Nickelodeon alum Josh Peck has finally broken his silence over the bombshell Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which details the abuse, racism and inappropriate behavior on the sets of kids shows in the 1990s and early 2000s.
Josh came under fire when he failed to immediately speak out about the docuseries, which revealed that his Drake & Josh co-star Drake Bell was the unnamed victim who was sexually abused by adult dialogue coach Brian Peck when he was 15 years old.
But Bell hit back at the backlash aimed at Josh (who is unrelated to Brian), confirming in a TikTok video that his onscreen brother had reached out to him privately. Josh then reiterated what Bell said in a follow-up Instagram post, where he also expressed empathy for the other victims who told their stories in the doc.
“I finished the Quiet on Set documentary and took a few days to process it,” Peck wrote. “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 set with the world.”
He added, “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.”
Bell publicly opened up about the “brutal” abuse he faced from Brian for the first time in the docuseries. He claimed that he was sleeping over the adult’s house when he woke up to Brian, then 43, sexually assaulting him.
“I was just trapped. I had no way out. The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal. I don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera, really,” Bell said, per Variety. “Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, and then I’ll answer your question. I don’t know how else to put it.”
At Brian’s sentencing in 2004, his side of the courtroom was reportedly filled with stars like James Marsden, Will Friedle, Rider Strong and Taran Killam. According to former Nickelodeon showrunner Dan Schneider — whose on-set behavior was also called into question in Quiet on Set — Bell was “devastated” that so many people defended Brian, who was ultimately sentenced to 16 months in prison.
Josh wasn’t the only Drake & Josh star to speak out in support of Bell following the docuseries. Nancy Sullivan, who played their mother on the show, also shared a message for her onscreen son.
“They weren’t my real kids, but I’ll always love them,” Sullivan wrote on Instagram. “It broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together. I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he’s grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth.”
She continued, “Past abuse doesn’t define us, and it has no right to rule our lives, I know that putting this burden down will free him in so many ways. I hope memories of the joy he had on our shows will someday greatly overshadow the pain. Sending love to Drake for a deep healing and for a rich and beautiful life ahead.”
If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.
