Following the release of the explosive docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, many were talking about Drake Bell and the stories he told about being sexually abused while working at Nickelodeon. Following the release on the 2024 TV schedule, Josh Peck, Bell’s Drake & Josh co-star, received a lot of criticism for not saying anything about it, and Bell posted a video confirming that his co-star had reached out to him privately. Now, following that video, Peck has spoken out about the documentary.
Taking to Instagram, Josh Peck posted a statement acknowledging that he had seen Quiet on Set and that he’d spoken privately with Drake Bell about it. He also said that he wishes “healing” to the victims who were impacted by what happened at Nickelodeon. You can read the full statement below:
I finished the Quiet On Set documentary and took a few days to process it. I reached out to Drake privately, but want to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world. Children should be protected. 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.
This came one day after Drake Bell confirmed that Peck had reached out to him. He noted the comments his Drake & Josh co-star had been receiving on his TikToks in regard to not saying anything publically, and he explained that the Josh actor had reached out to support him. Bell said:
Hey, what’s up guys, I just wanted to clear something up. I’ve noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh’s TikToks and some of his posts. I just wanted to let you guys know that this is really, you know, processing this and going through this is a really emotional time. A lot of it’s very, very difficult. So, not everything is put out to the public, but I just want you guys to know that he has reached out to me, and it’s been very sensitive. But he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this. He’s been really, really great. I just wanted to let you guys know that and take it a little easy on him.
You can see the full TikTok here:
@drakebell ♬ I kind of relate - Drake Bell
In Quiet on Set, Drake Bell appeared in the third episode, and he explained that when he was 15 years old and working on Drake & Josh, dialogue coach Brian Peck (who is not related to Josh Peck) sexually assulted him.
Bell is one of many Nickelodeon stars who spoke out about his experience working at the network. Along with him, Zoey 101 actor Alexa Nikolas was in the documentary, and she posted a reaction slamming Dan Schneider, the producer who was fired from the kids’ network in 2018 and was at the center of many of the documentary participants' stories, after he released a video addressing Quiet on Set.
Along with addressing Peck’s response to Quiet on Set, Drake Bell aslo called out Devon Werkheiser for joking about the documentary. Since then, the Ned’s Declassified star has apologized for his actions.
Since the release of the documentary, Drake Bell has been vocal about it and how people who worked at Nickelodeon are reacting to it. Now, following his statement about Josh Peck, the Oppenheimer actor has also spoken up about what happened and how he’s processing it and supporting those who were harmed.
As this situation develops, we’ll be sure to keep you posted. You can stream Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV with a Max subscription.
