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After sharing his experience of being sexually abused as a child actor, Drake Bell has since revealed that his former Drake & Josh co-star, Josh Peck, “knew what he was going through.” But are Drake Bell and Josh Peck friends? Here’s what to know about where they stand after Drake’s harrowing experience came to light.
Drake detailed his experience of alleged abuse by his former dialogue coach, Brian Peck, in a gripping five-part docuseries titled Quiet on Set, Brian (who has no relation to Josh Peck) was later convicted of sexually assaulting a child actor on Nickelodeon in 2004. Viewers of Quiet on Set have since learned that it was Drake who was the victim involved in Brian Peck’s criminal case and conviction. Drake, who also starred on The Amanda Show during his time with Nickelodeon, was only 15 years old when the abuse took place.
During the April 2, 2024 episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Drake revealed that “Josh worked on The Amanda Show, so he saw and knew what was going on.” The musician and actor—who alleges he endured the abuse for several months from his dialogue coach before the airing of Drake & Josh in 2004—didn’t fully disclose his ordeal to his former co-star at the time. However, he explained that Josh and others on The Amanda Show set had an idea of what was really going on.
“I don’t think he knew specifics, but there were people who worked on the show that knew who it was,” Drake explained, before confirming that Josh had reached out to him since Quiet on Set premiered. “He just knew how sensitive this was for me and after watching the documentary, he learned so much that I had gone through and I think he was just so sensitive and made sure to reach out to me privately rather than just going straight to social media.”
Are Drake Bell and Josh Peck still friends?
While some viewers of Quiet on Set were upset with Josh Peck for taking time to respond to Drake Bell’s revelations on the series, Drake made sure to defend his former cast mate on social media, suggesting that the pair are on good terms today. “I just want to clear something up,” he said in a TikTok. “I’ve noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh’s TikToks and some of his posts and I just want to let you guys know that processing this and going through this is a really emotional time and a lot of it is very, very difficult.”
Drake asked his followers to “take it a little easy” on Josh, who he said was supporting him. “So not everything is put out to the public, but I just want you guys to know that he has reached out to me, and it’s been very sensitive, but he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this and has been really, really great,” he shared.
Josh later issued a statement on Instagram, explaining that it took him “a few days to process” Quiet On Set. “I reached out to Drake privately, but wanted to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world,” he shared. “Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry.”
In the past, however, Josh has spoken out about his relationship with Drake, insinuating that the pair were no longer friends. In a March 2022 episode of the podcast, BFFs with Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards and Brianna Chickenfry, Josh explained that they had grown apart years after filming Drake & Josh. “We were kids, right? Obviously, there were times when we were closer than not, but when inevitably the show ended—I mean, we’re just totally different kids,” Josh said at the time. “Drake & Josh is something I’ll be synonymous with forever, and I’m proud of it. And I want to like the guy that my name is attached to forever, but unfortunately, it just sort of worked out the way that it did.”
For more on the alleged abuse within Nickelodeon, read Jennette McCurdy’s 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died
. In #1 The New York Times bestseller, McCurdy, who starred as Sam Puckett on Nickelodeon’s iCarly from 2007 to 2012, opens up about growing up as a child star, her time on Nickelodeon, and the alleged abuse she suffered from her late mother, who died while Puckett was starring on the iCarly spinoff, Sam & Cat. “Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I’m Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair,” the publisher’s description reads.
