Content warning: this story discusses sexual assault.
Drake & Josh's bond remains strong.
Drake Bell spoke about his relationship with former Nickelodeon costar Josh Peck, who reached out to him after he revealed on the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV that he was sexually abused at age 15 by a dialogue coach.
"We've had our ups and downs, but we're like real brothers. Sometimes you want to hang out with your brother, sometimes you want to knock him in the head," Drake, 37, said on the March 22 episode of the Sarah Fraser Show podcast. "But at the end of the day, I think we do have a really special relationship and I would always be there for him and I know that he would be the same."
Drake, who had feuded with his Drake & Josh stepbrother in 2022, continued, "I know that there's been some catty remarks and things that have been said by him and by me but I don't want the public jumping on him because, in my times of struggle and times of pain, he has been somebody there that's been really important and special throughout my life."
On Quiet on Set, released on Investigation Discovery several days ago, Drake spoke out publicly for the first time about being sexually abused by Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who worked with him on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show. (Peck was sentenced in 2004 to 16 months in prison after pleading no contest to a count apiece of lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older and oral copulation of a person under 16, according to legal documents reviewed by E! News.)
After the docuseries aired, Josh, who is not related to Brian, contacted Drake. "He has reached out to talk with me," the latter star said on TikTok March 20, "and help me work through this and has been really great."
A day later, Josh wrote on Instagram that it took him "a few days to process" what he saw on the docuseries. "I reached out to Drake privately," he said, "but want 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."
On the podcast, Drake said several people reached out to him after the docuseries aired. "The response has been really great, a lot of support," he said. "But when you're talking about something that you kept inside for so long and you're finally getting it out and being able to process it and work through it, it's an emotional roller coaster."
Regarding Drake's revelation on Quiet on Set, Nickelodeon said in a statement to NBC News, "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."
On the podcast, Drake called the cable network's statement "a very well-tailored response," adding, "I find it pretty empty."
Read on for more revelations from the Quiet on Set documentary: