Nickelodeon has responded to allegations made by Drake Bell that he was sexually assaulted and abused as a child by dialogue coach Brian Peck.
Bell details the abuse in the third episode of the Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which will air over two nights on March 17 and March 18.
The Drake & Josh star alleges that he suffered the abuse while working on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002.
Peck was arrested in August 2003 on over a dozen charges relating to sexual abuse involving an unnamed minor. In 2004, he pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old, and to oral copulation with a minor under 16. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and forced to register as a sex offender.
In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. He spent 16 months in prison and was required to register as a sex offender.
In response to Bell’s account, Nickelodeon released the following statement (via Deadline): “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”
The network also released a statement regarding alleged behaviours on past production sets.
“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviours from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct,” the statement read. “Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”
In the docuseries, Bell said that he considered Peck, who later became his manager, as a friend, but everything changed one morning at Peck’s home.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep. I woke up to him — I opened my eyes, I woke up and he was sexually assaulting me,” Bell described in the series. “I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I have no idea how to get out of this situation,” Bell said.
“He figured out how to convince my mom and everyone around to, anytime I would have an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house and it just got worse and worse and worse and worse. I was just trapped. I had no way out,” said Bell. “The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal. I don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera, really… Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, and then I’ll answer your question. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Also in the docuseries, Bell says that Dan Schneider – who created and produced a number a Nickelodeon series – including The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh – was not aware of the abuse he had been suffering at the hands of Peck until Bell confided in him and Schneider offered his support.
In April last year, Bell was found safe after having been reported “missing and endangered” by the Daytona Beach Police Department in Florida.
In July 2021, Bell was sentenced to two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service after pleading guilty to charges of attempted child endangerment and disseminating harmful material to children. The charges related to a girl who had met him online and accused him of sending messages that were sexual in nature when she was 15 years old.
In a statement prior to the sentence, Bell said: “I’m sorry that the victim was harmed in any way, but that was obviously not my intention. I have taken this matter very, very seriously. And again, I just want to apologise to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions.”
For help, advice or more information regarding sexual harassment, assault and rape in the UK, visit the Rape Crisis charity website. In the US, visit RAINN.