Quiet on Set: Drake Bell attacks Nickelodeon’s “empty” response

Drake Bell has slammed Nickelodeon’s “empty” response to Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

The Drake & Josh star appeared in the documentary series to identify himself as the victim in the child abuse case against his former dialogue coach, Brian Peck. 

Peck, known for his Nickelodeon “Pickle Boy” skit, was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004 for performing a lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older and oral copulation of a person under 16.

In his first interview since the release of Quiet on Set, Bell called out Nickelodeon’s response to the docuseries. 

“There’s a very well-tailored response saying, ‘Learning about his trauma,’ because they couldn’t say that they didn’t know about this or what had happened, or anything,” he said on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast.

“So I think that was a really well-tailored response by probably some big attorney in Hollywood.”

His comments refer to a statement shared with Variety by a Nickelodeon spokesperson, which reads: “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”

Bell added: “I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows, they still put our shows on. 

“And I have to pay for my own therapy, I have to figure out what — I mean if there was anything, if there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”

Last week, Quiet on Set viewers called out the numerous celebrities who wrote letters of support for Peck during his trial. 

Bell’s Drake & Josh co-star, Josh Peck – who has no relation to Brian Peck – also faced accusations of not showing support for his friend. 

However, Bell jumped to his defense and assured fans that he “has been really great.” Josh then broke his silence on the matter, writing on Instagram: “I finished the Quiet on Set documentary and took a few days to process it. 

“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 sets with the world.

“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.”

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available to stream on Max now – find out what we know about a rumored Episode 5 here. For more true crime, here are all the documentaries hitting streaming this month.