Drake Bell slams the actors who supported Brian Peck for not apologising to him

27 March 2024, 16:48

Watch the Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV trailer

By Sam Prance

In Quiet on Set, it's revealed that actors including James Marsden and Taran Killam wrote Brian Peck letters of support.

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Drake Bell has said that none of the actors who supported Brian Peck have apologised to him since Quiet on Set came out.

In Investigation Discovery's new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Drake Bell opens up about his time on Nickelodeon and identifies himself as the victim in Brian Peck's 2004 sexual assault case. At the time, the dialogue coach was found guilty of two counts of child sexual abuse and was sentenced to 16 months in prison for his crimes.

The documentary also explores how multiple actors, such as James Marsden and Taran Killam, wrote Brian letters of support during his trial. Now, Drake has called out those actors for what they did and for failing to apologise to him.

Drake Bell slams the actors who supported Brian Peck for not apologising to him. Picture: ID, Jon Kopaloff/WireImage

In the documentary, it's confirmed that actors including James Marsden (Enchanted), Taran Killam (The Amanda Show), Ron Melendez (American Horror Story), Will Friedle (Boy Meets World), Rider Strong (Boy Meets World), Alan Thicke (Growing Pains) and Joanna Kerns (Growing Pains) all signed letters of support for Brian when he was on trial.

An alleged excerpt from James Marsden's letter is also read out and it says: "I assure you, what Brian has been through in the last year is the suffering of a hundred men." Elsewhere, Taran Killam reportedly wrote: "I have seen the affects this situation has had on Brian and I know for a fact that he regrets any mistakes made."

Discussing the letters on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast on March 22, Drake claimed: "I haven’t gotten an apology, or a sorry, from anybody that had written letters or was involved in supporting him at all."

Drake Bell On 'Quiet On Set' Doc, Dan Schneider, Josh Peck, Brian Peck, And More

Since Drake made his comments, Disney Channel directors – Beth and Rich Correll – have issued an apology to Drake. Movie producer Tom DeSantos also apologised ahead of Quiet on Set coming out.

Will Friedle and Rider Strong also said they felt "shame and guilt" over their letters before Quiet on Set was released. However, Drake accused them of trying to save face before the letters went public.

On Instagram, Drake wrote: "Everyone thought the letters would be sealed forever and no one would ever see them. This is their publicist telling them how to get ahead of the story."

Drake Bell calls out Will Friedle and Rider Strong. Picture: @drakebell via Instagram

On The Sarah Fraser Show, Drake also explained that that he didn't know who had written the letters until recently. He said: "I learned that later, I mean, there were multiple people that had supported him that went on to work on Drake & Josh. I worked with these people every day, and I thought they were my friends."

He continued: "They were people in positions of power, they were my bosses. They were directors, they were producers. I thought I was safe. I had no idea that for 4 years, I was working alongside people who had supported him."

Describing how he felt when he read the letters, Drake said: "Every letter I turned, it broke my heart when I would see the name at the end of the letter and go, ‘What? We worked together. I thought that we were friends.’"