Who are Drake Bell’s parents — and what they've said about their son's sexual abuse

Drake Bell’s dad, Joe Bell, recently stepped into the public eye when he appeared in the documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”

In the documentary, which explores the alleged abuse and mistreatment several young stars faced while working for Nickelodeon as children, Joe Bell opened up about his son’s experiences of abuse.

Drake Bell, 37, said in the documentary that his former acting and dialogue coach, Brian Peck, sexually abused him over the course of several months when he was 15.

In the docuseries, Joe Bell described how he gradually grew suspicious about Peck's behavior toward his son.

“I started seeing Brian start to hang around Drake too much, and it didn’t set well with me," he said. "Drake would be in the dressing room or something, and in would pop Brian.”

Joe Bell said he would "routinely" see Brian Peck "put his arm around his waist" or "put his hand up on his shoulder, and run it down his arm" while on set. "It was always uncomfortable," he continued.

While Drake Bell’s mom, Robin Dodson, was not interviewed in the docuseries, her son has defended his mother against public criticism of how she handled the situation with Peck.

In a statement to TODAY.com on March 13, a spokesperson for Nickelodeon said it had “adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”

“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct,” the network said.

The network also said its highest priorities were the “well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts and crew, but of all children.”

Read on to learn more about Drake Bell’s parents, Joe Bell and Robin Dodson, and what Drake Bell has said about his relationship with them.

Drake Bell’s parents are divorced

Joe Bell and Robin Dodson were in the process of divorcing when Drake Bell began his acting career in the early ‘90s, according to Business Insider, the publication whose reporting inspired "Quiet on Set."

Dodson went on to remarry, wedding Roy Dodson in 1995. It is unclear whether Joe Bell remarried.

Robin Dodson is a former professional billiards player 

Dodson, 67, is a retired billiards player who won several major tournaments throughout her career, including the WPA World 9-Ball Championships. In 2005, she was inducted into the Billiards Congress of America Hall of Fame in the greatest player category.

“Playing and beating people makes me feel great,” she told the Los Angeles Times in a 1984 interview.

She described having a passion for pool from a young age.

“I was obsessed with pool. When I was in my teens, I’d sneak out through my bedroom window at night to watch the really good guys play pool in Bellflower,” she told the L.A. Times. “I lived, ate and drank pool and I never dated or went to the beach or talked with boys unless they played pool.”

Joe Bell has not shared many details about his career in public.

According to the Los Angeles Times’ 1984 profile of Dodson, Bell at that time ran a swimming pool cleaning service in California. He also worked in construction at one point, according to Business Insider.

Joe Bell also served as Drake Bell's manager in the early days of his son's acting career.

Robin Dodson has been candid about her experiences with addiction and finding faith

Dodson has opened up in multiple interviews over the years about her previous struggle with drug addiction.

“I started to use and abuse every type of drug I could get my hands on and started to hustle pool players to raise money to pay for the drugs,” she told the Los Angeles Times. “I gambled and sometimes I’d win $400 in a match. Once I deliberately lost so the side bettors could cash in.”

In a 2011 interview on “The 700 Club,” Dodson recalled being on a “path of destruction” due to her drug use.

She also described turning to faith at a particularly low point in her life.

“I was so lonely. I think what happens when you get on drugs and you think it’s a party life and you’re having a ball, well, when it’s all said and done, you’re alone," she said. "I got on my knees and I remember just praying and just saying, ‘God, if you’re really real, help me.”

Soon after this moment, Dodson, who had welcomed her first child, Robert, as a teen mom, went to an outreach house and began turning her life around, she wrote in a 2021 essay for AZBilliards.com.

Since then, Dodson said her Christian faith has been an important guiding force for her.

“Saying YES to God has given me Years and Years of an amazing life,” she wrote.

Joe Bell raised concerns early on about Brian Peck’s behavior toward his son

Joe Bell worked as his son’s manager during the early days of his career, and he said he voiced concerns about Brian Peck’s behavior after witnessing the acting coach on set. He said, for example, that he saw Peck touching his son's arm and waist.

Joe Bell said in the documentary that he shared these concerns with Nickelodeon, but was dismissed.

“'I don’t see anything abnormal, but ... I don’t have a good feeling,’” Joe Bell recalled telling an unnamed person at the network. “And she just goes, ‘Oh, well, I don’t know if you knew it or not, but he’s gay. Maybe you’re just homophobic and you just don’t understand that he’s a touchy-feely guy.'”

Drake Bell told NBC News’ Kate Snow his dad “complained a lot” but wasn’t directed to make a formal complaint.

“Never once was he told how to make a formal complaint. ‘If you feel uncomfortable, you feel like you’re seeing something that shouldn’t occur, here’s what you need to do. Put it in writing. We’ll submit it to HR. It'll climb up the ladder.” He was shooed away,”  Drake Bell said.

TODAY.com reached out to Nickelodeon for comment and has not heard back at the time of publication.

Drake Bell said Peck attempted to create distance between him and his dad by accusing Joe Bell of mishandling his finances as his manager.

“I think Brian got a sense that my dad was on the watch. And so he started to really drive a wedge between my dad and me,” Drake Bell said.

The former Nickelodeon star also alleged that Peck attempted to turn his mom against his dad, too.

“Brian (Peck) really started getting into my mom’s mind and telling her the same things he was telling me,” Drake Bell said. “There was never any mishandling of any funds, but it was like an army against my dad.”

Before long, Drake Bell asked his father to step down as manager, leaving him more vulnerable to abuse.

“He had pretty much worked his way into every aspect of my life,” Drake Bell said of Peck.

Joe Bell and Drake Bell went through ‘many years of separation’

Drake Bell opened up about the lasting damage Peck’s alleged manipulation had on his relationship with his dad.

“Our relationship was just completely eviscerated,” Drake Bell said in the docuseries. “This is going to make me cry if I think about it like that.”

The actor also revealed that he and his father went through a long period of separation, but said they have reconciled.

“My dad’s very emotional but we have a fantastic relationship and I’m so grateful for that,” he said. “We went through many years of separation and it was really hard on both of us. And right now we have an amazing, amazing relationship.”

In March 2024, shortly after the release of "Quiet on Set," Drake Bell shared a throwback photo of him and his father on Instagram.

"Dad," he wrote in the caption, along with a heart emoji.

Robin Dodson has said she was duped by Brian Peck

Robin Dodson and her husband, Roy Dodson, attended the 2004 sentencing hearing of Brian Peck.

At the hearing, the couple said they had been tricked into trusting Peck, The New York Times reported in March, citing court records it had reviewed.

Drake Bell confirmed in the documentary that his mom attended the sentencing hearing and read a statement.

“My mom got up, she had a statement. I wasn’t going to address Brian. There was no reason to,” he said.

Joe Bell has also said that Peck duped his ex-wife into trusting him, allowing him to manage Drake Bell’s career and granting him more access to their son.

“I did say to her, and I said this to her in person, I said, ‘But you never, ever leave Drake alone with Brian Peck and you never let him be around him unsupervised, period, whatsoever.' And Brian just absolutely tricked her,” Joe Bell recalled in the documentary.

Drake Bell says he has an ‘incredible’ relationship with his mom today

Drake Bell defended his mom after she faced criticism in the wake of the documentary’s release.

Some viewers took to social media to question why Dodson had not been more proactive in shielding her son from Peck’s influence and eventual abuse.

In response, Drake Bell emphasized how Peck deceived people around him.

“I do feel there’s a lot of people after the doc going after my mom a bit,” Drake Bell said in a bonus fifth episode of the “Quiet on Set” docuseries. “But if you were in that situation at that time, Brian was so good at what he was doing. He was so calculated.

“He knew exactly what to say, how to say it, what to do, the image to portray, everything,” he continued. “I completely understand how he just pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. It’s tragic.”

He also said he and his mom "have an incredible relationship."

This article was originally published on TODAY.com