This article mentions allegations of child sex abuse and grooming.
Drake Bell has defended Josh Peck’s public silence on the disturbing allegations against Nickelodeon in the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
The pair starred as onscreen stepbrothers in Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh between 2004 and 2007. According to Josh, they lost contact over the years after their show ended, with Drake memorably calling him out for not inviting him to his wedding in 2017. However, they publicly squashed their feud later that year.
In the docuseries, which was released on Max this past weekend, Drake came forward as the alleged victim of convicted child sex offender Brian Peck.
Brian — who has no relation to Josh — was an actor and dialogue coach who worked closely with several child stars. In 2004, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison after he pleaded no contest to two counts of child sex abuse against a then-unnamed child star. He was 43 at the time.
Brian was originally charged with 11 counts pertaining to acts against the child actor, who was referred to as “John Doe” in legal papers to protect his identity. According to court documents, Brian was “coaching the victim” at his house when the offenses took place.
Drake says in Quiet on Set, “I was sleeping on the couch where I usually sleep, and I woke up to him... He was sexually assaulting me. And I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react.”
“You know, anytime I had an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian's house. And it just got worse and worse and worse and worse, and I was just trapped. I had no way out. The abuse was extensive, and it got pretty brutal,” he adds.
Ever since the docuseries aired, several fans and former Nickelodeon actors have praised Drake for speaking out, including Alexa Nikolas and Nancy Sullivan.
However, many fans have criticized Josh for not speaking out, questioning why he hadn’t publicly addressed any of the disturbing allegations made throughout the series.
One popular tweet, which was liked by Drake himself, read, “Josh Peck being silent during this doesn't sit well for me. #QuietOnSet.” “I think it’s weird how Josh Peck hadn’t said a word,” read another.
Meanwhile, some users defended Josh’s public silence, suggesting that he — and any of the former child stars — shouldn’t feel compelled to speak out on what might have been a troubling time for them.
However, Josh then fueled further backlash by posting a TikTok lip-synching to an audio clip that many people speculated was shade toward Drake.
The comments were immediately flooded with people questioning the timing of Josh’s post and asking if he had been in contact with Drake since the docuseries aired.
And now Drake has taken to TikTok himself to set the record straight.
In a new video, Drake notes that he wanted to “clear something up” with fans before revealing that Josh has, in fact, reached out to him privately.
“I’ve noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh’s TikToks and some of his posts,” Drake begins.
“Processing this and going through this is a really emotional time, and a lot of it’s very, very difficult,” he goes on. “Not everything is put out to the public. But I just want you guys to know that he has reached out to me.”
“It’s been very sensitive, but he has reached out to talk with me and to help me work through this. And it’s been really, really great,” Drake adds before urging fans to “take it a little easy on him.”
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is now streaming on Max.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.