Josh Peck speaks out on 'Quiet on Set' doc, shows support for former Nickelodeon co-star Drake Bell

Following online criticism, Josh Peck is speaking out on the sexual abuse allegations of his former Nickelodeon co-star Drake Bell.

Bell, who starred with Peck on the Nick sitcom "Drake & Josh" from 2004-2007, recently came forward about the alleged sexual abuse he endured while working on the children’s television network in the Investigation Discovery series "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.” During his appearance on the series, Bell claims his dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Josh Peck) sexually assaulted him when he was a teen.

Fans criticized Peck on social media for not voicing his support of Bell following his allegations of sexual abuse. In a statement posted to Instagram Thursday, Peck said he viewed "Quiet on Set" and "took a few days to process it." He also revealed he's been in contact with Bell.

'It's been very sensitive': Drake Bell says Josh Peck 'reached out' after Brian Peck sex abuse allegations

"I reached out to Drake privately, but wanted 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," Peck wrote. "Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry."

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In a TikTok video posted Wednesday, Bell addressed fans who were critical of Peck for not commenting on his abuse claims following the release of “Quiet on Set.”

“I just want to clear something up,” Bell said in the video. “I’ve noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh’s TikToks and some of his posts. And I just want to let you guys know that processing this and going through this is a really emotional time, and a lot of it’s very, very difficult. So, not everything is put out to the public."

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Bell added that his former co-star has been supportive and encouraged fans to lay off their initial criticism.

“I just want you guys to know that he has reached out to me, and it’s been very sensitive,” Bell said. “But he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this and has been really, really great. So, just wanted to let you guys know that and to take it a little easy on him.”

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Josh Peck supports Drake Bell after 'Quiet on Set' Nickelodeon doc