Former child actor Drake Bell says he was sexually abused while working for Nickelodeon in the early 2000s, as revealed in a new trailer for the upcoming Investigation Discovery series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”
The documentary, slated for release on March 17, is expected to feature interviews with several actors discussing the improper conduct of dialogue coach Brian Peck, according to Variety. Peck worked on multiple Nickelodeon shows.
A clip shared Tuesday shows Bell sitting down for an interview. The trailer’s context implies that Peck victimized him.
“The clip reveals that former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell will be sharing publicly, for the first time, the story of the abuse he suffered at the hands of Brian Peck, his former dialogue coach who was convicted in 2004 for his crimes against Drake and ordered to register as a sex offender,” Investigation Discovery confirmed in a press release.
Peck faced more than a dozen charges related to sexual abuse allegations in 2003. He later pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old and to oral copulation with a minor under 16. He served 16 months in prison.
On the Feb. 19 episode of the “Pod Meets World” podcast, former “Boy Meets World” actors Rider Strong and Will Friedle discussed working with Peck on the ABC show and the mistake of supporting him throughout his trial.
Friedle claimed Peck had asked for their support and told a version of the story that made it sound like he was innocent. However, Friedle says he quickly realized in court that he was on the wrong side.
“I just sat there wanting to die. It was like, ‘What the hell am I doing here?’ It was horrifying all the way around,” he said.
Bell, for his part, has had some legal trouble in recent years. He was convicted of child endangerment in 2021, for an improper relationship he allegedly had with a then-15-year-old.
The former actor also briefly went missing last year, and his family called the police over concerns that he was going to commit suicide.
Representatives for Bell and Peck did not immediately respond to a Daily News request for comment.
