Originally appeared on E! Online
Drake Bell is feeling protective of his on-screen brother.
The “Drake & Josh” alum shared that he empathizes with Josh Peck over the backlash he received for not immediately speaking out after Bell opened up about being the originally unnamed minor in a 2003 sexual abuse case against Brian Peck (no relation to Josh Peck) during the “Quiet on Set” documentary.
“I know what it’s like to have the internet attack you for really nothing,” Bell explained in the fifth episode of “Quiet on Set,” which aired April 7, before noting that Josh Peck had, at the time, already privately “reached out to me and we had been talking.”
“This is a really difficult thing to process,” Bell continued. “But, at the end of the day, we have such a close connection and unique bond that’s so rare in this industry that, I don’t know, it’s really special, and he’s a really great person.”
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And this isn’t the first time the 37-year-old has come to the Nickelodeon alum’s defense. Last month, Bell asked social media users to give Josh Peck some grace regarding his silence on the show, which also brought forth allegations of inappropriate behavior against “Drake & Josh,” “iCarly” and “Victorious” creator Dan Schneider, which he has since issued an apology for.
“[Josh] has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this and has been really great,” Bell said of the “Oppenheimer” actor in a March 20 TikTok video. “Just wanted to let you guys know that and to take it a little easy on him.”
While making an appearance on Amanda Hirsh’s “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast, the 37-year-old got candid about openly talking about the abuse he suffered as a child actor at the hands of his dialogue coach, Brian Peck, in the docuseries “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” and the way his former “Drake and Josh” co-star reacted to the news.
The following day, Josh Peck addressed the docuseries’ allegations publicly, stating he wanted 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,” the 37-year-old’s March 21 message continued. “I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry.”
Brian Peck was convicted in 2004 of sexually assaulting a minor and sentenced to 16 months in prison.
As for Schneider, he has apologized for allegations he created a toxic work environment at Nickelodeon, admitting that watching “Quiet on Set” was “very difficult” for him and led him to face “past behaviors, some of which are embarrassing and that I regret.”
“I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology,” the former producer told “iCarly” alum BooG!e in a March 19 video interview before noting that he was not the only one making decisions at the network as there were “many, many levels of scrutiny.”
Schneider added, “These are my bosses’ bosses and then their bosses, and then their bosses, and they’re approving all of this stuff. We’re also shooting it in front of all sorts of adults and caregivers and set teachers and the families.”
Audiences are in shock over “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV,” a bombshell new Investigation Discovery docuseries that’s pulling back the curtain on former Nickelodeon shows, alleging that there was a toxic and abusive environment behind the scenes on multiple shows.