The jingle is engraved in the brains of thousands of children born in the 2000s. The flashy intros, the orange splash of slime. Nickelodeon was the epitome of cool: teenagers wearing trendy outfits, making each other laugh, and undergoing the most comical conflicts. While all seemed perfect on the surface, there was a dark side to many of Nick’s shows of the 2000s. One of the most horrific was the story of Drake Bell, star of Drake and Josh.
Drake Bell began to act at the age of five. Following his parents’ divorce his father, Joe Bell, searched for ways to spend time with his son. The two began to attend auditions and Drake booked various commercials, and guest appearances on shows. Drake’s big break arrived when he was casted in a recurring role on “The Amanda Show” by Dan Schneider. Starring alongside Amanda Bynes, Drake acted in skit comedy which aired on Nickelodeon. After quickly becoming a favorite of Schneider, talk of Drake’s own show with fellow “Amanda Show” actor Josh Peck circulated. To accompany his growing acting career Bell was put in contact with one of Nickelodeon’s most trusted acting coaches- Brian Peck. Peck was beloved by children and adults alike, having worked in the film industry for over 20 years. He worked on Nickelodeon’s “All That” and “The Amanda Show”, starting in the early 90’s. Peck’s relationship with Bell grew close, and Peck seemed to serve as a father figure for Bell.
In a 2024 Docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Nickelodeon”, Drake reveals that Peck began to find ways to sever the close relationship between Drake and his father. Bell had been acting as Drake’s manager in the ten years since his entrance to the acting world, however, Peck began to express concerns of Joe Bell mishandling Drake’s money. The concerns, however, went both ways. Bell expressed extreme worry about Peck’s treatment of his son. In “Quiet on Set,” he shares how Peck’s touchy behavior with his son threw him off, in accompaniment with Peck showing up at many of Drake’s concerts and insisting to host Drake’s birthday party. While Bell tried to protect his son, the whispers from Peck only increased, and strengthened Drake’s opinion on his father. Eventually, the whispers took a toll on Drake’s mind, and in 2001, Drake fired his father as his manager, employing his mother. The one piece of advice he left Drake’s mother with, Bell recalls, was to “never ever leave Drake alone with Brian Peck… period, whatsoever” Without Bell in place to take care of many of the day-to-day actions as Drake’s manager, Peck stepped into place. He often drove him to and from set, interviews, and other obligations, allowing Drake(only 15 at the time) to stay over at his house to avoid making the drive back to Drake’s home with his mother at night. Drake often went to Disneyland with Peck’s friends. “He had pretty much worked his way into every aspect of my life” Drake recalls.
One morning Drake was sleeping on the couch as per usual, and he awoke to Peck sexually assaulting him. At fifteen years old, Peck was scared and confused on how to react. He was unable to leave, and the fear of what would happen to his acting career paralyzed him. Unsure of what to do, it became Drake’s secret. “I couldn’t just say I no longer wanted to go to Brian’s house because then they’re going to raise questions…” Drake painfully recalled “… and then he’s so apologetic ‘Oh this’ll never happen again’, ‘I’m so sorry’, ‘I don’t know what got into me’ and ‘I crossed the line’”. This was not the case, as Drake admits Brian had crafted a world in which Drake’s career relied on Brian, and he always seemed to fall back to Brian’s house and “it just got worse and worse and worse and I was just trapped and I had no way out.”
The details of abuse were hard for Drake to retell. Peck used torturous forms of abuse to exploit and violate Drake repeatedly throughout the early 2000s and the airing of Drake and Josh. He struggles to explain, saying “I don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera…why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone can do to somebody as a sexual assault.. I don’t know how else to put it.” This cycle repeated for years. One day, Drake broke down and told his mom everything. His mother immediately called the police and Drake was rushed into a detailed investigation, including a recorded phone call with Peck, where Peck confessed. Peck was arrested in August of 2003. While in court, Drake remained nameless(as he was a minor) hiding his identity from the public. During the sentencing, Peck’s side of the court was full. 41 letters were written to the judge defending Peck’s character, from friends, family, and notable Hollywood figures. Drake addressed the court saying “You will forever have the memory of sitting in this courtroom and defending this person. And I will forever have the memory of the person you’re defending, violating me and doing unspeakable acts and crimes.”
At the trial’s conclusion, Peck received sixteen months in jail and was ordered to register as a sex offender. He continued to work on childhood shows after his release, such as “Suite Life of Zack and Cody.” He can even be recognized as the recurring voice of London Tipton’s mirror. As Drake struggled to deal with his trauma, Drake and Josh was at its peak, putting Drake in the spotlight where he was constantly reminded he must remain a positive role model. Drake admits this increased the amount of stress he experienced. Drake continues to live with the trauma from his childhood, having suffered from alcohol and substance abuse, as well as time in jail.
Currently, Drake and his father have rekindled their relationship and continue to work towards healing the gap that was wedged between them. On March 19 Drake posted in an explanation that he and Josh Peck (his co-star on Drake and Josh, no relation to Brian Peck) have been in communication privately, helping each other process the publication of this information.
While Drake and Josh was cherished by many children globally, behind the scenes the teenage heart-throb Drake Bell was experiencing an inexplicable amount of pain. The truth has been hidden for over 20 years, and Drake’s heartbreaking confession has allowed for the world to truly see the dangers of childhood exploitation.
