Drake and Josh star Drake Bell is coming forward for the first time with details of “brutal” sexual abuse he says he suffered as a minor at the hands of Nickelodeon dialogue and acting coach Brian Peck in the early 2000s.
“My name is Drake Bell and I came here today to tell my story,” Bell, 37, says in the upcoming ID documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids on TV, airing Sunday and Monday.
Peck was arrested in 2003 at the age of 43 for lewd acts with a child. Bell testified at Peck’s trial, but was never publicly identified as the minor whose family accused Peck of molesting him over a six-month period two years before.
After pleading no contest to two charges of child sexual abuse in 2004, Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and made to register as a sex offender.
Drake Bell Shares His Story
Bell first met Peck on the second season of Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show starring Amanda Bynes. He says the abuse began on a morning after he had spent the night at Peck’s house — a common occurrence on nights before Bell would have auditions in Los Angeles, since he and his mother lived farther out from the city in Orange County.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep. I woke up to him — I opened my eyes, I woke up and he was sexually assaulting me. I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I have no idea how to get out of this situation,” Bell says in the doc, according to Variety.
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He says Bell misled his mother to earn her trust.
“Any time I would have an audition or any time I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house and it just got worse and worse and worse and worse. I was just trapped. I had no way out,” Bell added. “The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal. I don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera, really… Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, and then I’ll answer your question. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Representatives for Peck did not immediately respond to MovieMaker‘s request for comment on Wednesday.
A spokesperson for Nickelodeon gave 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.”
Regarding Bell, the spokesperson added:
“Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”
Main Image: Drake Bell pictured in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. Credit: ID
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