Drake Bell, renowned for his role in “Drake & Josh,” recently shared his profound journey after his involvement in the groundbreaking docuseries, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.” In this revealing account, the 37-year-old actor disclosed a deeply personal revelation: his distressing encounter with dialogue coach Brian Peck during his formative years as a teen actor.
Following the public revelation of these shocking events, Drake took to The Sarah Fraser Show to reflect on his experiences within the series and the subsequent responses, particularly from Nickelodeon and his colleagues.
Drake revealed that his decision to participate in “Quiet on Set” was not his first encounter with such documentary inquiries. Recalling a previous instance, Drake recounted feeling disrespected and ostracized by the documentary team’s harsh response to his hesitation.
“They said that people like me were the problem, and this is why things aren’t gonna change in the industry because people like you won’t speak out and won’t come forward,” he recalled. “It was just all this shaming of me not wanting to be a part of their documentary. So I’ve always been cautious and on-edge whenever approached to talk about such a sensitive topic.”
Despite this initial setback, Drake found solace and trust in the empathetic approach of co-director Emma Schwartz, emphasizing her genuine and comforting demeanor.
Before fully committing to the project, Drake made the courageous decision to seek professional help by entering a rehabilitation program. This pivotal step allowed him to confront his past traumas and emotionally prepare himself for the daunting task of sharing his story. Reflecting on this journey, Drake described the rehabilitation process as a profound and sometimes painful journey of self-discovery.
In response to his revelations, Nickelodeon issued a statement expressing support for Drake’s bravery in coming forward. However, Drake found the response lacking in substance.
“It was a very well-tailored response saying, ‘Learning about his trauma,’ because they couldn’t say that they didn’t know about this or what had happened, or anything. So I think that was a really well-tailored response by probably some big attorney in Hollywood.”
He described it as “pretty empty,” stating, “They still show our shows, they still put our shows on. And I have to pay for my own therapy. … If there was anything, if there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”
A poignant moment in Drake’s interview came when he discussed the actors who had written letters of support for Brian Peck during the lawsuit, such as James Marsden, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, Alan Thicke, Taran Killam, and more. Drake confessed that he had not received apologies from any of them, despite some being his co-stars on “Drake & Josh.”
“I haven’t gotten an apology, or a sorry, from anybody that had written letters or was involved in supporting him at all.”
Expressing a deep sense of betrayal, Drake lamented the realization that individuals he had considered friends and trusted colleagues had sided with his abuser. This revelation left him feeling isolated and vulnerable, grappling with the stark contrast between his perceived safety on set and the painful reality of betrayal:
“And I worked with these people every day, and I thought they were my friends. They were people in positions of power, that they were my bosses. They were directors, they were producers. It was a situation where I thought I was surrounded by, I thought I was safe. I thought, OK, I thought I got rid of, the cancer has been carved out, we’re better now. And I had no idea that for four years, I was working alongside people who had supported him, and probably in the back of their mind were thinking of me in a certain way, and I thought they were my friends,” he reflected.
