‘Degrassi’ co-creator settles lawsuit over TV series documentary screening at TIFF

Degrassi creators Linda Schuyler, left, and Stephen Stohn, right, pose with their star at Canada's Walk of Fame's 25th Anniversary gala in Toronto, on Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Arlyn McAdorey

“Degrassi” co-creator Linda Schuyler says she has settled a lawsuit seeking to halt the premiere of “Degrassi: Whatever It Takes” at the Toronto International Film Festival.

A joint statement with the documentary’s producers says Saturday’s world premiere will move forward as planned, as will other screenings.

The announcement comes after Schuyler filed a lawsuit Monday alleging that “defamatory statements and innuendo” in the film lead viewers to believe she created an “empire” that profited at the expense of the show’s young actors.

The documentary quotes cast members from the show’s early years who say they were not paid much, with one estimating it amounted to $50 a day.

Schuyler disputed these claims in her lawsuit, and noted in a statement that Degrassi’s producers created and contributed to a retirement fund and a scholarship foundation for the cast.

As part of the settlement, producers of the documentary say they have agreed to add “some additional context around the compensation paid to the performers” after the film screens at TIFF.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 10, 2025.