5 Revelations From ‘Quiet on Set’ Episode 5: Drake Bell Defends Mother, Says Peck Defenders Still Haven’t Reached Out

Investigation Discovery returned with a new, additional episode of its buzzy documentary series “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” on Sunday night, and while Episode 5 covers the reaction from many inside the industry to the docuseries, there are also a few new revelations. As Jason Sarlanis, president of linear and streaming at ID, previously told TheWrap, Part 5 stands as a “reaction to the reaction,” featuring a first-ever sit-down with “All That” star Shane Lyons, a follow-up discussion with Drake Bell, Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne, as well as never-before-seen-footage.

Just like the four episodes before, the series began with the warning message: “This series investigates the abuses experienced by children from the adults they expected to trust. Viewer discretion is advised.” But this time around, the interviewees chatted face-to-face with broadcast journalist Soledad O’Brien.

From their thoughts about Dan Schneider’s post-“Quiet on Set” interview to Raquel Lee Bolleau recalling a time when she was “infuriated” after being spit on constantly by Amanda Bynes during a scene, here are all the biggest revelations from “Quiet on Set” Episode 5.

Drake Bell says he still hasn’t heard from those who wrote letters in support of Brian Peck

“Breaking the Silence” starts off with Drake Bell, who detailed the years of sexual abuse he endured at the hands of former Nickelodeon dialogue coach and actor Brian Peck in the last two segments of “Quiet On Set.” In his second sit-down, Bell explained his decision to come forward after previously remaining unnamed, addressed the backlash that his mother, Robin Dodson, and others received following the series’ premiere and how none of the people who wrote support letters for Peck for his sentencing have reached out to him personally.

“The choice to participate was a tough one,” Bell said of his decision to take part in the docuseries. “It was a really hard decision to make because I’d been approached before and wasn’t ready and said, ‘No.’ But, when the people from the doc reached out to me, and I was speaking with Emma, she just really made me feel real comfortable. She took her time and was really sensitive. I was able to feel like I could open up to her and I felt, I don’t know, maybe this is time, this is the time to tell my story.”

In Part 2 and Part 3, viewers learned there were over 41 letters written by well-known Hollywood stars and figures in support of Peck when he faced trial for lewd conduct with a minor in 2004. After “Quiet on Set” landed, several people who were seated behind Peck in the courtroom shared their remorse or have explained that they were unaware of all the details of Peck’s case. Two individuals in particular were “Boy Meets World” stars Rider Strong and Will Friedle. Bell said the two’s regrets don’t change the feeling he had in court and explained that there was an ample amount of time for them to have a conversation prior to the comments they made on their podcast “Pod Meets World” expressing remorse.

“I worked with Will on ‘[Ultimate] Spider-Man,’ and there was a lot of opportunity to apologize or talk about it and never did. But also, I mean, it’s a very difficult subject to bring up, especially in a work environment. And that’s the thing that’s hard about this is because everybody deals with their trauma in different ways. Everybody comes to different conclusions at different times in their lives and realizations. I mean, I really appreciate that they’ve – their perspective now, but that day is so ingrained in my mind. And there’s so many people who, I haven’t, nobody’s reached out to me… Not one person who’s written one of those letters has reached out to me.”

While mentioning that he was mind-boggled by the amount of support Peck received, he added that Schneider was the “only one from” Nickelodeon who reached out to him and made sure he was doing well, and said that speaking on others’ relationships with Schneider is difficult because he can only speak to his experience and he “can’t take away from anyone from anyone else’s experiences.

Bell stood up for his mother, as several people online expressed anger toward her over what some felt was negligent behavior as a parent that led to Peck assaulting Bell.

“He was so calculated. He knew exactly what to say, how to say it, what to do, the image to portray, everything,” Bell said, mentioning that he has great relationships with both his mother and father. “I completely understand; he just pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. It’s tragic.”

As far as his friendship with his “Drake & Josh” costar Josh Peck, he acknowledged that the actor took a hit from “Quiet on Set” viewers, but said the the two share a “special” bond are still doing well today.

Giovonnie Samuels says Dan Schneider called her prior to “Quiet on Set” premiere

Giovonnie Samuels and Bryan Hearne shared experiences with racism while working on Nickelodeon sets, having to wear sexualized outfits and undergo excruciating “On Air Dare” stunts. In Part 5, the two said the sexually suggestive jokes went completely over their heads and even if the scenes weren’t funny to them, they naively went along with it because Schneider had the power to launch actors’ careers. They also addressed Schneider’s sit-down interview with “iCarly” actor Bobby “BooG!e” Bowman, where Schneider claimed he would have changed certain scenes or “On Air Dare” challenges if a child was uncomfortable.

“The thing about his interview as a whole…I just thought it was funny,” Hearne said. “If I could be candid, Dan was an actor before all of this and so I think that he brushed off some chops and gave us a nice performance. Where was all of this apologizing when Jeanette McCurdy’s book [‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’] came out?”

“Or when [‘All That’ actress] Angelique Bates said something?” Samuels added. “Very publicly.”

The two went on to say they always felt like the token Black people on set.

“It was very evident from the first day that it was just the two of us. I’ve said this before on social media,” Samuels said. “That’s usually the first thing you do in a Black space, or as a Black person, or person of color, you count who’s in the room, in front and behind the camera, and there were two people.”

She added that the lack of diversity on camera and behind the scenes led to production crew members feeling like they didn’t know “what to do with” Samuels.

“I was told, ‘You’re so talented that we don’t know what to do with you. Let’s just kind of stick you anywhere,’ which is why I came up with sketches and ideas to help,” Samuels explained, adding that just a week prior to the docuseries’ release Schneider called her up with a request.

“Yeah, I got a phone call. He reached out. A week before the documentary aired, he asked if I could give a quote of support,” Samuels said. “He knew I was in the documentary for a year. And he was like, ‘Oh, I love Gio. She’s great, she’s nice. Great, she could tell my side’ And I don’t know [he] wants.”

Samuels said Schneider asked her because she’d come back to do work on another show called “Henry Danger,” which she said came “sometime later.”

“He’s like, ‘You had a good time on set, right? Right?’ Samuels explained. “I told him I was terrified of him.'”

Bryan Hearne resented his mother for years after he was dropped from “All That,” but the doc brought them back together

In the first installments of “Quiet on Set,” Bryan Hearne explained that his mother Tracey Brown was always present on set and would always call out inappropriate or suspicious behavior whenever she saw it. Her involvement and desire to protect her child resulted in Hearne being dropped from “All That” and caused years worth of friction between the mother and son.

“I wasn’t looking for my son to be this great star, and that’s my dependency. My dependency is raising a healthy child,” Brown said. “When he got the news, he went to his agent, and they said, ‘Bring your mom up here,’ and that’s where he got the news. He was just 13, he slunched over and I saw a different soul come through and in that moment I said, ‘I lost him.'”

She explained that the documentary brought them back together.

“He didn’t trust me anymore. He was resentful. He ran away from home,” Brown explained. “The documentary, it was a lightbulb moment to go back in time and discover, as a mom, that moment ruined us. I still had hope that you and I would talk. And then didn’t know that he’d already seen the documentary. Valentine’s Day rolled around, and I said, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day’ and he responded, ‘Happy Valentine’s Day, mom.”

Hearne said he’s happy the documentary came out because he realized people on set “had it out” for parents.

Raquel Lee Bolleau says “The Amanda Show” crew members told her to “keep cool” about scene in which Amanda Bynes kept spitting on her

In never-before-seen-footage, former “The Amanda Show” star Raquel Lee Bolleau (who is also featured in “Quiet on Set”) Raquel Lee Bolleau opened up about an uncomfortable moment in which Amanda Bynes continuously kept spitting on her during a scene performance. Lee Bolleau’s clip was played while Hearne and his mother were still seated with O’Brien.

“There was a scene we were doing; it was called ‘The Literals’ and every time I said, ‘Spit it out,’ she would spit what was in her mouth – whether it was the water, whatever, like, directly in my face,” Lee Bolleau said. “Everybody thought it was so funny. Everybody’s laughing. Me? I did not find it funny.”

She continued: “The third time, I was like, infuriated. Like, I was so mad that the director hurried and put me on the side of the set and was like, ‘Listen, Raquel: breathe in, breathe out. She’s the star of the show. Don’t make too much of a problem. I’m going to ask her not to spit in your face, but you have to keep your cool.'”

After the footage played, Brown immediately chimed in: “That’s racist, period.”

Hearne said he didn’t know Lee Bolleau’s story. “Oh, my God. That hit me really hard. To just be told, ‘You don’t matter’ in that moment you’re being spit on. You’re saying, ‘This person matters more than you; take it,'” Hearne said.

“And there’s a cultural difference, too, right? We are culturally trained to ‘take it.’ They are not,” Brown said. “I was disappointed there wasn’t another Black boy on set. That’s important. The camaraderie is important, let alone the likeness. It’s not even just Black, it’s Indigenous, it’s Hispanic; you can’t just have the one representing the whole world. It doesn’t make sense to me.”

“That was pressure, even for Gio and I,” Hearne said. “The pressure for each of us to represent was very hard.”

Brown said that Black actors should never be afraid to step away from acting if it becomes toxic. “Do it, but if you have to walk away, do that. And I would say that to the moms and the dads. Pull your kid out,” Brown said.

Shane Lyons says Brian Peck made “passes” at him and asked him if he knew what “blue balls” were

In “All That” star Shane Lyons’ first-sit down with the “Quiet on Set” crew, the actor broke down his dreams of one day becoming the next Chris Farley, shared his full support for Drake Bell speaking out and mentioned his own experience with former dialogue coach and actor Brian Peck. Lyons said Peck was “100%” as charming as people said he was.

“We were enamored with, there’s an adult who’s also a cast member, who is someone we knew we could kind of run things by, work with, improvise with. It was very helpful in that context,” Lyons said.

Lyons then detailed his incident with Peck when he was around 13 to 14 years old.

“There were certainly some passes,” Lyons said. “When he asked me if I knew what blue balls was, I thought they were racketballs. Some conversation was happening in the green room, and we get called to set and Brian follows behind me, and I’m kind of alone in the green room set, and he sits next to me and goes –’cause previously in the conversation, they were talking about blue balls and I just didn’t know what they were and he goes, ‘Well, we know what blue balls are, right Shane?’ And I said, ‘Yeah, like racketballs.’ I’m a kid, 13, 14. As I think back now, as an adult, as a 36-year-old, I go, ‘Would I ever have a conversation with a 13-year-old boy like he had with me?’ No. It makes zero sense… They’re kids, why are you talking like that?”

While Lyons called for better protections around child actors, he also shared his view on Schneider stating that some abuse-related situations were out of his hands because he had people he had to answer to.

“It sounds like the farmer who blames the tractor for the poor harvest,” Lyons said.

Part 5 of “Quiet On Set,” “Breaking the Silence” premiered Sunday, April 7 at 8 p.m./7 p.m. Central on Investigation Discovery.

All four episodes of “Quiet On Set” are now available to stream on Max.

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