Drake Bell’s “Drake & Josh” Mom, Nancy Sullivan, Said That Hearing Drake Detail His Alleged Abuse Has Broken Her Heart “Into A Million Pieces”

“They weren't my real kids, but I'll always love them,” Nancy’s moving Instagram post began.

By
Stephanie Soteriou
by Stephanie Soteriou

BuzzFeed Staff

This article mentions allegations of child sex abuse.

Investigation Discovery’s docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV premiered earlier this week, with viewers being left horrified as a host of former child stars spoke out against their alleged experiences behind the scenes of several popular Nickelodeon shows throughout the late ‘90s and early ‘00s.

Drake Bell on Quiet on Set
ID / Via youtube.com

One of these former child stars was Drake Bell, who started acting when he was just 5 years old and appeared in TV shows such as Home Improvement and The Amanda Show before landing one of the titular roles in the popular sitcom Drake & Josh, which premiered in 2004.


In Quiet on Set, Drake spoke publicly about his alleged abuse for the first time as he said that he was the child actor involved in a 20-year-old trial against actor and dialect coach Brian Peck. 


Brian Peck is of no relation to Drake’s Drake & Josh costar, Josh Peck.

Brian was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004 after he pleaded no contest to two counts of child sex abuse against a then-unknown Nickelodeon star.

Brian Peck signing autographs
Albert L. Ortega / Getty Images

Court documents show that he was initially charged with 11 counts, including lewd act upon a child, sodomy of a person under 16, attempted sodomy of a person under 16, sexual penetration by a foreign object, four counts of oral copulation of a person under 16, oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, sending harmful matter, and using a minor for sex acts. 


The charges that Brian pleaded “no contest” to were lewd act against a child and oral copulation. The remaining counts were dismissed. 


Drake first met Brian at the beginning of Season 2 of The Amanda Show, when he was 14 years old and Brian was 40.


In Quiet on Set, he said that he quickly grew close to Brian and would go to his home for dialect lessons — sometimes staying the night.

Drake then detailed the alleged abuse that he faced, claiming: “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.”

Drake Bell in 2001
J. P. Aussenard / WireImage

“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 alleged.


“I don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera, really…” Drake then added. “Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault.”


Brian was arrested after Drake’s then-girlfriend’s mom realized that something was wrong and took Drake to a therapist, which resulted in the police being contacted.


In Quiet on Set, Drake also recalled the “brutal” investigation and subsequent court case, with the star calling out a host of famous names who showed up in court to support Brian and even wrote letters to the judge on his behalf. 

The trial ended up coinciding with the first season of Drake & Josh. However, as Drake was a minor at the time, his anonymity was protected, and most people did not know about his allegations against Brian until this month.

Drake Bell and Josh Peck giving a thumbs up while posing for photographers at an event
Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images

This includes Drake’s former costar Nancy Sullivan, who played his mom on the Nickelodeon sitcom.

Screenshot from "Drake & Josh"
Nickelodeon / Via youtube.com

After Quiet on Set aired, Nancy took to her Instagram page to share her pain over what Drake had said — saying that hearing about the alleged abuse had broken her heart “into a million pieces.”

Drake and Josh cast on the red carpet
Frazer Harrison / Getty Images

Sharing a photo of her onscreen son, Nancy wrote: “They weren't my real kids, but I'll always love them. 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,” she continued. “Past abuse doesn't define us, and it has no right to rule our lives, I know that putting this burden down will free him in so many ways.”

Screenshot of Nancy Sullivan's Instagram caption
Instagram @thenancysullivan / Via instagram.com

“I hope memories of the joy he had on our shows will someday greatly overshadow the pain,” Nancy concluded. “Sending love to Drake for a deep healing and for a rich and beautiful life ahead.”


Nancy has been widely praised for her “beautifully written” post, but Drake has not yet publicly acknowledged it.

You can stream Quiet On Set on Max in the US and on Discovery+ in the UK.


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.

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