“The pain is still there from the moment that I knew. I don’t wish this on any parent or child whatsoever. It’s just devastating.”
Viewers were deeply moved by Joe Bell’s poignant recounting of his efforts to shield his son from abuse in the docuseries, which depicted his heart-wrenching struggles of feeling ostracized and ultimately severed from his son’s life.
As you may already know, Investigation Discovery’s highly anticipated docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” debuted last week, featuring a lineup of former child stars who have come forward with allegations of inappropriate behavior during their tenure at Nickelodeon in the 1990s and 2000s.
Among these former child stars is Drake Bell, who began his acting career at the tender age of 5 and later gained widespread recognition for his roles in “The Amanda Show” and “Drake & Josh.”
In “Quiet on Set,” Drake publicly reveals his own allegations of child sex abuse for the first time, disclosing that he was the young actor involved in a trial against actor and dialogue coach Brian Peck, which occurred over 20 years ago.
Brian Peck, despite sharing a surname with Drake’s “Drake & Josh” co-star Josh Peck, is not related to him.
In 2004, Brian faced legal repercussions when he pleaded no contest to two counts of child sex abuse involving a then-unknown Nickelodeon star. Court documents revealed that Brian was initially charged with 11 counts, including lewd acts upon a child, sodomy of a person under 16, attempted sodomy of a person under 16, sexual penetration by a foreign object, four counts of oral copulation of a person under 16, oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, sending harmful matter, and using a minor for sex acts.
Ultimately, Brian entered a “no contest” plea to a lewd act against a child and oral copulation charge, resulting in the dismissal of the remaining counts. He was subsequently sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Returning to the series’ inception, Drake recounts in the episode how his parents separated when he was just 5 years old. Auditioning for roles became a means for him to bond with his father, who lacked prior experience in the acting industry.
Reflecting on those early days, Joe fondly recalls, “Him and I just became so close. It was just natural, and he loved [acting].”
Drake’s breakthrough came when he secured a role in The Amanda Show at the age of 13. However, the dynamics changed during the show’s second season when Brian was brought on board as a dialogue coach. At the time, Brian was 40 years old, and Drake was only 14.
“I was told that Brian was a good coach and that he could really get Drake some jobs,” Joe reminisces. “He worked with Leonardo DiCaprio, he worked with this person, that person, I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ Then he said, ‘You have to come to my house because that’s where I give the lessons.'”
While everything appeared fine initially, Joe always ensured he remained within sight during these sessions.
Deeply aware of the challenges facing child stars in the industry, Joe remained extremely vigilant concerning his son’s burgeoning career. He emphasizes his proactive approach, stating, “All the other parents would be seen and not heard. I would never interrupt anything, but I very rarely sat in the greenroom. I’d always be on set somewhere where I could always keep my eyes on Drake.”
However, Joe started noticing Brian’s increased presence around Drake, which unsettled him. He recounts instances where Brian would enter Drake’s dressing room uninvited and engage in inappropriate physical contact. Joe shares his discomfort, recalling, “Drake would be in the dressing room or something, and in would pop Brian and just touch Drake, do things that… Wait a second, what are you doing? Drake can put that on himself.” Joe describes how Brian’s behavior, including touching Drake and feeding him lines, occurred regularly and in front of others.
When Joe expressed his concerns to the Nickelodeon production team, he alleges he was met with accusations of homophobia. “I went to production and said, ‘I really am uncomfortable with this guy, Brian Peck, always being around my son,'” Joe recounts. “And she goes, ‘Oh, well, I don’t know if you knew it or not, but he’s gay. Maybe you’re just homophobic and you don’t understand he’s a touchy-feely guy?'” Despite his reservations persisting, Joe claims he faced ostracism after confiding in others on set, leading him to withdraw from further action.
In the documentary, Drake reveals, ‘My dad started making it very difficult for Brian to be around me. I think Brian got a sense that my dad was on the watch, and he started to really drive a wedge between my dad and me. He started talking about how my dad’s stealing my money, nobody likes that my dad’s on set, he’s a real problem, so he just started making me believe that he was horrible for my career.’
Drake expresses his vulnerability to Brian’s influence, saying, ‘Coming from someone like Brian, I was believing it because he’d been in the business for so long, so he must know more than us.’
Drake explains that he began to distance himself from his father because he felt uncomfortable about not wanting him to be his manager anymore. Allegedly, Brian also turned Drake’s mother against Joe by hiring an attorney to investigate Joe’s handling of Drake’s finances.
“‘There was never any mishandling of any funds,’ Drake clarifies, ‘But it was like an army against my dad.'”
Eventually, Drake’s mom called Joe to convey that Drake no longer wanted him to be his manager. Breaking down in tears, Joe recalls, ‘At that time, I said, ‘I want what my son wants.’ It’s killing me, it’s hurting me, it’s breaking my heart. But I want to do what Drake wants. So I said, ‘OK.’
After transferring Drake’s bank account and other necessary paperwork to his ex-wife, Joe asserts, ‘I did say to her, and I said this to her in person: ‘You never, ever leave Drake alone with Brian Peck. And you never let him be around him unsupervised. Period. Whatsoever.’ And Brian just absolutely tricked her.’
Drake explains that when his dad ceased being his manager, Brian assumed the role of taking him to auditions. Given that Drake and his mom resided in Orange County while most auditions were in Los Angeles, it allegedly became customary for Drake to spend the night at Brian’s house after auditions to avoid returning home late.
“Everything changed with Brian one morning,” Drake alleges. “I was sleeping on the couch where I’d usually sleep, and I opened my eyes, I woke up, and he was sexually assaulting me. I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react. I had no idea how to get out of the situation.”
At the age of 15, Drake found himself in a harrowing situation. In the documentary, he reveals his reluctance to refuse spending nights at Brian’s house out of fear of arousing suspicion from his mother.
“It just got worse and worse and worse and worse, and I was trapped and I had no way out,” Drake alleges. “The abuse was extensive, and it got pretty brutal. I really don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera, really. Why don’t you do this: Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone can do to somebody as a sexual assault, and that will answer your question.”
When Drake entered a relationship, his girlfriend’s mother noticed something amiss and took him to a therapist, sensing that he was “in quite a bit of danger.” Initially, Drake was too scared to divulge anything.
Drake claims that Brian would threaten him, asserting that he had the power to sabotage his future opportunities in the industry if he spoke out. Drake recalls, “It was me believing that I will never be able to do this ever again. I didn’t want to risk that. I was doing what I loved to do, and so I just kept it inside.”
However, Drake reached a breaking point during a phone call with his mother. He recounts, “I’ve no idea what provoked it, I have no idea what happened.”
Following his mother’s immediate call to the police, Drake underwent a “pretty brutal” investigation where he had to provide excruciatingly detailed accounts of every incident and its timing to two detectives. Subsequently, Drake called Brian and purportedly coerced him into admitting his actions on the record.
Drake remembers calling his dad after Brian’s arrest and asking, “Did you see they got him?”
At that moment, Joe had no inkling that his son was the alleged victim in the case. Recalling the conversation in the episode, Joe remarks, “Drake says they arrested him for molestation. I go, ‘You’re kidding! I knew it. I knew it!’”
Drake reflects on his father’s response, saying, “And my dad just goes, ‘I am so glad that he was not able to get his hands on you,’” Drake then admits that he couldn’t bring himself to tell him the truth. “I just couldn’t do it. So I just said, ‘Yeah, they got him,’ and he says, ‘Oh, I’m so glad. I knew he was going to do something to someone.’”
When questioned about his reaction upon learning of Drake’s involvement in the case, Joe becomes emotional and tearfully expresses, “Are you kidding? I’m not the same today. The pain is still there from the moment that I knew. I don’t wish this on any parent or child whatsoever. It’s just devastating.”
Joe’s emotional moments in “Quiet on Set” deeply resonated with viewers, who have turned to social media in the days following the episode’s airing to express their sorrow over the situation.
In a recent podcast appearance, Drake confessed that despite his reservations about involving his father in the project, he harbored hopes that it would ultimately provide him with some closure.
“I’m sure that my dad puts a lot of blame on himself,” Drake said. “And I thought that this might be an opportunity for him to be able to realize that, you know, that it’s one person’s fault.”
Following his conviction, Brian was sentenced to 16 months in jail in October 2004. Since his release, he has continued to work steadily in the industry, with notable credits including the Disney Channel show “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.”
Despite recent reports and the content of “Quiet on Set,” Brian has not issued any comments or statements.
