Yahoo News Drake & Josh's Josh Peck responds to Nickelodeon sex abuse scandal
The following article references child sex abuse.
Drake & Josh's Josh Peck has responded to the Nickelodeon sex abuse scandal following the airing of documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
A four-part docu-series has aired in the US to shine a spotlight on abuses suffered by the cast and crew of Nickelodeon shows like Drake & Josh, iCarly and Zoey 101.
While the majority of the show focused on workplace impropriety allegations against former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider, Quiet on Set also featured Drake & Josh star Drake Bell speaking out about sexual abuse he endured at the hands of dialogue coach Brian Peck.
Peck was convicted in 2004 of a lewd act against a child and oral copulation of a person under 16 after Bell's parents came forward to police about the abuse.
While Bell's co-star Josh Peck (who has no relation to Brian Peck) did not take part in the documentary, he has now released a statement supporting Drake.
"I finished the Quiet on Set documentary and took a few days to process it," Josh wrote on Instagram. "I reached out to Drake privately, 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."
The actor continued: "Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the families as well as necessary change to the industry."
Related: Ex-Nickelodeon boss Dan Schneider responds to Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
In the documentary, Drake Bell also spoke about pleading guilty to a misdemeanour charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles in regards to inappropriate text messages sent to a teenager in 2017, in a case unconnected to the Nickelodeon scandal.
"I took responsibility for that, you know, I did what was asked of me, but the media grabbed a hold of so much misinformation, and it absolutely destroyed me," Bell said in the series.
"I started to spin out of control. If I had continued down that path, that could very likely be the end of my story."
Quiet on Set aired on Investigation Discovery.
If you've been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can access more information from Rape Crisis England and Wales, who work towards the elimination of all forms of sexual violence and sexual misconduct, on their website or by calling the National Rape Crisis Helpline on 0808 802 9999. Rape Crisis Scotland’s helpline number is 08088 01 03 02.
Readers in the US are encouraged to contact RAINN, or the National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800-656-4673.
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