside along with her model of what she did unsuitable. It’s unclear if the general public apology is a part of the settlement.
“On March 9, 2024, days earlier than Quiet on Set aired, collection producer and Enterprise Insider journalist Kate Taylor despatched Nikolas quite a lot of redacted Ohio courtroom and police data regarding her fellow documentary participant Drake Bell,” Tenbarge wrote. “Taylor obtained these paperwork through a data request. The paperwork weren’t obtained from Bell or his attorneys. Over a month later, Nikolas shared these paperwork with me as a part of her response to a collection of questions I despatched her for a proposed article, which was by no means revealed. In response to these questions, Nikolas offered me with the redacted Ohio courtroom and police data regarding Mr. Bell. Finally, in September 2024, I responded to posts and a livestream Nikolas made on X and YouTube about me and this proposed article with a collection of feedback of my very own. In these feedback, I erroneously acknowledged that the Bell paperwork Nikolas shared with me had been sealed data and launched private figuring out info on the sufferer. Nevertheless, these paperwork are usually not sealed and didn’t include private figuring out info on the sufferer. They’re public data and all private figuring out info was redacted. I remorse this error and am dedicated to exercising higher warning sooner or later. Since making these feedback on-line, I’ve discovered the true nature of those paperwork and the way Nikolas obtained them.”
Tenbarge wrote that she “perceive[s] that my feedback brought about Nikolas misery and will have impacted her status.”
She added that “third events, together with my pal Adam McIntyre and Ophie Dokie,” have included this false info in movies of their very own and known as for any such movies to be remvoed.
“I apologize to Alexa for any hurt my feedback brought about her,” she wrote.
As well as, Tenbarge backtracked earlier questioning of Nikolas about her group Eat Predators, geared toward ending the “cover-up of sexual abuse and predatory conduct throughout the music and leisure trade,” in line with its web site. Tenbarge had requested Nikolas, founding father of the group, about “conflicts concerning this group.”
“I now perceive that Alexa was solely accountable for the creation of Eat Predators and that she didn’t co-opt different members’ concepts,” Tenbarge wrote. “She didn’t symbolize the group solely as an envoy, however slightly led the group. … Conflicts that broke out afterward weren’t began by Alexa, however slightly by different people. Notably, there was by no means any proof Alexa defrauded members of Eat Predators, together with via the group’s Patreon account.”
She added that she had used info posted by X accounts known as “Exposing Wealthy” and “Abuse of Energy” that made”numerous false, unsubstantiated, and unverified feedback about Alexa and Eat Predators.” She admitted that she had not vetted or verified these claims in opposition to Nikolas and that they had been additionally “biased in opposition to Alexa”.
“I remorse any interactions I had with these accounts or any misplaced belief in content material they posted or in any other case engaged with,” she wrote. “To depend on or have interaction with these accounts causes real-world hurt, and for that I apologize, too. I’ll train higher judgment almost about partaking with and trusting nameless accounts sooner or later.”
Tenbarge additionally apologized for a line of questioning a couple of retraining order Nikolas took out in opposition to a stalker, particularly some allegations the person made in opposition to Nikolas. “I acknowledge that these questions had been dangerous to Alexa’s wellbeing and I apologize for asking them,” she wrote.
Tenbarge ended with a listing of issues she promised to do a greater job with sooner or later because it pertains to her job.
“I remorse another lapses in judgment which will have occurred all through this course of and can do higher shifting ahead,” she wrote. “I’ll independently confirm claims made by nameless accounts, method sources’ biases with higher sensitivity, and train skepticism round these kinds of sources. I will even train considerably higher warning when partaking with biased sources or individuals who have been proven to victimize others.”
Tenbarge was laid off from her job as a tech and tradition reporter at NBC Information in February 2025 after three years on the information outlet. She went on to launch her personal e-newsletter, Spitfire Information, which focuses on “web tradition, politics and media,” in line with its BlueSky account.
