Drake Bell Says Nickelodeon Dialogue Coach Brian Peck Sexually Abused Him When He Was A Teen

In the third episode of the Investigation Discovery series, Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Drake Bell opened up about the “brutal abuse” he suffered while working on Nickelodeon when he was a kid.

For those who don’t know, Bell is best known for starring in the hit series, Drake & Josh, which aired from 2004 to 2007 on Nickelodeon. It was one of the network’s most popular shows, even getting its own spinoff movie, which was released inside theaters.

But before Bell landed the series, he would often appear on The Amanda Show, and that’s where he met dialogue coach, Brian Peck. Bell was 15-years-old at the time, and he remembers staying over at Peck’s house in Los Angeles because it was closer to set than his mom’s house in Orange County.

Brian Peck

That’s when the abuse started.

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. 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.

Peck later apologized for his actions and swore it would never happen again.

The former ‘All That’ actor recalls in the docuseries how Peck allegedly convinced his mother and others around him to allow Drake to stay over his house again, where the alleged abuse got worse and worse.

Bell remembers feeling “trapped” but when he finally landed the co-starring gig on Drake & Josh, he got a little of his power back. He remembers Peck trying to get hired on the show, and that’s when Bell decided to tell his mother about the abuse.

At that point, Drake says he ‘exploded’ on the phone with his mom, told her everything and a police investigation was launched. The ‘Sam and Cat’ alum worked with officers to secretly record Peck by telling him on a call, ‘I’m really struggling with this stuff now. I’m so torn up, I’m so broken, I’m so emotionally distressed right now. Why did this happen?,’ which prompted the latter to confess his crimes.

He was arrested on 11 charges, including sodomy and oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance. Pretty disturbing sh*t, but somehow he only got 16 months in jail. And once released from prison, he was able to land another job with Disney Channel. Thankfully, they claim he only worked there a short amount of time. He was fired after they learned of his conviction.

Pretty crazy stuff. It also explains why Bell has struggled so much as an adult with substance abuse. That’s a lot to carry.