This article mentions allegations of child sex abuse and grooming.
Investigation Discovery’s new docuseries, Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, sees several former child stars speaking out about their alleged experiences behind the scenes of several popular Nickelodeon shows throughout the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.
One of these actors is Drake Bell, who starred as one of the titular characters in the popular sitcom, Drake & Josh, alongside Josh Peck.
Drake came forward as the alleged victim of Brian Peck — no relation to Josh Peck — in the docuseries, marking the first time that he has publicly detailed his alleged abuse.
Brian was an actor and dialogue coach who worked closely with Drake, as well as other child stars, in the early 00s. In 2004, he was sentenced to 16 months in prison after being found guilty of the following charges against a then-unnamed child actor: oral copulation with a minor under 16, and performing a lewd act with a minor under 16. Brian was 43 at the time, and the victim was reported to be around 14 or 15.
Brian was originally also charged with attempted sodomy of a person under 16, sexual penetration by a foreign object, oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, sending harmful matter, and using a minor for sex acts. After he pled no contest to the two aforementioned counts, the rest of the charges were dismissed.
Drake, now 37, says in the docuseries: “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 also claims.
The docuseries has sparked heavy discourse since its release, with many viewers praising the former child stars for speaking out. However, this week, the main cast of the former Nickelodeon show, Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, has been called out for making insensitive remarks about the docuseries on a TikTok live.
Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw, and Daniel Curtis Lee, who starred in Ned's Declassified between 2004 and 2007, now run a podcast together, launched in February last year.
This week, Devon went live on TikTok and discussed the Quiet On Set docuseries, with a controversial clip from the live stream now making the rounds on X.
In the clip, Devon can be seen saying, “Daniel, we told you to never speak about that. Get back in your hole, Daniel, and give me your holes. Sorry, we shouldn't joke about this. We really shouldn’t.”
Amid heaps of laughter in the background, Daniel can then be heard saying, “This is awful. Why are we doing this?” In response, Devon says: “Because this is about us. Listen, our set was not like that. And no, it's fucking awful. The Drake Bell shit is crazy to hear. That is fucked man. That never came out, which is really wild, really wild.”
Then, Devon read a comment from a viewer that read, “So y'all were in on it?” He burst out laughing and replied, “I’m not talking about this anymore. I'm not talking about this anymore,” while Lindsey said that they were not “in on it.”
Devon added, “We can't joke like this, Jesus. Guys, sometimes humor helps us move through things, you know.”
After the clip gained traction online, several viewers called out the Ned’s Declassified actors for “joking about the victims” and “making fun” of the allegations made against Nickelodeon.
And before long, Drake weighed in on the discourse himself, quote-tweeting the video and writing: “Ned's Declassless ... this is wild ... laugh it up guys ... laugh it up ... 'Give me your h*les?!!' Really?!”
It's important to note that in 2021, Drake was charged with attempted endangering of children and disseminating matters harmful to juveniles. He ultimately pled guilty to both charges and was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.
In Quiet On Set, Drake holds himself accountable for these charges and discusses how he's been in years of therapy and treatment.
“So sorry to Drake. Gutted I hurt you,” he wrote on X, alongside a written statement.
“I was being an idiot today. No way around it. I feel horrible that my dumbass was even speaking about this without seeing it. I watched Quiet on Set tonight and am horrified by the gravity of what Drake and others shared,” he said.
“Truly heartbroken what my fellow actors went through. I can't believe they weren’t protected. I’m sorry for compounding any hurt,” he added.
Drake has yet to publicly address Devon’s statement, but we’ll keep you posted if/when he does.
All four episodes of the Quiet on Set are 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.