Drake Bell on How He Agreed to Share His Story of Abuse, Nickelodeon’s ‘Fairly Empty’ Response

Whereas a lot of the bombshell docuseries targeted on Dan Schneider’s allegedly abusive habits, the most important headlines got here from Bell’s stunning reveal that he was the kid star who got here ahead with allegations of sexual abuse towards Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.

After the two-night occasion rocked the world, Bell sat down for The Sarah Fraser Present podcast, the place he opened up in regards to the anxieties he had earlier than he’d even agreed to take part within the docuseries, and his ideas about what he noticed on it and what’s occurred — or not occurred since.

“I have not gotten an apology, or a sorry, from anyone that had written letters or was concerned in supporting him in any respect,” Bell mentioned, per Deadline, of the 41 people who wrote letters of help for Brian Peck at his sentencing.

A few of these names have been revealed within the docuseries, together with Boy Meets World stars Rider Sturdy and Will Friedle, James Marsden, Saturday Evening Dwell alum Taran Killam, and Rising Pains’ Joanna Kerns and the late Alan Thicke.

A few of these people have additionally spoken publicly about their letters, with the BMW stars saying they’d been misinformed in regards to the case. X-Males producer Tom DeSanto additionally advised Folks his letter was “primarily based on incomplete info.”

“To sit down there and say, ‘Sure, I did this, but it surely’s not how they’re portray it’ — I imply, I can not think about framing it in a manner the place 41 folks, adults, say ‘Oh, properly that completely is smart, the way you’re telling me, that is smart,'” mentioned Bell on the podcast.

In his assertion, DeSanto did publicly apologize to Bell, including that if he’d been “totally knowledgeable of all of the accusations, my help would have been completely withheld.” Kerns echoed this sentiment, additionally saying she “by no means would have written the letter,” had she recognized the complete story.

Bell was appreciative of DeSanto’s apology, noting, “It is a very, very powerful factor for everybody concerned, and that is what occurs when folks like Brian do what they do — it creates a ripple impact. And in order that was actually cool of him to do.”

One particular person Bell did hear from was his co-star Josh Peck (no relation to Brian Peck). Bell and Peck have maintained their friendship by means of the years, which is why followers discovered Peck’s public silence so disconcerting after the docuseries aired. However Bell jumped onto his personal social media to guarantee them Peck had reached out to him privately.

When speaking about why he’d lastly determined to go public together with his story in any case these years, Bell admitted that there was a variety of reluctance on his half, and that it nonetheless took him a very long time, and a visit to rehab, to totally determine he was prepared.

One a part of his reluctance was resulting from a nasty expertise he’d had with a earlier documentary that wished him to become involved. Whereas he didn’t identify the venture in query, he mentioned that he was brutally shamed for declining to take part.

“The response I obtained was unbelievable,” Bell mentioned on the podcast, per The Hollywood Reporter. “Within the electronic mail, they mentioned that individuals like me have been the issue, and for this reason issues aren’t gonna change within the business as a result of folks such as you will not converse out and will not come ahead.”

“It was simply all this shaming of me not eager to be part of their documentary,” he continued. “So I’ve at all times been cautious and on edge at any time when approached to speak about such a delicate subject.”

He mentioned that issues shortly felt completely different with the Quiet on Set group after he met considered one of its administrators, Emma Schwartz. “She was very delicate, and we type of grew to become buddies,” he mentioned. “I might inform that she was coming from a real place once we began our back-and-forth.”

Bell did not really feel like she was attempting to govern him into collaborating, and so he invited her to Los Angeles to at the least meet and speak. However whereas that assembly went properly and put him much more comfortable, Bell additionally knew that there was an excessive amount of happening in his private life on the time.

Specifically, the actor was coping with baby endangerment expenses from 2021, with the media misreporting the outcomes of that case as him having been registered as a intercourse offender. He was given probation and group service, however by no means registered as a intercourse offender.

And so, Bell opted to enter rehab the place he says he skilled a variety of trauma remedy in each group and one-on-one classes which actually helped him with “unearthing all of this stuff that I hadn’t confronted head-on, or if I had tried to, it was too painful.”

Finally, by means of that have and thru persevering with communication with the documentary group, Bell determined to inform his story. He additionally invited his father, who’d been pushed out of his life all these years in the past by means of his abuser’s manipulations, to be part of it, as properly, hoping it is likely to be “cathartic and useful” for him.

Nickelodeon’s official response was additionally part of the story, although Bell wasn’t all that impressed by it. Of their response to Bell’s story, Nickelodeon mentioned in an announcement, “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identification because the plaintiff within the 2004 case, we’re dismayed and saddened to study of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and help the power required to come back ahead.”

“Although we can not corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions many years in the past, Nickelodeon as a matter of coverage investigates all formal complaints as a part of our dedication to fostering a secure {and professional} office atmosphere freed from harassment or other forms of inappropriate conduct.”

Bell mentioned, “It was a really well-tailored response saying, ‘Studying about his trauma,’ as a result of they could not say that they did not find out about this or what had occurred, or something. So I believe that was a very well-tailored response by most likely some massive lawyer in Hollywood.”

“I discover it fairly empty, their responses, as a result of, I imply, they nonetheless present our exhibits, they nonetheless put our exhibits on. And I’ve to pay for my very own remedy,” he added.

“If there was something, if there was any reality behind them really caring, there could be one thing greater than quotes on a web page by clearly a authorized consultant telling them precisely how you can tailor a response.”

Bell did circle again round to Schneider, as properly, although he had a really completely different expertise than a lot of the different younger stars. The docuseries lobbed allegations of poisonous and abusive on-set habits and inappropriately sexual content material on his exhibits, which Schneider responded to after it aired.

“After I watched the present, I might see the damage in some folks’s eyes, and it made me really feel terrible and regretful and sorry,” Schneider mentioned in a video assertion, per The Hollywood Reporter. “I want I might return, particularly to these earlier years of my profession, and produce the expansion and the expertise that I’ve now and simply do a greater job and by no means, ever really feel prefer it was OK to be an a–hole to anybody, ever.”

“Watching over the previous two nights was very tough — me going through my previous behaviors, a few of that are embarrassing and that I remorse,” Schneider mentioned. “I positively owe some folks a reasonably robust apology.”

One particular person not in search of an apology, although, is Bell, who mentioned that the present creator was extremely supportive after his experiences. “When Drake and I talked and he advised me about what occurred, I used to be extra devastated by that than something that ever occurred to me in my profession to this point. And I advised him, ‘I am right here for you,'” Schneider mentioned in his video.

Bell echoed this, saying that it was Schneider who had reached out to him after Brian Peck’s trial. Bell had not revealed his identification, however Schneider suspected it was him, and Bell confided the reality in him.

“He knew what I used to be most likely coping with, however I might inform in his voice that he obtained very– there was a variety of damage and anger, however he was very delicate to me, and that was my expertise,” Bell mentioned.

On the identical time, whereas acknowledging that his expertise with Schneider was very completely different to these of a lot of his younger colleagues, Bell mentioned he would by no means need to reduce their voices or tales.

“I can solely react and reply to what I’ve really skilled and in addition not say something that might take away from someone else having the comfortability and power and bravado to inform their story and share their experiences,” mentioned Bell.

You may take a look at Bell’s full interview about Quiet on Set: The Darkish Aspect of Youngsters TV under.