Drake Bell says he went to rehab amid 'Quiet on Set,' discusses Brian Peck support letters

Drake Bell is opening up about his decision to come forward as a child victim of sexual abuse in the docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV."

In an episode of "The Sarah Fraser Show" podcast released on Friday, Bell shared that it took him a few interviews with the show's producers and a stay in rehab before he agreed to discuss his experience working on Nickelodeon on camera.

"I was going through so much in my personal life, and after that (initial) interview I ended up checking myself into rehab," he shared, adding that after he did trauma therapy while at the rehab facility, he felt comfortable to move forward.

Bell, who starred in Nickelodeon's "The Amanda Show" from 1999 to 2002 and "Drake & Josh" as the titular character from 2004 to 2007, alleged he faced "extensive" sexual abuse by  former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck. Peck was arrested in August 2003 and convicted in 2004 on charges of lewd acts with a child that stemmed from a 2001 incident. Bell had not previously disclosed himself as the plaintiff in that case.

Bell said on Friday's podcast that he ultimately agree to doing the docuseries and having his father, Joe Bell, discuss his side of things because he felt it could be healing for both of them. "It had a really profound effect on my family and it's something that we've dealt with ever since it happened," he said.

"Even though I was battling with 'Oh my gosh, what am I doing telling my story? Should I be doing this?' But also with that feeling of 'Wow, you know, it's all out there now. I can get it off my chest,'" Bell continued. "I felt that maybe that would be cathartic and beneficial for my dad to be able to do."

The singer and actor added: "I'm sure that my dad puts a lot of blame on himself. And I thought that this might be an opportunity for him to realize that it's one person's fault."

In a statement to USA TODAY, Nickelodeon said, "Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct."

The network added: "Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."

Bell said on Sarah Fraser's podcast that he thought Nickelodeon's statement was "pretty empty."

"They still show our shows, they still put our shows on," he said. "And I have to pay for my own therapy, I have to figure out what — I mean 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."

USA TODAY has reached out to Nickelodeon for comment.

Bell's revelation comes three years after he pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges after he was accused of sexual contact and grooming an underage fan. The victim spoke in court about the damage Bell caused in her life, alleging he began grooming her when she was 12, according to the Associated Press. She said though he initially loved and protected her during their online chats, his messages became more "blatantly sexual" after her 15th birthday.

He was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service in Cleveland court in July 2021.

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Drake Bell responds Will Friedle, Rider Strong's podcast revealing letters of support for Brian Peck

Bell also discussed the people who wrote letters of support for Peck amid the trial, including actors Ron Melendez, James Marsden, Taran Killam and the late Alan Thicke. The 41 letters of support, intended for the judge to take into consideration when determining Peck's sentence, were previously sealed.

"Boy Meets World" stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong also wrote letters of support for Peck. They have previously expressed regret for doing so.

"I haven't gotten an apology, or a sorry, from anybody that had written letters, or was involved in supporting him at all," Bell said, adding that prior to the "Quiet on Set" producers petitioning the courts to unseal the letters, he didn't know who was involved.

"I worked with these people every day, and I thought they were my friends," he said. "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 safe."

Bell continued that he questioned the timing of Friedle and Strong's response because "they had just been contacted by the documentary letting them know that their letters were about to be released," he alleged.

"If you listened to that podcast you'd have thought they were 15 or 16 when they wrote these letters. But Will was 27 years old and Rider was 24 and I worked with Will on 'Spider Man' years later," he said, adding that he found it difficult to believe they were "manipulated" because Peck had already been convicted at that point.

Bell's identity was sealed when the people wrote character letters for Peck due to him being a minor, although the actor says he remembers seeing them in the courtroom after the fact.

He continued, "Everyone deals with trauma in different ways … I can't take anything away from their sincerity and and their honesty and their bravery on on sharing that on such an open forum."

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The "Boy Meets World" stars discussed the letters ahead of the "Quiet on Set" docuseries premiere.

"He didn't say that nothing had happened," Strong said on the "Pod Meets World" podcast. "So, by the time we heard about this case and knew anything about it, it was always in the context of, 'I did this thing, I am guilty. I am going to take whatever punishment the government determines, but I'm a victim of jailbait. There was this hot guy. I just did this thing, and he’s underage.' And we bought that storyline."

How to watch 'Quiet on Set'

"Quiet on Set" premiered on ID on March 17. All four parts are available to stream on Max.

Contributing: Brendan Morrow, Jenna Ryu