In the latest Investigation Discovery series, “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV”, former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell steps forward as one of the victims of convicted sex offender Brian Peck. Bell, who was abused by Peck under the guise of acting lessons, details the extent of the abuse in the documentary.
Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004 for child sex abuse. However, “Boy Meets World” stars Will Friedle and Rider Strong wrote letters in support of Peck during his trial. They recently expressed regret and shame over these letters on their podcast.
Before the docuseries’ release, Boy Meets World cast members Rider Strong and Will Friedle revealed on an episode of their recap podcast that they had been asked to provide a statement about Peck, with whom they collaborated on the series. Instead of contributing to Quiet on the Set, they chose to express their feelings about Peck on their podcast, in which Friedle claimed that Peck groomed him and asked Friedle to support him in court during the case.
RELATED: Marvel’s Shang-Chi 2 In Production And Iron Fist’s Rumored Addition to the MCU
“We’re sitting in that courtroom on the wrong side of everything,” Friedle said about writing letters of support for Peck and attending the court hearing. “The victim’s mother turned and said, ‘Look at all the famous people you brought with you. And it doesn’t change what you did to my kid.’ I just sat there wanting to die.”
Bell has now accused Friedle and Strong of trying to save face by expressing regret. He argues they were not manipulated by Peck and knew the truth. According to Bell, Peck confessed his crimes to Friedle, yet he chose to support Peck.
Friedle and Strong claim Peck manipulated them into supporting him by painting himself as the victim. However, Bell disputes their account, pointing out that Friedle was an adult at the time and not a minor.
RELATED: Director Patty Jenkins Says Star Wars Rogue Squadron Is Back On The Table
Under an Instagram post shared by Alexa Nikolas, the former Zoey 101 star who also appears in the docuseries, Bell responded to posts that the Boys Meet World stars “were victims too” and “manipulated by [Peck] like anyone else” when “they were minors.” Bell responded with the following:
“Will was 27 years old and Brian told him what he did many people turned away and said no I won’t write a letter but they did.”
The larger conversation revolves around protecting child actors and confronting abuse allegations. Stars like Drake Bell speaking out about their experiences contribute to this conversation. However, accused enablers like Friedle and Strong also face scrutiny over their past responses.
The four-part series has already prompted statements from Nickelodeon mega-producer Dan Schneider, who is no stranger to toxicity allegations. The Peck case and the release of “Quiet on Set” have sparked discussions about alleged abuse at Nickelodeon.
By sharing his story, Bell joins former Nick stars Alexa Nikolas (who also appears in the series) and Jennette McCurdy in exposing alleged wrongdoing at the network that gave them their big breaks.
NEXT: Todd Howard and Jonathan Nolan Talk Amazon’s ‘Fallout’ TV Series Clarifying Replacing Fallout 5
Leave a Reply