Celebrity
Josh Peck Reacts To Drake Bell's Quiet On Set Allegations
“Children should be protected.”
Trigger Warning: This piece discusses sexual abuse.
The new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV reveals alleged wrongdoings that occurred behind the scenes of many Nickelodeon shows, and some of the network’s former stars are now speaking out.
On March 21, Josh Peck reacted to the revelations from Quiet On Set, specifically from his Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show co-star Drake Bell.
In the four-part docuseries, Bell identified himself as a victim of his former dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Josh), who was arrested in 2003 on accusations of child molestation. Brian was convicted on charges of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16, and served 16 months in prison. (As the case was being tried, Bell’s identity was kept sealed.)
Josh Peck Reached Out To Drake Bell
Three days after the docuseries premiered, Peck reacted on Instagram.
“I finished the Quiet On Set documentary and took a few days to process it,” he wrote. “I reached out to Drake privately, but wanted to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world. Children should be protected.”
Peck concluded his message by acknowledging how “incredibly difficult” it must have been for those who came forward. “I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry,” he wrote.
Peck’s post comes after Bell asked viewers not to go after his former co-star on social media. “It’s been very sensitive, but he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this and has been really, really great,” Bell said on TikTok. “So I just wanted to let you guys know that and to take it a little easy on him.”
Who Else Has Spoken Out?
Peck isn’t the only one of Bell’s co-stars to support him. A day prior, Nancy Sullivan, who starred alongside Bell on The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh, praised her onscreen son in an emotional Instagram post.
“They weren’t my real kids, but I’ll always love them,” she wrote, sharing a throwback snapshot of Bell. “It broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together. I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he’s grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth.”
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, you can call the National Sexual Assault Telephone Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit hotline.rainn.org.
