Drake Bell Says Supporters Of His Alleged Abuser Now Regret It

One year after publicly sharing his experience of sexual abuse in “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” Drake Bell is opening up about the impact of coming forward and the unexpected reactions he has received.

When “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” debuted in March 2024, Bell exposed the hidden darkness behind his time at Nickelodeon. With raw emotion, he shared his painful experiences, including the devastating abuse he suffered at the hands of former Nickelodeon producer Brian Peckleaving deep and lasting scars.

Now, a year after speaking out, Drake Bell is reflecting on how his life has changed since.

The project features firsthand accounts from former child actors and crew members, exposing issues such as toxic work environments, sexism, and instances of sexual misconduct.

“It’s been a really nice weight lifted,” he told People Magazineon the anniversary of “Quiet on Set”’s premiere. “It’s a roller coaster of emotions. I don’t want to sugarcoat it and make the message, ‘Hey, all you got to do is just tell somebody and get your story out and when you wake up the next day, it’s going to be gone and everything’s going to be fine and you’re going to walk through life without any pain or sorrow or sadness!’ It’s always going to be there, but it’s a lot nicer getting support.”

Peck, who managed Bell, was arrested in 2003 on 11 charges, including sodomy, committing a lewd act on a child aged 14 or 15 by someone at least 10 years older, and oral copulation involving anesthesia or a controlled substance.

Before his sentencing the following year, numerous actors, including Taran KillamAlan Thicke, James Marsden, and “Boy Meets World” stars Will Friedle and Rider Strongsubmitted letters in his support. Since revealing himself as the unnamed child star in the 2004 case, Bell says some of those who had written letters supporting Peck later contacted him with messages similar to “I was completely lied to and bamboozled by this person, and it was a totally different story that was told to me. I would’ve never written that letter. I’m so ashamed.”

“It’s nice to hear those kinds of things,” Bell admitted.

In the docuseries, Bell opened up for the first time about his experience working with Brian Peck, who is not related to his former co-star, Josh Peck.

“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,” he said. “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 sexually 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,” he continued.

After the documentary premiered, Nickelodeon released the following statement:

“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”

Following the release of the docuseries, the former Nickelodeon star has shared his thoughts on how the network has addressed the allegations.

“There’s a very well-tailored response saying, ‘Learning about his trauma,’ because they couldn’t say that they didn’t know about this or what had happened, or anything,” he said on “The Sarah Fraser Show” podcast. “So I think that was a really well-tailored response by probably some big attorney in Hollywood.”

“I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows, they still put our shows on,” he continued. “And I have to pay for my own therapy, I have to figure out what, I mean if there was anything, if there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit the official National Sexual Assault Hotline website to speak with a sexual assault service provider.