Drake Bell has been hinting at the abuse he faced as a minor for years. The actor revealed that a song on his debut album, which was released in 2005, was about getting sexually assaulted by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
Bell posted a clip of his song titled “In the End” on TikTok, which he captioned, “I wrote this song when I was 15 about what happened before I said anything to anyone.”
The lyrics hold heartbreaking lines like, “Another day gone without a say,” and, “The darkest place that you’ve ever been.”
The chorus reads: “And in the end, are you stronger? / Do you no longer need to recover? / And where have you been since it’s been over? / Over my shoulder, under my skin, will you ever return again?”
The Drake & Josh alum opened up about the abuse for the first time in the Investigation Discovery exposé, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. He said he frequently slept over Peck’s house as a young teenager, but one day he woke up to the 43-year-old man sexually assaulting him.
“I was just trapped. I had no way out. The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal. I don’t know how to elaborate on that on camera, really,” Bell said in the docuseries. “Why don’t you think of the worst stuff that someone could do to somebody as a sexual assault, and then I’ll answer your question. I don’t know how else to put it.”
Bell eventually told his mother what happened, prompting her to call the police. In 2004, Peck pled no contest to oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender.
Because Bell was a minor at the time, his name was kept under wraps. He wasn’t revealed as the victim until he spoke out in Quiet on Set, which explores the toxic underworld of Nickelodeon series from the 1990s and early 2000s.
Ahead of the documentary’s release, Nickelodeon shared a statement with Decider.
“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,” the company said.
If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.
