Drake Bell details childhood sexual abuse by Brian Peck
FILE-Drake Bell attends the Thirst Project's Inaugural Legacy Summit held at Pepperdine University on July 20, 2019 in Malibu, California. (Photo by Michael Tran/Getty Images)
Drake Bell is speaking out about the childhood sexual abuse he suffered from his former dialogue coach, Brian Peck, who spent time in prison for the crime.
Bell shared his story in the upcoming documentary "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," which is airing on March 17 and 18. The former "Drake and Josh" star addresses the physical abuse by Peck and emotional abuse he allegedly endured from Nickelodeon executive Dan Schneider.
The series also delves into allegations of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior involving underage stars and crew and alleged predatory behavior at Nickelodeon, Billboard reported.
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Startling details in one of the episodes feature Bell describing alleged grooming and sexual abuse he suffered by Peck when he was 14 and 15 years old.
According to Variety, Bell’s father was his manager and was uneasy with the amount of time Peck was spending with his son, leading him to discuss it with the production crew.
Bell spent the night at Peck’s home but recalled a disturbing situation he endured, sharing that as he was waking up on the couch, Peck was sexually assaulting him. Bell said he "froze" and was in "complete shock," explaining, "I had no idea what to do or how to react."
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Billboard reported that the abuse ended after the mother of Bell’s then girlfriend asked why Peck constantly called Bell as he started therapy, although at the time, he was not yet ready to reveal what happened.
In 2003, Bell went to the police and told his mom about the abuse, with Billboard reporting that two detectives arranged for Bell to call Peck to get him to admit what he did on a tapped phone line.
Peck was later convicted of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and had to register as a sex offender.
After his release from prison, Peck secured a job on Disney Channel’s "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody," Variety noted.
Bell later dealt with his own issues with the law, including an arrest for driving under the influence in 2016.
Several years later, in 2020, Bell was accused of verbal and physical abuse by his ex-girlfriend, Melissa Lingafelt. She described the verbal abuse as "the worst" someone could "ever imagine," FOX News reported.
A year later, he pleaded guilty to two charges involving a minor in Ohio in 2021. And in 2023, Bell was in the news when the police announced he was "missing and endangered."
FOX News contributed to this report. This story was reported from Washington, D.C.