Drake Bell Reveals How Josh Peck’s Childhood Ab*se Secret Changed Their Friendship: ‘Doesn’t Want Much…’

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Drake Bell is talking about the ways his childhood stardom and the abuse he experienced have affected his friendship with Josh Peck, his co-star from Drake & Josh. They talked about this on an episode of Peck’s podcast called Good Guys, which was released on March 24th.

Since the premiere of Quiet on Set, a film in which Bell disclosed being abused by Brian Peck (unrelated to Josh), a dialogue coach from The Amanda Show, this was their initial public exchange. Prior to working together on Drake & Josh, as reported by PEOPLE, they first crossed paths on The Amanda Show.

In the podcast, Peck reminisced about their initial encounter and admitted that at first, they didn’t click. However, he found Bell intriguing and hoped for his approval. Later, when Bell discovered that Peck was somewhat humorous and valued individuals who shared his sense of humor, they grew incredibly close and rarely spent time apart.

In 2004, when they began working together on Drake & Josh, the bond between them grew stronger, Bell mentioned. Yet, he pointed out that the allegations against Brian Peck caused a significant change in their friendship.

Bell revealed that the significant divide between Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show occurred when he shared details about the situation with his mother. It was during the filming of the Drake & Josh pilot that an investigation into Brian Peck was already being conducted, but this wasn’t known by anyone on set at the time.

Drake Bell shared that working on the series Drake & Josh was challenging since it was filmed on the very set where he had previously experienced mistreatment, namely The Amanda Show. However, he found comfort in this location because it allowed him to interact with familiar faces.

Yet, he remembered that Brian Peck had dropped by during the filming of the pilot, a fact that only amplified his unease. He admitted that at that point, he was privy to the information that an arrest was imminent for Peck, but this knowledge was not shared with anyone else on set.

Josh Peck confessed that he didn’t realize Bell was dealing with something and believed he had chosen to stay away. “It wasn’t until you told me about your situation that I saw it from a different perspective – as if I were a 14-year-old, I thought, ‘He doesn’t want anything to do with me.’

As a lifestyle expert reflecting on the scenario, I find myself pondering over the potential repercussions for Drake & Josh. “Will this affect our show’s trajectory? When this unfolds, will Josh confront me with, ‘Dude, you’ve just taken our dream away?'” The weight of these thoughts was so heavy that it started causing hair loss.

In the year 2004, Brian Peck admitted no guilt but was found guilty on charges relating to a minor under 16 years old. He received a sentence of 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender. Following his release in 2005, Brian Peck and his brother Josh Peck gradually restored their friendship.

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2025-03-25 13:22