Warning: This article contains discussions of sexual abuse and rape that some readers may find distressing.
Drake Bell has opened up about his experience of abuse with his former co-star Josh Peck, revealing heart-wrenching details for the first time.
When “Drake & Josh” premiered on Nickelodeon in 2004, it quickly became a beloved part of the network’s lineup.
This success catapulted the show’s stars, Drake Bell and Josh Peck, who portrayed stepbrothers with contrasting personalities, into the limelight.
However, during his tenure at Nickelodeon, Bell was sexually abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck, who worked on shows such as “All That” and “The Amanda Show.” It is important to note that Brian Peck is not related to actor Josh Peck.
Drake Bell, now 38, first disclosed this painful chapter of his life in the documentary series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” which aired last year on Investigation Discovery.
In a recent appearance on Josh Peck’s podcast “Good Guys,” Bell discussed the abuse and his emotional state during that period.
Back in August 2003, Brian Peck faced arrest on 11 charges related to the sexual abuse of an unnamed child.
In May 2004, he pleaded no contest to charges of performing a lewd act with a teenager aged 14 or 15 and oral copulation with a minor under 16.
Brian Peck received a 16-month prison sentence and, in October 2004, was required to register as a sex offender. The victim’s identity was not made public at that time.
During the podcast, Bell shared that he felt comfortable on set with his fellow stars, but the arrest of Peck brought a ‘monster’ into his ‘safe place.’ Bell also mentioned that the investigation was ongoing while they were filming the pilot for the iconic show.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JkS8sBJn9oA
He explained, “The big break between Drake and Josh and The Amanda Show is when I told my mum what was going on and we went to the police and the investigation, everything you saw in the documentary, that was when that was going on.
“Then when we shot the pilot, we were in the middle of the investigation but nobody knew anything because Brian hadn’t been arrested.
“I had to come back from… where the dude was, where the abuse was happening, worst part about it being… having the monster in your safe place. That was the only place I really felt comfortable when we got to set and hang out with you guys.”
The stress of the situation took a physical toll on Bell, leading to hair loss and the development of ‘scabs’ on his head.
He continued, “When this drops is Josh going to look at me and be like ‘ bro you took our dream away, you took my dream away’.
“I was thinking are we going to lose our show?
“Dude I was losing my hair, I had these giant scabs on my head, I went to the doctor and he was checking me and he said ‘everything is normal but how is your stress lately?’
“I told him ‘it is actually really high’ and he went ‘well, this is what this is, all of this is from stress.’”
Peck and Bell plan to continue their discussion in a follow-up video that will also be available on YouTube.
If you have been affected by these issues or wish to speak to someone confidentially regarding child welfare, the Childhelp USA National Child Abuse Hotline (1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453)) operates 24/7 and takes calls from the United States, Canada, US Virgin Islands, Guam, and Puerto Rico.