Nothing was off limits during Drake Bell and Josh Peck’s first public conversation in decades.
During the Monday, March 24, episode of Peck’s “Good Guys” podcast, the former costars reflected on the evolution of their friendship, revealing where they stand now after a public falling out.
“I have my perspective,” Bell, 37, began, “Especially because we were going through this, like, during our adolescence and when we were changing and learning. It’s going to be interesting to see what my perspective was and what your perspective was and if they align at all. “I would say there were times when we hung out a lot and we were close and then there were times when — not for any reason — but just we weren’t.”
Bell recalled moments when he and Peck weren’t on great terms, adding, “There were times where it was like, we might not have been getting along. But I think we were dealing with a lot of s– outside of our relationship or outside of us working together.”
Viewers were introduced to Bell and Peck, 38, as a comedic duo when they played stepbrothers on Drake & Josh in 2004. After three years on the show, their friendship fizzled as they branched out to new projects. Tension arose in 2017 when Bell wasn’t invited to Peck’s wedding to Paige O’Brien.
It wasn’t until March 2024 when Bell revealed he was a victim of dialogue coach Brian Peck‘s (no relation to Josh) abuse in Investigation Discovery’s four-part docuseries Quiet on Set that he and Josh were able to readdress their issues.
Josh showed his support for Bell that same month with a public statement, which read, “I finished the Quiet On Set documentary and took a few days to process it. 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.”
He continued: “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.”
They covered the topic on Monday’s podcast. Keep reading for more:
The Timing of the ‘Drake and Josh’ Pilot
Josh and Bell met on the set of The Amanda Show in 2000, which paved the way for their own series on Nickelodeon. Off screen, however, Bell was dealing with sexual abuse that ultimately resulted in Brian being arrested in August 2003. The 11 charges brought against Brian included oral copulation, sodomy and forcible penetration. He pleaded no contest to two charges of child sexual abuse and was sentenced to 16 months in prison and had to register as a sex offender.
“That big break between Drake & Josh and The Amanda Show is when I told my mom what was going on. We went to the police, there was the investigation and all the stuff that you saw in the documentary. That was when all of that was going on,” Bell recalled on Monday. “Then when we shot the pilot, we were in the middle of the investigation. But nobody had known anything because Brian hadn’t been arrested. So I had to come back from The Amanda Show — where Brian worked and where the abuse was happening.”
Bell admitted that he was preoccupied with concerns about Brian.
“That’s the only place I feel comfortable is when I get to set and hang out with you guys. … That’s where I feel safe, but it sucks because [it didn’t feel safe with him],” he continued. “I’m coming back and he hasn’t been arrested. He came and visited during the pilot. I still had to play like, ‘Oh, hey. We are cool. Like, you’re about to get arrested, bro. And you don’t even know.’ He’s just walking around set during the pilot.”
Related: Child Star Documentaries That Are Worth the Watch: ‘Quiet on Set‘ and More
Child stars have offered their perspective on the downfalls of fame by participating in tell all documentaries that feature surprising revelations. Investigation Discovery made headlines in 2024 when directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz explored Nickelodeon’s past toxic work environment in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. The docuseries specifically highlighted producer […]
How the Stress Affected Drake
During the sit-down with Josh, Bell said he was worried about the fallout of the investigation on their show.
“Is this gonna hurt our show? When this drops, is Josh gonna look at me and be like, ‘Bro, you took our dream away,’” Bell recalled thinking at the time. “I was losing my hair. I had these giant scabs on my head. I had no idea why and there were like golf ball size scabs where I’m losing my hair. Then I got to go back and shoot the show.”
What Did Josh Know About Brian
Josh explained that he had “a feeling” something happened when Brian was no longer on set. He didn’t know the details of Brian’s abuse — or that Bell was a victim — but he did recall one telling conversation with his costar.
“He was gone. I didn’t know anything except I had a feeling something happened. And I remember we’re in the car and I said, ‘Do you still talk to Brian?’ You just looked at me like, ‘No, Brian’s a really bad guy.,” Josh said. “And I remember thinking, ‘That is all that I needed to know. I didn’t know anything more than that but I was like, ‘That’s clear. I get it.’”
The Letters of Support
Quiet on Set revealed dozens of letters written in support of Brian after his arrest. Some of Bell and Josh’s costars from Drake & Josh were included in the surprising list of actors advocating for Brian.
Bell said on Monday that he lost trust for those around him in the industry after finding out about the letters. Josh, for his part, revealed that he read at least one of the letters when he recently met with Bell for lunch before the podcast taping.
Related: Every Nickelodeon Star Who Has Reacted to Explosive ‘Quiet on Set‘ Doc
The conversation around the alleged toxic work environment at Nickelodeon may just be getting started. Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which aired in March on Investigation Discovery, covered producer Dan Schneider’s time at the network, with former child stars and crew members recalling their experiences on the sets of various shows […]
Reassessing Their Friendship
According to Josh, the pair “didn’t get along at first” but suddenly became “inseparable.” Bell recalled them “hanging out” and “staying at each other’s places” before the issues they were individually struggling with shifted their dynamic. (Josh has previously discussed his substance abuse issues, which started once he starred on Drake & Josh.)
Josh and Bell didn’t appear to be in consistent contact before recently spending time together ahead of the podcast.
“It was a short lunch. I was driving home and I was like, ‘Oh, I forgot to tell him this. I wanted to tell him about this.’ And then I was like, ‘Oh, I’ll just text him. No, don’t text him. That’ll bother him. Wait until he texts you,’” Bell joked. “I was like, ‘Wait till he texts you. Don’t look too excited.’”
Drake’s Unexpected Feud With Justin Bieber
In between reminiscing about their Nickelodeon days, Josh brought up Bell’s past social media posts about Bieber that got him in trouble with the singer’s fans. Bell, for his part, revealed he only met Bieber once but heard he was a big fan of Drake & Josh.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
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