Drake Bell spoke out in his first interview following the release of the ID docuseries, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Children TV.”
In a new episode of “The Sarah Fraser Show” podcast, Bell shared her thoughts on Nickelodeon’s response to the documentary, during which the “Drake & Josh” star details her sexual abuse through dialogue and performance by trainer Brian Peck .
“There’s a very well-tailored response that says, ‘Learning about his trauma,’ because they couldn’t say they didn’t know about it or what had happened, or anything like that,” Bell said. “So I feel like it was an extremely well-tailored response, probably from some big Hollywood lawyer.”
“I find their responses quite hollow, because, I mean, they still host our shows, they still air our shows,” he added. “And I have to pay for my own treatment, I have to figure out what — I mean, if there was something, if there was some truth behind them really caring, there could be something bigger than quotes on a page from clearly an authorized consultant saying tell them exactly how to adapt a response.”
Bell also explained why he decided to participate in the “Quiet on Set” documentary, saying that one of the administrators, Emma Schwartz, was “very sensitive” and he “could tell she was coming from a real place” from their initial interactions over email. mail.
Shortly after meeting Schwartz in person, Bell went to rehab to work through some of his trauma.
“I felt very comfortable in that interview, but I was going through a lot of difficulties in my personal life and after that interview I ended up checking myself into rehab,” Bell said. “We’ve been through a lot of trauma therapy, a lot of group therapy, a lot of individual therapy – the whole day has been filled with working and processing this with a clear mind, and unearthing all those things that I hadn’t faced head on, or if I had tried, it was very painful. And so in that process, when I bought it, I thought to myself, ‘Maybe this is a good time to go back to them and say hey, I’m not 100%, but let’s discuss it more, but I’m getting closer and closer to feeling comfortable. to finally share my story.’”
Peck worked on the Nickelodeon shows “All That” and “The Amanda Show” in the late 1990s and early 2000s. In 2003, Peck, then 43, was arrested on 11 charges — including sodomy, lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old baby by a person 10 years older and oral copulation using anesthesia or a controlled substance – but the victim was not identified. until now, when Bell stepped forward. “Quiet on Set” also uncovered allegations of emotional abuse and sexualization of child actors against the Nickelodeon administration and “Drake & Josh” creator Dan Schneider, who he addressed in a video released after the documentary premiered.
Following the release of “Quiet on Set,” a Nickelodeon spokesperson gave the following statement to Selection about Bell: “Now that Drake Bell has revealed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he suffered, and we commend and support the energy needed to move forward.”
The spokesperson added: “While we cannot corroborate or deny allegations of past production behaviors, Nickelodeon, for the sake of coverage, investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to promoting a safe and professional office environment. free from harassment or different types of inappropriate conduct. Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests of not only our crew, cast and crew, but of all children, and we have put in place a number of safeguards over the years to help ensure we live up to our own high standards and the expectations of our viewers.”