Drake Bell revealed he feels he finally feels ‘free’ after coming forward as a victim of ‘unspeakable’ childhood sexual abuse at the hands of former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
While reflecting on breaking his silence over his trauma in Investigation Discovery’s new series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the 37-year-old former child star explained how speaking up about his experience has helped him heal.
‘The more that I’m able to talk about it, and the more that I’m able to articulate my thoughts just for myself, in my own mind, there is a big weight that feels has been lifted and is freeing,’ he said on an upcoming episode of The Man Enough podcast, obtained by People.
Additionally, he acknowledged any public scrutiny that he’s face has been ‘nothing compared to how’ he’s ‘felt in the past.’
Drake Bell revealed he feels he finally feels ‘free’ after coming forward as a victim of ‘unspeakable’ childhood sexual abuse at the hands of former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck
The father-of-one also stated that sharing his story prompted him to seek professional help in ‘rehab’ for issues with ‘self-medicating.’
‘[I] was not recognizing myself,’ Bell explained, before noting that his actions were ‘just so out of character.’
Ultimately, the actor says he realized that he could ‘go down this path and that’d be the end of my story’ or ‘fight for what is important to’ him.
This led him to fight for his family, relationships and ‘peace.’
While appearing on Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, Bell described Peck’s abuse of him, which reportedly began when he was 15 and working on The Amanda Show, as ‘the worst stuff somebody could do to a person.’
He explained that his father had hired Peck, now 63, who was a dialogue coach at Nickelodeon, to coach his young son after his career began to take off.
But immediately, he said the coach started integrating himself into his life beyond just helping him on set – attending the then-aspiring singer’s concerts and hosting his birthday parties.
He claimed the sexual abuse began during a casting trip that he was on with Brian at age 15, and only got ‘worse and worse and worse’ after that.
While reflecting on breaking his silence over his trauma in Investigation Discovery’s new series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the 37-year-old former child star (R) explained how speaking up about his experience has helped him heal; seen in 2006
‘The more that I’m able to talk about it, and the more that I’m able to articulate my thoughts just for myself, in my own mind, there is a big weight that feels has been lifted and is freeing,’ he said on an upcoming episode of The Man Enough podcast, obtained by People; seen in 2017
He described it as ‘extensive,’ and recalled feeling ‘trapped’ – admitting that he now ‘often looks back at that time and wonders how in the world he survived.’
‘Brian and I became really close because we had a lot of the same interests, which looking back I think was probably a little calculated,’ he shared.
Drake’s father, Joe, told viewers that he felt like something was amiss pretty early on, but that Brian drove a wedge between him and his son.
‘I was always within eye distance of them… I was very attentive,’ Joe said.
‘Unfortunately, I started seeing Brian start to just hang around Drake too much and it didn’t sit well with me.’
Joe said that Brian would walk into Drake’s dressing room and ‘put his arm around his waist, put his hand up on his shoulder, or kind of run it down his arm.’
‘This would happen routinely,’ he added.
While at first Drake just thought Brian was ‘his friend,’ he said ‘everything changed’ one day during a casting trip.
Drake, who was 15 years old at the time, explained that he was sleeping on a couch when he suddenly awoke to Brian ‘sexually assaulting him.’
‘I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react,’ he recalled in the doc.
The father-of-one also stated that sharing his story prompted him to seek professional help in ‘rehab’ for issues with ‘self-medicating’ (seen in 2019)
‘I was just trapped and I had no way out,’ shared the former Drake & Josh star. ‘The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal.
‘I really don’t know how to elaborate about that on camera. Think of the worst stuff that someone can do to somebody as a sexual assault and that will answer your question. I don’t know how else to put it.’
Drake was a supporting actor on The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002, and Brian worked with the actors during that period.
The actor went on to become a major star after he appeared in Drake & Josh from 2004 until 2007.
In August of 2003, the vocal coach was arrested and charged with nearly a dozen counts related allegations that he had sexually abused a then-unnamed minor.
He eventually pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old and to oral copulation with a minor under 16.
He received a 16-month prison sentence after his conviction, and in October 2004, he was ordered to register as a sex offender.
Bell rose to fame on Drake & Josh from 2004 to 2007 (seen above on the hit Nickelodeon series)
In 2015, however, DailyMail.com revealed that Brian was still working on Disney show and a high school–set horror film – despite his conviction.
He was only prohibited from direct contact with children, which allowed him to still be hired in other capacities, even on projects significantly featuring children and teens.
It’s unclear if the people hiring Brian knew that he was a convicted sex offender, though his IMDb page lists his criminal conviction.
He has continued to have minor acting credits and worked as a dialogue coach throughout the 2000s and 2010s. His last credited acting appearance was in 2018, according to IMDb.