Drake Bell Says He's Seen 'Such Good Coming Out' Since He Revealed Teenage Sexual Abuse: 'Seeing a Change'

The Nickelodeon alum opened up at a 'Quiet on Set' screening event in Los Angeles about how 'baring' his soul has prompted change

Drake Bell is addressing how speaking out about the sexual abuse he suffered at the hands of his former dialogue coach Brian Peck while working at Nickelodeon as a teen has prompted "change."

While participating in an Emmys For Your Consideration (FYC) panel for Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV on Tuesday, April 9, in Los Angeles, the 37-year-old Nickelodeon alum shared why he spoke publicly about the sex abuse for the first time on Investigation Discovery’s four-part docuseries — and how he hopes it will help drive change in the industry.

"I'm still kind of reeling with the idea of this all being my soul, kind of being bared to the world," Bell said at the event. "But you see such good coming out of ... people are approaching me at the airport ... telling me how they have the bravery to come out and speak, and how they're trying to go to their legislatures and get things changed and seeing people online. So you're seeing a change."

Speaking on being approached to open up about the abuse for the documentary, the actor recalled, "It was the first time that I've really spoken about this to a stranger. It's not my family or people I worked with who were close to me, who supported me throughout the years."

Related: Why Drake Bell Refuses to 'Fall Back on' His Past 'Traumas' in a 'Moment of Weakness' (Exclusive) 

Bell said he'd decided to tell his story as his "biggest concern" was that after Peck was arrested in connection to his case in 2004 (in addition to production assistant Jason Handy, who was accused of similar crimes), he hadn't seen anything written about it.

"It's just nowhere," he said. "I was so flexed by that, and I'm like, this is the response that I feel should have happened so many years ago … why we have to tell the world about this and this needs to change."

" … [Peck] went on to work like, no problem. I mean, he's producing executive producing movies with children and them. He's working on the Disney Channel, he's moving around. Right after he was arrested, he left to go work on a film in Arizona," Bell continued.

He added, " ... And then came back, got sentenced, and as soon as he got sentenced, he got a bunch of letters from people saying … I would be more than happy to hire him to work around children ... And that I think was a catalyst for this for me.”

Related: The Biggest Bombshells from 'Quiet on Set,' the Docuseries Alleging Toxic Culture on Nickelodeon Shows

In March, Bell came forward as a survivor of sexual abuse in the Investigation Discovery docuseries, which went inside the allegedly toxic and dangerous culture behind some of the most iconic children’s shows of the late 1990s and early 2000s. According to the network, Quiet on Set was viewed by more than 16 million people.

The former child star opened up about the abuse he endured from Peck, which occurred over several months when he was 15. Bell met the former dialogue coach on the set of The Amanda Show in 2000.

Bell said in the docuseries that Peck befriended him and would invite him to his house for acting lessons and intertwined himself into his life to such a degree that it caused a rift between him and his father.

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Related: Drake Bell Recalls How Josh Peck Was 'So Sensitive' During Their Private Talk After His Sex Abuse Reveal

In 2004, in connection to Bell's case, Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. Bell's identity as the victim was not made public at the time since he was a minor. Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender.

Bell said on Tuesday's panel that, despite the abuse he suffered at the time, he looks back on his life then "with such fond memories."

"I have dear friends that I worked with that I talk to today on a weekly basis ... that have supported me through the years, and I've just become great friends with," he said. "I don't watch episodes of Drake and Josh in horror and go, 'Oh man, this was this terrible time in my life,' and, 'I know exactly what I was going through during this episode.' And so it's a bittersweet thing where I love to look back and watch episodes."

The actor added, "I'm hoping that we see the shifts and the changes inside the industry that are needed … I would want to make sure that if that's the path that a young artist wants to take, that there's things in place that make it possible for things like what we've seen in the documentary and have shared with our stories to never happen again."

Since Bell came forward for the first time, several of his former costars, like his TV brother and mom, Josh Peck (no relation to Brian Peck) and Nancy Sullivan, have publicly voiced their support.

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV  is now streaming on Max.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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