Featured Image Credit: YouTube/The Sarah Fraser Show
Topics: Nickelodeon, Celebrity, Film and TV
Callum Jones
Topics: Nickelodeon, Celebrity, Film and TV
Warning: This article discusses sexual assault which some readers may find distressing.
Drake Bell has slammed Nickelodeon for its response to allegations made in a recent documentary.
The Drake & Josh star broke his silence in the new Investigation Discovery documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV earlier this month.
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The actor claimed he was sexually abused by dialogue and acting coach Brian Peck, who pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14-or-15-year-old, and to oral copulation with a minor under 16 in 2004.
Peck was ultimately sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender in October 2004.
In his first interview since the release of the doc, Bell has shared his thoughts on Nickelodeon‘s response to the allegations.
Speaking on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast, Bell said: "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.
"So I think that was a really well-tailored response by probably some big attorney in Hollywood."
He continued: "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."
In a statement provided to Variety after the documentary aired, a Nickelodeon spokesperson said: "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.
"Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct.
"Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience."
UNILAD has reached out to Nickelodeon for further comment.
Since Bell detailed his allegations in the new documentary, many have spoken out in his support, including his former Drake & Josh co-star Josh Peck.