Drake Bell, a year after speaking out about the abuse he endured during his Nickelodeon days, has found “therapy” in a long-anticipated reunion.
“Drake & Josh” co-stars Bell and Josh Peck reunited on Peck and Ben Soffer’s “Good Guys” podcast to reminisce on their years-long friendship, revisit their hit sitcom and reevaluate how the abuse Bell experienced by a former Nickelodeon dialogue coach impacted both. Bell began his walk down memory lane with a disclaimer.
“I don’t know if this is just ‘cause we’ve made a lot of bad choices in our lives or if it’s just from trauma but I have a lot of trouble remembering a lot of things,” he said.
The hourlong conversation between the 38-year-old former co-stars, who first shared the screen on Nickelodeon’s “Amanda Show” before headlining “Drake & Josh,” built on the revelations Bell shared last year in the documentary “Quiet on Set.” In the four-part ID docuseries, Bell went public about the sexual abuse he faced by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Josh Peck). Brian Peck was convicted of child sex abuse in 2004 but his victim’s name was not disclosed at the time. Bell confirmed in “Quiet on Set” that he was the unidentified victim referenced in the case.
On Monday’s podcast, Peck told his ex co-star that during the early days of “Drake & Josh” he was unaware of Bell’s experience and that “this separation started between us” as a result. Bell explained that the investigation into Brian Peck and “all the stuff you saw in the documentary” coincided with the filming of the “Drake & Josh” pilot. That made filming and returning to a Nickelodeon set complicated, Bell said.
Being on set was where he felt “happiest and most comfortable” but “the worst part was every day I got there, the monster was there,” he said. Bell said despite his desires to focus on building his comedy partnership with Peck, “I came back to the same stage, the same parking lot, the same dressing rooms, the same green room, the same makeup rooms.”
Peck responded: “Everything’s triggering.”
Bell recalled how the investigation into Brian Peck’s abuse quietly loomed over production. He said people on set allegedly allowed his abuser’s behavior and did “not do anything.” Bell also recalled “losing my hair” due to the stress of the investigation.
“I had these giant scabs on my head,” he said, “these were like golf-ball-sized scabs.”
Peck said he was not aware Bell suffered sexual abuse until “Quiet on Set,” but recalled “feeling something happened.” He remembered asking Bell during their “Drake & Josh” days if he was still in contact with Brian Peck.
“You just looked at me like, ‘No. Brian’s a really bad guy,’ and I remember thinking, ‘Gotcha,’ ” Peck said.
Later in the podcast, Bell recalled Brian Peck’s trial and that the courtroom “was full of people who I thought were my friends.” He said he also questioned at the time whether he was at fault.
“Drake & Josh” marks a complicated moment in time for Bell, but he doesn’t want to discourage fans from enjoying the series, which aired on Nickelodeon from 2004 to 2007. “That was where I was actually comfortable and happy and stoked,” he said, “and I’m very proud of what we did.”
Bell and Peck are will continue their conversation in another episode.
“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 this world,” Peck said in March 2024 after the doc aired.
“Children should be protected,” Peck added at the time. “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.”
After appearing on “Quiet on Set,” which primarily focused on producer Dan Schneider‘s controversial Nickelodeon reign, Bell said last year he wanted to tell his own story.
“I could’ve either allowed this to destroy me or make me stronger for him,” Bell said of his son with ex-wife Janet Von Schmeling.