Drake Bell defends parents of ex-Nickelodeon child stars amid backlash sparked by abuse allegations on set: ‘We were all vulnerable’

Drake Bell has defended parents of ex-Nickelodeon child stars who were accused of failing to protect their kids amid allegations of abuse and mistreatment at the network.

Drake & Josh star Bell, 37, identified himself as the minor who dialogue coach Brian Peck molested, on the Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. 

Registered sex offender Peck, 63,  served 16 months in prison in 2004-2005 after being arrested on 11 charges — including sodomy, lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older, and oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance.

Speaking at the For Your Consideration Panel this week, Bell said the parents of child stars were ‘learning along with us’ and were also ‘vulnerable.’

His mother Robin has been slammed online for allowing him to spend a lot of time with his abuser Peck because she did not want to drive him to and from the studio from their Orange County home.

Drake had revealed  was the unidentified minor who came forward in 2003 about being molested by dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Josh)

The 63-year-old registered sex offender (pictured in 2012) served 16 months in prison in 2004-2005 after being arrested on 11 charges — including sodomy, lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older, and oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance

Bell said per TMZ: ‘Some of these were our first jobs. Some of these were our parents’ first time on a set, and they’re just learning along with us. 

‘So to say ‘Oh, the parents should have stepped in with this and that’ — no, there should be somebody who’s experienced that can see, oh you know what, this child seems uncomfortable, I’m gonna be able to take him or her with their parent and bring them over here, ‘Do you feel comfortable doing this?’  

Bell said in the final episode of Quiet On Set: ‘I do feel there’s a lot of people after the doc going after my mom a bit. But if you were in that situation at that time, Brian was so good at what he was doing. He was so calculated.’

‘He knew exactly what to say, how to say it, what to do, the image to portray, everything. I completely understand how he just pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. It’s tragic.’

‘I think Brian got a sense that my dad was on the watch and so he started to really drive a wedge between my dad and me.’

‘My mom and my dad had a very tumultuous relationship. They did not get along and I think Brian saw that.’

Bell’s father Joe sad in the series that Peck ‘absolutely tricked’ Drake’s mother Robin after he warned her about Drake and Peck’s interactions.

Joe was praised by fans due to wanting Peck to stay away from his son. Joe – who was Bell’s manager, was fired by his son under Peck’s advice. 

His mother Robin has been slammed online for allowing him to spend a lot of time with his abuser Peck because she did not want to drive him to and from the studio from their Orange County home (pictured 2014)

The I Kind of Relate singer credited his father Joe Bell for being suspicious of how close Brian was acting around his son, which helped give Drake the courage to come forward about his ‘extensive’ and ‘brutal’ abuse

All That stars Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, who were present at the screening, said a liaison representing the child actor should be on set to advocate for them.

Hearne said: ‘That’s the most important thing. The parents can only do so much.’

Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz’s four-part docuseries described Brian as ‘very much one of the cogs in the Dan Schneider machine’ as the Nickelodeon executive producer oversaw the crew accused of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior on set.

‘That was probably the darkest part of my career,’ the 58-year-old Emmy nominee – who left Nickelodeon in 2018 – admitted in a 19-minute DanWarp YouTube video on Tuesday.

‘Watching over the past two nights was very difficult. Me facing my past behaviors – some of which are embarrassing and that I regret. I definitely owe some people a pretty strong apology.’

Brian was also an associate of canceled director Bryan Singer, who hosted notorious Hollywood parties filled with underage boys, and his career ended in 2019 after facing a slew of his own sexual assault allegations.

Unfortunately, Bell continued the cycle of abuse by pleading guilty in 2021 to ‘attempted endangering [of] children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.’

The Every Day Is Christmas With You singer was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service after a 19-year-old woman accused him of grooming her from ages 12-15 and sexually assaulting her at his 2017 Cleveland concert.

Drake – who was charged with DUIs in 2010 and 2016 – said he only took the plea deal to end the scandal quickly, and claimed he didn’t know her age and denied ever sending her sexual photos or engaging in sexual activity.

Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz’s four-part docuseries described Brian as ‘very much one of the cogs in the Dan Schneider (R) machine’ as the Nickelodeon executive producer oversaw the crew accused of abuse, sexism, racism and inappropriate behavior on set

The 58-year-old Emmy nominee (R) – who left Nickelodeon in 2018 – admitted in a 19-minute DanWarp YouTube video on Tuesday: ‘That was probably the darkest part of my career’

Unfortunately, Bell continued the cycle of abuse by pleading guilty in 2021 to ‘attempted endangering [of] children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles’ 

The Every Day Is Christmas With You singer was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service after a 19-year-old woman accused him of grooming her from ages 12-15 and sexually assaulting her at his 2017 Cleveland concert

Drake said in Quiet On Set: ‘I took responsibility for that, you know, I did what was asked of me, but the media grabbed a hold of so much misinformation, and it absolutely destroyed me. And I started to spin our of control. If I had continued down that path, that could very likely be the end of my story’

Bell’s wife of four years – Janet Von Schmeling (pictured Tuesday) – filed for divorce from him on April 20, and she appears to have primary custody of their toddler son Jeremy Drake Bell

Bell also denied all the verbal and physical abuse allegations in 2020 from his ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt, who also accused him on TikTok of ‘having inappropriate conversations online with underage girls.’

‘I took responsibility for that, you know, I did what was asked of me, but the media grabbed a hold of so much misinformation, and it absolutely destroyed me,’ The Masked Singer Mexico contestant said in Quiet On Set.

‘And I started to spin our of control. If I had continued down that path, that could very likely be the end of my story.’

Drake’s wife of four years – Janet Von Schmeling – filed for divorce from him on April 20, and she appears to have primary custody of their toddler son Jeremy Drake Bell.

On July 16, Bell announced via X that he started writing a book called I Found A Way, adding: ‘You will finally know my true story.’