Drake Bell revealed that he was a victim of sexual abuse after he stopped drinking. The 38-year-old actor shared his story in the documentary “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV,” discussing the “extensive and brutal” abuse he endured from Nickelodeon’s dialect coach, Brian Peck, during his time as a teen star on the network. He mentioned that his perspective on life changed dramatically after he quit alcohol nearly a year ago.
In an interview with Us Weekly, the actor and singer expressed the challenges of recovery. He stated, “Recovery is really hard, especially when you’ve been affected by substance abuse for so many years. But when I started telling my story while sober and clear-headed, I had a completely different perspective on everything. The wound and pain began to fade, and all these experiences became part of my past. I realized that the more you suppress those emotions, the more they impact everything and everyone around you. Now that my story is out in the open, it’s much easier to say, ‘Okay, I stumbled and fell there. I could have handled it differently, but if I had, I wouldn’t be where I am today.'”
The former star of “Drake & Josh,” who first worked with Amanda Bynes on “The Amanda Show” and later teamed up with Josh Peck for his own comedy in 2004, admitted that he used to feel “alone” after years of trauma. However, since sharing his experiences, he has felt “so good” about himself.
He added, “It’s incredible. You go through life thinking, ‘I’m alone in this; it’s something I have to keep secret. People are going to judge me for it.’ Then you get into a group like this and share your story, and you feel so empowered by talking about it.”
Bell, known for his song “I Kind of Relate,” has a two-year-old son named Wyatt with his ex-wife, Janet Von Schmeling. He acknowledged that he wouldn’t want his son to venture into the entertainment industry given his own experiences, though he recognizes that acting has always been a passion of his.
He told Access Hollywood, “It’s a tough question because knowing what I know about the industry and having the experiences I’ve had, it’s hard—because it’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve wanted to be an artist for as long as I can remember, watching Lucille Ball, the Marx Brothers, Costello, Elvis, and the Beatles—that’s what I wanted to do. So, it’s difficult to say, ‘Oh, well, there are dangers in this,’ because that’s what I experienced. However, that danger isn’t unique to Hollywood; it happens in schools, in sports—everywhere. So you have to be careful, stay on guard, and be very protective, maybe overly protective.”
Reflecting on the abuse, Bell noted, “Brian and I became very good friends because we had many of the same interests, which, looking back, I think probably was a bit calculated.”
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