One year ago, Investigation Discovery released Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, a five-part docuseries about behind-the-scenes indiscretions in the realm of children’s programming. At the center of the show (which is available to stream with a Max subscription) was the workplace atmosphere at Nickelodeon during the tenure of former producer Dan Schneider. As part of the production, Drake Bell was interviewed and revealed he’d been sexually abused years ago. Now, he’s opening up about life post-QoS.
Drake Bell revealed in the doc that while working at Nick, he was sexually abused by former dialogue coach Brian Peck. In 2003, Peck – who worked on a variety of kid-centric shows in the early aughts – was arrested and formally charged with 11 counts of lewd conduct with a minor. He was eventually found guilty on two counts and was subsequently ordered to serve 16 months in prison and register as a sex offender. At the time, Bell’s identity as one of the minors involved in the case was not divulged.
Shortly after the doc aired, the Amanda Show alum has been incredibly candid about his experiences and state of mind. With a year now having passed since the widely discussed show debuted, the former child star doesn’t seem to have any regrets. The 38-year-old actor shared his feelings while speaking with People, to whom he said he’d now been relieved of a burden:
It’s been a really nice weight lifted. 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.
Various people responded after the actor shared his story on the show, with Dan Schneider being one of them. While sharing his reaction to the doc, Schneider claimed he reached out to the Drake & Josh star, around the time of the trial, to offer support. Recounting the incident, the iCarly creator said he was “more devastated by that than anything that ever happened to [him] in my career thus far.” As for the doc itself, Schneider was critical of it, and eventually filed suit against the producers on the grounds of alleged defamation.
After the series dropped, Drake Bell discussed other aspects of the abuse he faced. That included reading the letters of support Brian Peck received amid the trial. Several notable stars wrote in on Peck’s behalf, such as James Marsden, Rider Strong, Taran Killam and the late Alan Thicke. Bell later heard from Strong and Will Friedle, who also wrote a letter and said they had a “really sweet” chat. The Nick alum still appreciates those sentiments and the fact that others are now sharing their stories own experiences with him:
It’s really great to have experiences now where, instead of walking through the airport and having people come up and ask for a selfie, they’re coming up and sharing their stories and saying, ‘I watched your documentary and after your interview, I opened up to my husband. It’s something I’ve never told anybody.’ I didn’t expect to have for the piece to have that kind of impact on people.
While the former teen idol does find it somewhat strange that “everybody knows” about his past now, he appreciates that many are also reappraising a lot of his past work. As for his acting career, Drake Bell also said he’d reteam with Josh Peck for another project if given the opportunity. It’s evident that it wasn’t easy for Bell to open up about the abuse, but it’s comforting to see that he’s found positivity on the other side of it.
