Drake Bell Speaks Out About Sexual Abuse as a Child Actor
Drake Bell is coming forward about the sexual assault he says he experienced as a 15-year-old child star.
The Drake & Josh actor opened up on the upcoming four-part Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, set to air March 17 and 18, where Bell alleges that he was abused by a dialogue coach named Brian Peck, who worked on popular series like All That and The Amanda Show, the latter of which Bell starred in from 1999 to 2002.
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Peck was arrested in August 2003 and charged with lewd acts with a child. According to a press release from the Los Angeles Police Department, the abuse occurred approximately two years prior at Peck’s residence, and that Peck was coaching the unnamed victim. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender in late 2004.
In 2021, Bell was sentenced to two years’ probation on child endangerment charges and 200 hours of community service for his conduct with a young fan, whom he met online and then in person, that spanned years. According to the victim, the former Drake and Josh star began contact with her via online chats when she was 12, with those communications escalating to exchanges that were “blatantly sexual” by the time she was 15.
Bell initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but ultimately reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He was convicted in June of felony attempted child endangerment, with a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
In his response video, Bell stated that “I’m not perfect, and I make mistakes” and called his behavior “reckless and irresponsible” but disputed that he maintained communication with the victim over a sustained period of time or that he knew who she was during in-person encounters.
“I responded to a fan whose age I didn’t know. When I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped,” he said. “This individual continued to come to shows and pay for meet-and-greets, and although I was unaware that this was the same person I was communicating with online, that’s what I pled guilty to.”
Watch the full Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV trailer below. The docuseries is directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and need support and/or resources, reach out to RAINN and the National Sexual Assault Hotline (800-656-HOPE) for free, confidential help 24/7.
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