Actor Josh Peck has publicly voiced his support for his former ‘Drake & Josh’ co-star, Drake Bell, following the airing of Investigation Discovery’s documentary series, ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’. The documentary sheds light on child sexual abuse in the kids’ TV industry, with Bell sharing his personal experiences of abuse by his former dialogue coach at Nickelodeon.
Peck’s Social Media Statement
Peck took to Instagram to show his empathy for Bell and other survivors who bravely shared their experiences of abuse while working on Nickelodeon’s shows, “Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry”. The post comes after Bell pleaded his fans to be a soft on Peck.
Support Received By Bell
Bell, who had previously asked his fans to be lenient on Peck for not speaking publicly, acknowledged Peck’s support and further shared that the latter had reached out to talk and help him navigate through the situation, “he has been really, really great”. Post the documentary, actress Nancy Sullivan, who played their mother on the show, also showed her support for her on-screen son, Bell.
The History of Peck and Bell
The dynamics between Peck and Bell has evolved since the end of the ‘Drake & Josh’ show, with Peck previously revealing that they had drifted apart and weren’t friends anymore. In an appearance on ‘BFFs With Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards and Brianna Chickenfry’ in March 2022, Peck mentioned their evolving friendship.
Bell’s Sexual Abuse By Dialogue Coach
The Investigation Discovery documentary unveiled a shocking revelation where Bell shared his experience of sexual abuse as a child at 15 years of age. The alleged perpetrator was his dialogue coach, Brian Peck, who had been accused of child molestation and was subsequently imprisoned.
Bell, known for his roles in widely popular Nickelodeon shows including ‘All That’ and ‘The Amanda Show’, was apparently at the heart of the case leading to Brian Peck’s conviction. The series has several entries from other child artists who alleged to have faced abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior during their work in the early 2000s with popular TV series producer, Dan Schneider.
Other Stars Break Their Silence
Matt Bennett, who starred as Robbie in ‘Victorious’, also broke his silence, expressing his disappointment at the treatment of child actors. He conveyed through his Instagram story, now expired, his commitment to help put in place safeguards to protect young actors in the future. Meanwhile, Schneider has expressed regret for his past behaviors and treatments of the actors.
Wrapping Up
The kids’ television industry remains under scrutiny following the release of ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’ by Investigation Discovery. As former child actors share their disturbing experiences of abuse, a collective voice is emerging to demand better safeguarding measures for young actors in the industry. For a closer look at documentaries and the filmmaking techniques behind powerful series such as these, head over to HitPlay.
