Drake Bell alleges that Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck sexually abused him when he was a child actor on the US network.
The former star of Nickelodeon, Drake Bellwill be present in the upcoming Investigation Discovery series titled ”Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV”to allege that he was a victim of sexual abuse of Brian Peckworked as a dialogue coach in “All That” and “The Amanda Show” on Nickelodeon, the latter starring Bell from 1999 to 2002.
Bell achieved worldwide fame in 2004 with the hit series ”Drake and Josh”, from the same channel, which also became very popular in Latin America. The creator of the program, Dan Schneiderhas also been in the eye of the storm for allegations of child abuse.
Peck was arrested in August 2003 for more than one dozen charges related to sexual abuse allegations that involved an unidentified minor. In May 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to charges of performing a lewd act on a 14- or 15-year-old and oral copulation with a minor under 16. (It is still unclear who these victims are and Bell has not yet specified the nature of the abuse she experienced, although she will likely do so when ”Quiet on Set” airs later this month). Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender in October 2004.
A clip from “Quiet on Set” shows Bell coming over to talk about Peck. In the press release from Investigation Discovery, you can read: “The clip reveals that the former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell will share publicly, for the first timethe story of the abuse she suffered at the hands of Brian Peck, her former speech coach who was convicted in 2004 of his crimes against Drake and ordered to register as a sex offender.”
Peck’s ”request for help” to other Nickelodeon actors
Peck was recently in the news due to a podcast episode ”Pod Meets World” in which the cast members of ”Boys Meets World”, Rider Strong and Will Friedle, they recalled working with Peck on the show. They had been asked to comment for the documentary series, but they wanted to talk about his experience on their podcast.
Peck appeared as a guest star in two episodes of ”Boy Meets World” in Season 5 and quickly became friends with Strong and Friedle. When Peck was accused of sexual abuse in 2003, he allegedly called Friedle and was crying while “I instantly told him that it wasn’t his fault, it was clearly his victim’s fault.”
Friedle admitted on the podcast that he believed Peck at first, adding, “My instinct initially was, ‘My friend, this can’t be.’ It has to be the other person’s fault. The story makes a lot of sense because of the way it is told.”
Peck later asked Strong and Friedle to support him in court, which they did. Friedle recalled: “We’re sitting in that courtroom on the wrong side of everything… The victim’s mother turned around and said, ‘Look at all the famous people you brought with you. And that doesn’t change what you did to my son.‘” Friedle explained. “I sat there wanting to die. It was like, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ It was horrible in every way.”
When does the series premiere?
”Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” is a four-part documentary series that reveals the toxic working conditions behind children’s shows in the 1990s and early 2000s, specifically those of Dan Schneider, the creator from beloved Nickelodeon shows like ”icarly” and ”Zoey 101”. The series airs March 17 and 18 on Investigation Discovery.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
