Drake Bell says Josh Peck 'reached out' after Brian Peck sex abuse allegations: 'It's been very sensitive'
Drake Bell is coming to the defense of his former Nickelodeon co-star Josh Peck.
In a TikTok video posted Wednesday, Bell – who starred with Peck on the Nick sitcom "Drake & Josh" from 2004-2007 – addressed fans who have been critical of Peck for not speaking out in support of Bell following the actor’s recent allegations of sexual abuse.
Bell appears in the Investigation Discovery series "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," a docuseries in which former child actors and members of production detail the alleged abuse and misconduct they experienced while working on the children’s television network. In the third episode of the series, Bell claimed his dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Josh Peck) sexually assaulted him when he was a teen.
“I just want to clear something up,” Bell said in the video. “I’ve noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh’s TikToks and some of his posts. And I just want to let you guys know that processing this and going through this is a really emotional time, and a lot of it’s very, very difficult. So, not everything is put out to the public.”
Fans criticize Josh Peck for not commenting on Drake Bell’s abuse allegations
Fans took to the comments section of Peck’s latest TikTok video to criticize the former Nickelodeon actor for not voicing his support of Bell following his allegations of sexual abuse.
"Your silence speaks volumes bro. It’s really sad. ??" @thebluemermaidmama wrote.
"In the end we will not remember the words of our enemies but the silence of our friends," @MissJoebob commented.
"Have you checked on Drake?" @jennygarcia618 wrote.
"You were his show brother josh !! Show a brother support!! ??" @kels.anne420 commented.
Drake Bell speaks out: Former Nickelodeon star alleges 'extensive,' 'brutal' sexual abuse by dialogue coach Brian Peck
Drake Bell says Josh Peck has 'reached out' after sex abuse allegations
Bell revealed in his TikTok video that he’s been in contact with Peck since coming forward with his claims of sexual abuse.
The "A Fairly Odd Movie" actor added that his former co-star has been supportive and encouraged fans to lay off their initial criticism.
"I just want you guys to know that he has reached out to me, and it’s been very sensitive," Bell said. "But he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this and has been really, really great. So, just wanted to let you guys know that and to take it a little easy on him."
Drake Bell's former co-stars Josh Peck, Nancy Sullivan speak out
In a statement posted to Instagram Thursday, Peck said he viewed "Quiet on Set" and "took a few days to process it."
"I reached out to Drake privately, but wanted to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world," Peck wrote. "Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry."
Josh Peck speaks out: Former Nickelodeon star says 'children should be protected' after Drake Bell's sex abuse allegations
Bell's other "Drake & Josh" co-star Nancy Sullivan, who portrayed Drake's mother Audrey, also took to Instagram to share her support for Bell.
The actress said she's "sending love to Drake for a deep healing and for a rich and beautiful life ahead."
"It broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together," Sullivan wrote Wednesday. "I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he's grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth. ... I hope memories of the joy he had on our shows will someday greatly overshadow the pain."
Drake Bell calls out 'Ned's Declassified' stars for appearing to mock abuse allegations
Former Nickelodeon actors Devon Werkheiser, Lindsay Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee appeared in a TikTok live video Monday where they laughed about the content in “Quiet on Set.” The actors were child stars on Nick’s "Ned’s Declassified" from 2004 to 2007 and co-host a podcast by the same name.
"Daniel, we told you never to speak about that. Get back in your hole, Daniel, and give me your holes," Werkheiser said in a jovial tone to Lee offscreen. "Sorry, we shouldn’t joke about this. We really shouldn’t. Our set was not like that."
He added: "No, it’s awful. The Drake Bell (part), that’s crazy to hear."
More Drake Bell: Actor calls out 'Ned's Declassified' stars for appearing to mock Nickelodeon abuse allegations
Bell responded on X, calling the trio, “Ned’s Declassless." "This is wild…laugh it up guys…laugh it up," he added. "'Give me your h*les!!' Really?!"
Werkheiser walked back his remarks as he read a comment from a TikTok user questioning if the trio was "in on" the alleged abuse, to which Shaw repeated, "No."
"I'm not talking about this anymore," Werkheiser said while laughing. "Guys, we can't joke like this, Jesus. Sometimes humor helps us move through things."
Contributing: Brendan Morrow and Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Drake Bell says co-star Josh Peck 'reached out' after sex abuse claims