Drake Bell is once again discussing his decision to participate in the ID docuseries Quiet On Set, in which he shared his story of being sexually abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck.
In an interview with Today that aired on Monday, the Nickelodeon alum was asked why he wanted to share his story for the first time in the doc after so many years.
“Things were spiraling out of control emotionally and mentally,” he said, “and I thought maybe this could help in the healing process and also help others who have gone through the same situations or similar situations.”
ADVERTISEMENT
In Quiet on Set, Bell revealed that he was the anonymous young actor who had accused Peck of sexual abuse, beginning when he was 15 years old. Peck was convicted in 2004 and was sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Nickelodeon, a hub for child stars beginning their careers on camera, told Today that the network has since put measures in place to try and prevent abuse, including “hiring welfare workers, requiring parents/guardians to be on set with kid actors, and doing criminal background checks.”
Bell said it’s hard to say whether or not those measures would have prevented abusers like Peck. “Brian would have passed a background check,” he said.
Bell, now 37, was also asked about the 2021 case in which he was accused of exchanging inappropriate messages with a minor, to which he pled guilty. He was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service. On Today, he reiterated his claim that he wasn’t aware of the teen girl’s real age. “There were some messages that shouldn’t have been exchanged, and that’s why I pled guilty,” he said. “But once the age was revealed, that’s when I stopped communication.”
Now living in New Mexico and working on new music, Bell says he’s spent some time reflecting on what he’d say to his childhood self. “There’s so much,” he said. “What am I gonna say to that little boy, had I gone back to him in that state of confusion and turmoil? Get ready.”
“You are going to struggle, you are going to have pain, and I don’t know how to tell you how to get out of it, so be ready,” he continued. “But now I’m able to go back to him and hold him and tell him, it’s gonna be OK.”
