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Drake Bell Opens Up About Sexual Abuse As A Child Star; Says 'communication stopped...'
Drake Bell is coming forward about the sexual assault he says he experienced as a 15-year-old child star.
Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual abuse
Drake Bell is publicly coming forward in a new documentary and alleging that he was sexually abused as a child star by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck. A recent teaser confirms that Bell was interviewed for the upcoming Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which focuses on conditions of shows created by Dan Schneider in the ‘90s and early 2000s.
According to Business Insider, one of Quiet on Set’s executive producers, Bell opens up in the docuseries about Peck allegedly abusing him when he was 15 years old. That would date the allegations to when Peck was working on The Amanda Show, which Bell starred on from 1999 to 2002.
Drake Bell opens up about sexual abuse as a child star
Drake Bell is claiming sexual abuse as a child star by Brian Peck. Bell was interviewed for the upcoming Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Peck was arrested in 2003 for lewd acts with a child, allegedly coaching an unnamed victim. The abuse occurred two years prior at Peck's residence. Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and ordered to register as a sex offender in 2004.
In 2021, Bell was also sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service for his sexually explicit relationship with a young fan. Bell began communication with the fan online at 12 and escalated to sexual exchanges by 15.
Bell initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but ultimately reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He was convicted in June of felony attempted child endangerment, with a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
In his response video, Bell stated that “I’m not perfect, and I make mistakes” and called his behavior “reckless and irresponsible” but disputed that he maintained communication with the victim over a sustained period of time or that he knew who she was during in-person encounters.
“I responded to a fan whose age I didn’t know. When I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped,” he said. “This individual continued to come to shows and pay for meet-and-greets, and although I was unaware that this was the same person I was communicating with online, that’s what I pled guilty to.”
More about Drake Bell
Drake Bell, born in Newport Beach, California, is an American actor and musician. He began his acting career at five, appearing on Home Improvement and appearing in commercials. Bell is best known for his roles on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh, and for his role as Peter Parker in Disney's Ultimate Spider-Man. He also starred in a trilogy of The Fairly OddParents movies.
Bell began his music career in the early 2000s with his appearances on The Amanda Show with a band called Drake 24/7. He co-wrote and performed the theme song to Drake & Josh, Found a Way. Bell released his debut album, Telegraph, in 2005, independently. His second album, It's Only Time, was released in 2006 and debuted at No. 81 on the Billboard 200.
His first video album, Drake Bell in Concert, was released in 2008 and debuted at No. 81 on the Top 100 Mexican Albums Chart. In 2011, Bell released an EP, A Reminder, independently. In 2014, he released his third album, Ready Steady Go!, under Surfdog Records, which debuted at No. 182 on the Billboard 200, and sold 2,000 copies in its first week of release.
In 2020, his former girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him of verbal and physical abuse during their late 2000s relationship, and inappropriate behavior towards underage girls, which Bell denied.
In June 2021, Bell was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, for allegedly endangering a 15-year-old girl during a concert. The girl had a relationship with Bell and attended his concert in December 2017. Bell violated his duty of care by sending inappropriate social media messages for months before the concert. Bell pleaded not guilty and was released on a $2,500 personal bond. He agreed to have no contact with the accuser and has a pretrial hearing scheduled for June 23.
Bell pleaded guilty to sexual assault and endangerment charges on June 23, 2021. His accuser accused him of assaulting her while she was underage. Bell was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service, which he completed in California. He is prohibited from having contact with his victim.
Bell stated in a video explaining to his fans that he ceased texting his accuser when her age came to light, lacking original context of her actual age, and that no images of a sexual matter was exchanged nor any physical behavior. He also clarified that he accepted a plea deal stating, "When I was presented with a plea deal, because of the messages, I felt that this was the best way to get this over quickly, and for everyone involved to be able to move on. And for me to get back to doing what I love, and that is making music for you."
Disclaimer: If you need support or know someone who is struggling with domestic violence or assault or abuse, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist, NGO or speak to someone about it. There are several helplines available for the same.
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