Drake Bell alleges he was sexually abused by Nickelodeon dialogue coach
Drake & Josh star Drake Bell has come forward to allege he was sexually abused as a child actor by a Nickelodeon dialogue coach.
Bell, who appeared on The Amanda Show between 1999 and 2002 before taking centre stage in his series Drake & Josh in 2004, shared his story as part of the upcoming Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, set to air on 17 March.
In the documentary, Bell alleged he was abused by Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who worked on Nickelodeon’s All That and The Amanda Show.
On Tuesday, Investigation Discoverey dropped a clip from Quiet on Set that showed past Nickelodeon cast and crew members sharing their experiences on the channel. Then, Bell entered the video and sat down in a chair, prefacing him sharing his story.
A press release from the show said Drake Bell “will be sharing publicly, for the first time, the story of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Brian Peck, his former dialogue coach who was convicted in 2004 for his crimes against Drake and ordered to register as a sex offender”.
In 2003, Peck was accused of sexually abusing a minor, and he was arrested.
He was subsequently convicted on a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14 or 15-year-old. The identities of his victims were never made public.
Peck spent 16 months in prison and registered as a sex offender.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV will reveal the toxic work conditions behind Nickelodeon’s iconic children’s shows of the 1990s and early 2000s, specifically those created by Dan Schneider.
The four-part docuseries will also delve into former child stars having faced abuse, sexism and racism while working on the hit shows.
