A documentary was recently titled ‘Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.’ It exposed inappropriate behavior and misconduct behind the scenes of popular Nickelodeon shows.
The short docuseries talked about some serious reports of mistreatment of one star, in particular, Drake Bell. He starred in the hit show Drake and Josh. Drake spoke about several accusations of illegal mistreatment done to him by a dialogue coach by the name of Brian Peck who worked on the set of several shows.
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Once the news of this mistreatment came out, former cast and crew members came forward to support Drake. But the one whose response everyone was anticipating the most, Drake’s co-star Josh Peck, didn’t have much to say immediately.
Now, Josh has finally spoken out in an Instagram post. He explained that he didn’t respond right away because it took him a few days to process the information. In his post, he said he’d reached out to Drake privately to discuss the matter.
Drake Defended Josh’s Response
However, he still wanted to say something publicly. Josh felt it was important to support other survivors who were brave enough to share their stories. Josh made a point to say that all children should be protected in the industry.
He acknowledged that reliving something like this is incredibly difficult. Josh also said that he hopes that it can bring healing to the victims and their families. He hopes that through their stories, we will actually see the necessary change in the industry that needs to happen.
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While this post seems to have been met with an overall positive response, his silence in the days immediately following the documentary was questioned. It’s unknown if he would have made a public response had he not been expected to.
Regardless of a public statement or not, Drake defended Josh’s actions online. He posted a TikTok asking people to take it easy on Josh, especially since this information is incredibly emotional and very difficult to deal with. In his video, he said: “Not everything is put out to the public, but he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this and it’s been really, really great.”
The slowness of his response wasn’t the only thing that Josh received some backlash for, though. Around the time the documentary was airing, Josh posted a TikTok using a trending audio which said: “If I haven’t talked to you since 2023, take that as a sign that you don’t exist to me anymore.”
Some people believed that this was directly addressed to Drake with the assumption that he possibly didn’t support him. But this doesn’t appear to be the case. Given what we know, it seems like it was just an unfortunate coincidence.
Josh Wasn’t The Only Cast Member to Speak Out
Aside from Josh, other stars have come forward to share their support for Drake. This includes their on-screen mom from Drake & Josh, Nancy Sullivan. In her Instagram post, Nancy said she was sending love and healing to Drake after learning what happened while they worked together.
She said that it completely broke her heart to hear just how much Drake kept to himself during that time. She was devastated yet proud of how far he’s come in life. Nancy commended him for being brave and speaking his truth and wished him a rich and beautiful life.
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Other Nickelodeon stars like Devon Werkheiser and Lindsey Shaw from Ned’s Declassified also expressed their support. So, as of right now, it finally looks like everything is out on the table, and those who were expected to speak out about the accusations finally have.
While some people may not be happy with Josh for the way that he handled it, it seems like most are understanding of his actions now that both he and Drake have explained it.
