Drake Bell has spoken out in his first interview since the release of HBO’s scandalous Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Speaking on The Sarah Fraser Show podcast, Bell said he hasn’t been impressed with Nickelodeon’s response to the documentary, which details his sexual abuse as a teen by Amanda Show dialogue coach Brian Peck .
“There’s a very well-tailored response saying, ‘Learning about his trauma,’ because they couldn’t say that they didn’t know about this or what had happened, or anything,” he said. “So I think that was a really well-tailored response by probably some big attorney in Hollywood.”
He added, “I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows, they still put our shows on,” he continued. “And I have to pay for my own therapy, I have to figure out what — I mean if there was anything, if there was any truth behind them actually caring, there would be something more than quotes on a page by obviously a legal representative telling them exactly how to tailor a response.”
Bell said he participated in the documentary because of a comfort level with the producers. He added that he declined a previous documentary project from a different group, and was astonished when they lashed out at him.
“[Another documentary] requested my involvement, and when I declined, the response I got was unbelievable,” he said. “In the email, they said that people like me were the problem, and this is why things aren’t gonna change in the industry because people like you won’t speak out and won’t come forward. It was just all this shaming of me not wanting to be a part of their documentary. So I’ve always been cautious and on-edge whenever approached to talk about such a sensitive topic.”
Bell went to rehab shortly after meeting with the Quiet on Set producers.
“I just felt really comfortable in that interview, but I was going through so much in my personal life and after that interview I ended up checking myself into rehab,” he said. “We were going through a lot of trauma therapy, a lot of group therapy, a lot of one-on-one therapy — your entire day was filled with working through and processing this with a clear mind, and unearthing all of these things that I hadn’t faced head-on, or if I had tried to, it was too painful. And so through that process, once I got out, I thought to myself, ‘Maybe this is a good time to reach back out to them and say hey, I’m not 100% yet, let’s talk some more, but I’m getting closer to feeling comfortable with finally sharing my story.’”
Bell also talked about involving his father in the documentary.
“My dad is a very emotional guy, and he has such a big heart. And I was very cautious about involving him,” Bell said. He decided to include him, believing that “maybe it would be cathartic and beneficial for my dad to be able to do” the doc as well. “I’m sure that my dad puts a lot of blame on himself, you know? And I thought that this might be an opportunity for him to realize that, you know, that it’s one person’s fault.”
Following release of Quiet on Set, Nickelodeon issued the following statement: “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward,”
That statement adds to a Nickelodean statement that ended every episode of Quiet on Set: “In response to producers’ questions, Nickelodeon has stated it ‘investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace… [W]e have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”