‘Drake and Josh’ teen star reveals he was abused by teacher behind the scenes at Nickelodeon

At 37, Drake Bell, teen star of the series “Drake and Josh”, which aired between 2004 and 2007 on Nickelodeon, revealed that he was sexually abused behind the scenes of the channel.

The abuser was casting coach and vocal technique teacher Brian Peck, who had worked with Drake since the series “The Amanda Show”, a precursor to “Drake and Josh”.

Drake spoke about the “repeated episodes of abuse” he suffered in Discovery’s new documentary series, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Secrets of Kids TV.”

The child actor joined Nickelodeon in 1999, aged 13, on the series “The Amanda Show”, and quickly became very close to Brian Peck, who was 39 at the time. “Brian and I became friends because we had common interests, which, looking back on it now, I think was calculated,” Drake said in the documentary.

Drake’s father, Joe Bell, even spoke to Nickelodeon producers about his discomfort with the exaggerated closeness between the trainer and his son. But when he pressed the issue, he was shunned and ostracized on set, he revealed to Discovery.

With his father’s departure, Peck became Drake’s manager and began accompanying him on auditions and trips to Los Angeles, taking the teenager to sleep at his house. Until one day, the preparer attacked him during the night.

“I was sleeping on the couch and I woke up to him molesting me. I froze, I was in total shock and I didn’t know what to do,” said the actor, who was 15 at the time.

“Whenever I had an audition, I needed to practice a scene or something, I ended up going to sleep at his house. It got worse and worse and I found myself trapped. There was no way to get out. The abuse was extensive and brutal”, revealed.

“Sometimes I look back and wonder how I survived. I remember all the abusive episodes, but I don’t remember anything else that happened at the time. It’s a shame because I experienced a lot of good things in my life and in my career at that stage , but I don’t remember anything. The memories of that time were overshadowed”, he said.

In 2004, Brian Peck was convicted of 11 counts of sexual abuse against an underage boy, including lewd acts and oral sex. He served 16 months in prison. The identity of the victim was not revealed at the time.

In the documentary series, Drake also said that he acquired alcoholism and drug abuse due to the trauma he suffered. In 2021, he himself spent two years on probation for exchanging sexual messages with an underage fan.

In a statement sent to the North American press, Nickelodeon said: “Now that Drake Bell has revealed his identity as a victim of the case that occurred in 2004, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he experienced and we offer all the support that is necessary.”