Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has revealed why he participated in ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’ and not any other docuseries.
If you watched the new documentary, you know that Bell came forward for the first time, revealing he was the 15-year-old who accused former Nickelodeon voice coach Brian Peck of s-xual abuse. In 2004, Peck went to trial where he pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16, among other charges.
It was not revealed until ‘Quiet On Set’ aired that the victim was Drake Bell.
Drake Bell Comes Forward As Brian Peck’s Victim
MEGA
Bell opened up to viewers about his time on Nickelodeon, admitting that while the shows were a hit, the things that happened behind the scenes scarred him forever — and Brian Peck was a huge reason why.
“You know anytime I had an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house,” Bell said of his time leading up to ‘Drake & Josh’. The more time he spent with Peck, the closer the two became. And that’s when things took a turn.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep, and I woke up to him, I opened my eyes, I woke up, and he was s-xually assaulting me and I froze and in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I had no idea how to get out of the situation,” Bell said in the docuseries.
The Abuse ‘Got Worse And Worse’
MEGA
The abuse “just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse,” leaving him “trapped” with “no way out.” “The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal,” he said.
“I really don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera. Why don’t you do this: Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, and that will answer your question. It was not a one-time thing,” he said as the interviewer sat in silence.
Why Did Drake Bell Decide To Come Forward?
MEGA
Drake Bell revealed that the ‘Quiet On Set’ crew was not the first to approach the actor.
“[Another documentary] requested my involvement, and when I declined, the response I got was unbelievable,” he revealed on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast. “In the email, they said that people like me were the problem, and this is why things aren’t gonna change in the industry because people like you won’t speak out and won’t come forward.”
Adding, “It was just all this shaming of me not wanting to be a part of their documentary. So I’ve always been cautious and on-edge whenever approached to talk about such a sensitive topic.”
But the ‘Quiet On Set’ production crew was different, and he felt a new level of comfort with them, which is why he ultimately decided to appear in the docuseries and come forward for the first time.
“I just felt really comfortable in that interview,” he said of his meeting with the production crew. Bell said he went to rehab before reaching back out to the ‘Quiet On Set’ crew, admitting that while he is “not 100% yet” he wanted “to talk some more” because he was “getting closer to feeling comfortable with finally sharing my story.”
Drake Bell Receives Support From Josh Peck
MEGA
Drake Bell and Josh Peck played teenage stepbrothers, Drake and Josh, from 2004 until 2008 in four seasons of the Nickelodeon series ‘Drake & Josh’. The two have been in contact here and there after parting ways from the network, so when Peck remained silent on Bell’s allegations towards the former voice instructor, he received a ton of backlash.
However, Bell came to Peck’s defense, telling fans that his former co-star had reached out privately.
“I just want to clear something up. I’ve noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh’s TikToks and some of his posts,” Bell said in a video posted to TikTok. “I just want to let you guys know that this is really … processing this and going through this is a really emotional time, and a lot of it is very, very difficult. So not everything is put out to the public.”
The now 37-year-old continued, “But I just want you guys to know that he has reached out to me, and it’s been very sensitive. But he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this. And has been really, really great. So just wanted to let you guys know that and to take it a little easy on him.”