Drake Bell explains why he chose to come forward in Nickelodeon docuseries

26 March 2024, 15:30

Drake Bell confirms Josh Peck has reached out to him following backlash

By Katie Louise Smith

Drake previously declined to share his story after a negative experience with another documentary maker.

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Drake Bell has explained why he felt it was the right moment for him to come forward about the abuse he experienced while working at Nickelodeon as a child.

In the new docuseries Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Drake identifies himself as the unnamed minor in the 2004 sexual assault conviction of former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck. Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender after he pleaded no contest to two charges.

Now, 20 years after Peck's conviction, Drake has decided to open up about what happened.

After telling his story in Quiet On Set, Drake was a guest on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast. During the chat, he shared about why he felt it was the right time to come forward and share his story publicly for the first time.

Drake Bell opens up about why he chose to come forward in 'Quiet On Set' documentary. Picture: Frazer Harrison/Getty Images, Investigation Discovery

Initially, Drake was reluctant to share his story because of a bad experience he'd previously had with another documentary that asked him to participate. When he declined, they shamed him for it. "The response I got was unbelievable," he said. "In the email, 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 went to explain that things felt different when we was approached by Quiet On Set co-director Emma Schwartz.

"She was very sensitive, and we kind of became buddies," he said. "I could tell that she was coming from a genuine place when we started our back-and-forth."

The two sat down for a meeting, and according to Drake, it went very well.

Watch the Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV trailer

But despite the meeting going well, Drake said was "going through so much in my personal life" at the time.

After the meeting, he went to rehab and began therapy sessions. "We were going through a lot of trauma therapy, a lot of group therapy, a lot of one-on-one therapy — your entire day was filled with working through and processing this with a clear mind, and unearthing all of these things that I hadn’t faced head-on, or if I had tried to, it was too painful," he said.

"And so through that process, once I got out, I thought to myself, 'Maybe this is a good time to reach back out to them and say hey, I’m not 100% yet, let’s talk some more, but I’m getting closer to feeling comfortable with finally sharing my story.'"

Drake Bell On 'Quiet On Set' Doc, Dan Schneider, Josh Peck, Brian Peck, And More

Drake also explained how he hoped the docuseries would help his father, Joe Bell, stop putting the blame on himself. "I thought that this might be an opportunity for him to be able to realise that it's one person's fault," Drake said.