Drake Bell is coming to the defense of his old pal, former Nickelodeon co-star Josh Peck.
The “Drake & Josh” actors have been seemingly pitted against each other by loyal fans of Bell’s, as Peck posted a TikTok video Monday and lip-synced: “If I haven’t talked to you since 2023, take that as a fucking sign that you don’t exist to me anymore.”
The timing made online sleuths suspicious, as Bell recently alleged in the new “Quiet on Set” documentary series that Brian Peck — who is not related to Josh Peck — sexually abused him as a child while employed as a dialect coach for Nickelodeon.
The video seemed even more alarming to fans of Bell as he was recently mocked for speaking out against his abuser by the former stars of a Nickelodeon series, one of whom later apologized.
“Interesting timing…” wrote one user in the comments of his video, with another suggesting he was financially compensated for diminishing Bell’s allegations: “guys if he took the money to keep quiet he isn’t gonna comment on it. they paid him off for a reason.”
While the “Drake & Josh” stars have feuded before, Bell is adamant this isn’t the case now.
“Processing this and going through this is a really emotional time,” he said Wednesday in a TikTok video. “A lot of it is very difficult so not everything is put out to the public. But I just wanted to let you guys know that he has reached out to me and it’s been very sensitive.”
Bell added that his longtime friend has been “really great” and contacted him “to talk” and help Bell “work through this” traumatic experience. He then referenced Josh Peck’s TikTok videos directly, asking fans to “take it a little easy” on him in the comments.
“Quiet on Set” chronicled the alleged abuses of multiple Nickelodeon staffers, with Brian Peck at the forefront of several episodes. Then 43, the former dialect coach was arrested in 2003 and convicted in 2004 of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a teen.
Bell identified himself in the doc as the victim and recalled Brian Peck being sentenced.
“I get to the courthouse,” he said about that day. “It was the most unbelievable thing I’d ever seen. His entire side of the courtroom was full. Full. There were definitely some recognizable faces on that side of the room. And my side was me, my mom and my dad.”
Multiple actors on “Boy Meets World,” on which Brian Peck was a guest star, said on a podcast episode last month when discussing his arrest that they declined to participate in the documentary — and regretted supporting Brian Peck before fully understanding the gravity of the accusations.
“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,” Nickelodeon-recently told multiple outlets.
Brian Peck reportedly pleaded no contest at the time and spent 16 months in prison.
