Drake Bell Recalls How Josh Peck Was 'So Sensitive' During Their Private Talk After His Sex Abuse Reveal
Last month, Drake revealed that Josh had reached out "privately" to extend his support after he came forward about suffering abuse as a child star
Drake Bell is sharing the gentle way Josh Peck privately extended his support following his sex abuse revelations.
On Tuesday's episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Drake, 37, opened up about his recent forthcomings on suffering sexual abuse as a 15-year-old child actor at the hands of a Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck (to whom Josh has no relation) in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
At first, Drake and Josh fans implored Josh, 37, to make a public statement, but Drake later revealed the How I Met Your Father star reached out to him privately.
"He reached out to me privately and, you know, didn't go straight to the media because, you know he was there with me and, and saw what I was going through," Drake explained on the podcast, noting that Josh didn't know the "specifics" of his abuse but had suspected something wasn't right.
"I think that when he just knew how sensitive this was for me, and after of course watching the documentary, he learned of so much that I had gone through," Drake continued. "I think that he was just so sensitive and made sure to reach out to me privately rather than just going straight to social media or something."
In 2004, in connection with Drake's case, Brian pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a teenager. Drake's identity as the victim was not made public as he was a minor at the time. Brian spent 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender.
Though court records detailing the extent of Drake's abuse were sealed at the time, the "Found a Way" singer recalled how the "courtroom was full for Brian" and said that Hollywood is like a "small" town where there's a lot of "talk."
He added, "There were people that I confided in that I worked with. So it was definitely known that I was going through a lot."
Josh eventually released a statement to Instagram, where he expressed his support to not only Drake but also to the other alleged victims who had come forward about suffering abuse.
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“I finished the Quiet on Set documentary and took a few days to process it,” he wrote at the time. “I reached out to Drake privately, but I want to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world.”
“Children should be protected,” he continued. “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.”
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