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Drake Bell was at one time one of Nickelodeon’s biggest stars, starring in shows like Drake and Josh and Amanda’s show. But the former child star, now 37, was allegedly being sexually abused by a notorious network employee amid her rise to fame, a revelation she is about to share for the first time in an upcoming series. documentary film.
In the four parts Silence on the set: The dark side of children’s televisionBell will speak for the first time about “the story of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Brian Peck, her former speech coach,” according to a press release shared with Variety. An accompanying sneak peek shows Bell taking a seat after another interviewee speculates about who Peck might have “hurt,” though the clip ends before Bell can speak.
Peck, a Nickelodeon speech coach, was arrested in 2003 and convicted of child abuse the following year, pleading no contest to committing a lewd act on a child and oral copulation with a minor under 16. He spent 16 months behind bars and was forced to register as a sex offender. His victim was never publicly identified.
The press release says Bell was the victim in the case, alleging that Peck “was convicted in 2004 for his crimes against Drake.”
Amanda’s show, the comedy series in which Bell appeared in all 46 episodes, a record tied only by co-star Amanda Bynes, ended in 2002, before Peck’s arrest. The pilot episode of Drake and Josha spin-off series created by network heavyweight Dan Schneider, It aired in January 2004, cementing Bell’s status as a household name. It worked until 2007.
The story Bell is expected to share will come just weeks after the former The boy knows the world Stars Danielle Fishel, Rider Strong and Will Friedle reflected on their history with Peck in their recap podcast. The capsule meets the world. The trio was joined by a family therapist for the episode, after Strong and Friedle were contacted by Silence on setThe producers, to discuss how Peck had groomed and manipulated them.
“This guy had ingratiated himself so much into my life that I took him to three shows later. The boy knows the world”Friedle said. “The person he introduced was a cool, fun guy who was really good at his job and you wanted to hang out with. “She saw him every day, she went out with him every day, she talked to him every day.” Strong shared similar memories of hanging out with Peck “all the time.”
Both Strong and Friedle supported Peck after his arrest, writing letters of support to a judge and appearing at his sentencing hearing. “There’s a real victim here, and (Peck) turned us against the victim to where we’re now on his team,” Friedle said.
Bell’s life after Nickelodeon has been troubled, marked by arrests and accusations of substance abuse. In 2021, he was arrested on charges of child endangerment, accused of sending sexually explicit text messages to a teenage girl several years earlier, when he was 31 years old. Bell accepted a plea deal that sentenced him to two years of probation, without the requirement to register as a sex offender. At her sentencing, her victim accused Bell of grooming and assaulting her.
“The pain that the defendant has caused me is indescribable and it gets worse every day,” he said. saying. “Being used by someone who meant a lot to me has made me feel more hurt than ever. Now I am 19 years old. “My life has not been the same since I was 15. I think about these crimes every day.”
Bell apologized for his conduct in his own statement at the hearing. “I’m sorry the victim suffered any harm, but that was obviously not my intention. “I have taken this matter very, very seriously,” he stated. “And again, I just want to apologize to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions.”
Silence on the set: The dark side of children’s television will air on Investigation Discovery on March 17 and 18. The series is expected to delve into the toxic work environments and alleged abuses that were allowed to run rampant on the sets of Schneider’s shows, not only Drake and Josh and Amanda’s showbut also Zoey 101, iCarly, Victoriosa, Sam and catand more.