Drake Bell and Josh Peck starred together on the Nickelodeon show for four seasons
 |
| Josh Peck and Drake Bell on 'Drake & Josh' (left); Josh Peck and Drake Bell recording 'Good Guys' (right). Photo: Nickelodeon; Courtesy of Dear Media / Good Guys |
Drake Bell and Josh Peck, who starred together in hit Nickelodeon comedy series Drake & Josh, are reuniting for the first time since the documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV premiered in spring 2024 on Investigation Discovery/Max to talk about their time on the show, their lives as child stardom and the bombshells the documentary revealed.
In a preview of the March 24 episode of Josh's Good Guys podcast shared by People, which he hosts alongside Ben Soffer, Josh and Bell opened up about their time working together on Drake & Josh and what it was like to be Nickelodeon child stars.
Drake and Josh and Ben (Part 1) | Josh Peck
Today, we’re sitting down with Drake Bell for the first time in nearly 20 years to have the conversation we never had. In Part 1, we revisit our time filming Drake & Josh, reflect on the laughs, the magic, and the darker moments that were never spoken aloud.
We talk about what it was like growing up on set, the complicated truth of our friendship, and how trauma, misunderstanding, and silence shaped the years that followed. Drake opens up about what he endured behind the scenes and how that experience impacted our relationship, the show, and his life.
We’re proud to share this episode with you. And stay tuned for Part 2.
[00:00] Reuniting
[00:47] Creating an Iconic Theme Song
[08:17] Encountering Justin Bieber and Twitter Drama
[18:45] Exploring Friendship Dynamics
[19:40] Bonding Through Comedy
[22:23] Returning to Set During Abuse Investigation
[26:15] Reflections on Youth and Adult Perspectives
[27:29] Finding Out Through the Documentary
[36:59] Christian Comedy and Chicken Enchiladas
[46:42] Responsibility and Accountability
[56:23] Unpacking Working as a Child Actor
[57:16] Navigating Fan Perceptions and Personal Realities
[1:01:33] Nostalgia and the Magic of On-Set Chemistry
Soffer, 32, and producer Olivia Meade spoke on the podcast about the “completely eye-opening” experience of watching Quiet on Set. Soffer said it “never at all clicked” that Josh and Bell, both 38, were also kids.
 |
| Drake Bell recording the 'Good Guys' podcast. Courtesy of Dear Media / Good Guys |
“You're not an adult, but you're being treated like an adult and you're with adults,” Soffer said. Meade added, “I can’t imagine losing those formative years, or giving such responsibility and pressure at that age when you are just beginning to figure out bits and pieces of who you are and how you interact with other people.”
Josh said it’s complicated because the show is beloved by fans who grew up watching it but was hard for him to go through. He explained, “You know what the show means to everyone. You know that the moments that were great were great, and we were incredibly lucky to get to do this thing that we loved.”
“But there's also the truth of everything you went through and everything that was an experience for a kid that was unacceptable in so many ways and you’ve got to wrestle with this,” he said. “I remember people would ask me about the show, and I would say, ‘Well, I lost a hundred pounds and had to get sober at 21. Did I seem happy?’ Like, it’s a bit of a sign."
 |
| LOS ANGELES, CA - APRIL 17: Actor Josh Peck (L) and Drake Bell (R) attend Drake Bell's album release party for "Ready Steady Go!" at Mixology101 & Planet Dailies on April 17, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Paul Archuleta/FilmMagic |
Drake & Josh premiered in 2004 and ran for four seasons on Nickelodeon. Bell and Josh played stepbrothers (who shared the same first names as the actors playing them), with Miranda Cosgrove as Drake’s younger sister. Before the show, Josh and Bell also starred together on the network's The Amanda Show alongside Amanda Bynes.
In Quiet on Set, Bell talked about being sexually assaulted by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Josh) when he was 15. Brian pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old in connection with the case. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender. At the time, Bell was not revealed as his victim.
Speaking to People on March 17, Bell revealed that the documentary airing was “a really nice weight lifted.”
“It's a roller coaster of emotions,” he said. “I don't want to sugarcoat it and make the message, ‘Hey, all you got to do is just tell somebody and get your story out and when you wake up the next day, it's going to be gone and everything's going to be fine and you're going to walk through life without any pain or sorrow or sadness!’ It's always going to be there, but it's a lot nicer getting support.”
The new episode of Good Guys premieres Monday, March 24. The second half of Bell’s interview will appear in the Thursday, March 27, episode.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
Drake and Josh and Ben (Part 2) | Josh Peck
In Part 2 of our sit-down with Drake Bell, we pick up right where we left off—unpacking everything that came after the show ended. From personal regrets to private reconciliations, we reflect on the years apart, the moments that shaped us, and how we finally found our way back to friendship.
We talk openly about what drove us apart and what’s bringing us back together. Drake shares unbelievable stories—playing a private concert in Switzerland for eight kids, becoming a children’s menu icon in Mexico, and his surreal trip to Brunei with Pamela Anderson. But he also opens up about the real stuff: going to rehab, becoming a father, learning to survive—and then choosing to live fully.
We revisit our shared past with fresh perspective and a whole lot more grace. It’s funny, it’s heartbreaking, it’s hopeful—and it’s the closure we didn’t know we needed.
We love this episode. We love Drake. And we hope you feel the love too.
Stream Non-Stop Flight HERE: https://ffm.to/qbkmzba
Leave us a voicemail here:
https://www.speakpipe.com/goodguys
Chapters:
[00:00] Reflections on the Podcast Experience
[01:18] Fame and Growth After a Kids' Show
[10:57] A Surreal Shopping Adventure
[13:02] Adventures in Switzerland and Brunei
[16:11] Celebrity Encounters
[17:32] The Surprise of a Luxurious Gift
[18:09] Future Travel Plans
[20:26] Exciting Tech and Fond Memories of Collaboration
[23:52] Navigating Public Struggles
[26:00] Finding Connection and Purpose in Recovery
[31:26] Navigating Trauma and Connection in Recovery
[37:30] Recollections of Amanda Bynes
[40:14] Parenting and Public Spaces
[40:54] Conversations on Relocation, Friendships, and New Projects
From People:
Drake Bell Says Secret of Brian Peck Abuse Hurt His Friendship with Drake & Josh Costar Josh Peck
Bell said his hair was literally falling out from the stress, but he never confided in his costar
- Drake Bell and Josh Peck reunited on Peck’s Good Guys podcast to talk about their time as child stars on Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh in the 2000s
- Bell revealed in the 2024 docuseries Quiet on Set that he had been abused by Brian Peck (no relation) when he and Josh Peck worked on The Amanda Show in 1999
- Because Josh Peck didn’t know about the abuse or the investigation into it, while Bell was dealing with the fallout, he thought his costar had decided to stop being his friend
Drake Bell and Josh Peck are opening up about their decades-long relationship, and how it was ultimately shaped by the abuse Bell suffered as a child star.
On the March 24 episode of Peck’s Good Guys podcast, which he hosts with Ben Soffer, the former Drake & Josh costars talked openly about their relationship and how their friendship shifted over the years. The podcast marked the first time the pair have reunited since the 2024 Quiet on Set documentary premiered; in the documentary, Bell shared publicly for the first time that he had been abused by Brian Peck (no relation to Josh) who had worked with him as a dialogue coach on The Amanda Show.
Bell and Josh Peck, both 38, also first met on The Amanda Show. “We didn't get along at first, but I thought you were so cool, and I really wanted you to like me,” Peck remembered. “And then, thankfully, we had this shared love of old-school comedy and sitcoms and great television. And so once you realized that I was kind of funny and I liked people who liked funny, we were suddenly inseparable.”
“And it felt like we had this bond and then Drake & Josh started,” he added of their 2004 series. But the actor said that watching Quiet on Set, he realized he never knew all the things Bell was going through.
Bell agreed and explained how he felt his accusations about Brian — which were at first a secret — changed their relationship. “The big break between Drake & Josh and Amanda Show is when I told my mom what was going on,” Bell explained. “And 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.”
The Drake & Josh pilot was shooting on the same set The Amanda Show filmed on — where Brian abused Bell. The actor said it was devastating to have “the monster” in his “safe place.”
“That’s the only place I feel comfortable, when I get to set and hang out with you guys, and we go goof around and put on our masks and wigs and makeup and make people laugh and slide around and get dirty,” Bell explained. And though Brian didn’t work on Drake & Josh, he came and visited the set while they were filming the pilot.
“I know that this guy's about to get arrested,” Bell said. “I know that s--- is about to hit the fan, and nobody in here knows it.”
Peck asked if his costar was “furious” that none of the adults on set were protecting him. Bell said that at the time he wasn’t because even though he was 14, he wanted to be “seen as an adult.” But now that he is an adult and a father, it’s been “unbelievably illuminating” and “really confusing” to think about how no adult stepped up.
But at the time, Peck had no idea any of this was going on and thought Bell had just decided he didn’t like him anymore. “Until you sort of shared with me what was happening, I was just looking at it through the prism of a 14-year-old's brain going like, ‘He doesn't want much to do with me.’ ” Watching the documentary now, “so much was revealed” to him for the first time, Peck said.
Bell said that he was so worried about how the investigation into Brian would affect Drake & Josh. He wondered, “Is this going to hurt our show? When this drops, is Josh going to look at me and be like, ‘Bro, you took our dream away?’ Are we going to lose our show?” Bell admitted he was so stressed he began losing his hair.
Peck said that even for a child actor "under the most perfect circumstance," he thinks the job is "probably too much pressure for one to handle at that age.” He added that he eventually felt like he and Bell started to rebuild their friendship later on in Drake & Josh, and in retrospect, it was around the time Brian went to jail.
In 2004, Brian pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old in connection with the case. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender. After serving his sentence, Peck was released from prison in 2005.
Peck said he remembered asking Bell at one point if he still talked to Brian. “And you just looked at me like, ‘No. Brian's a really bad guy.’ And I remember thinking, ‘Gotcha.’ And it was all that I needed to know.”
Drake & Josh ultimately ran for four seasons, from 2004 to 2007.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
###
From USA Today Entertainment:
Drake Bell and Josh Peck break silence on friendship status, Nickelodeon trauma
Drake and Josh are back together again.
Drake Bell sat down with his former "Drake & Josh" co-star Josh Peck in an episode of the "Good Guys" podcast released Monday for a candid discussion about their friendship and the Investigation Discovery documentary series "Quiet on Set."
Bell and Peck began working together when they were co-stars on the Nickelodeon comedy series "The Amanda Show," which led them to be paired for their own Nickelodeon series "Drake & Josh" in 2004.
"Quiet on Set," which aired last year, prompted calls for better protections for child actors after revealing stories of alleged misconduct at Nickelodeon. The biggest revelation was Bell's allegation that dialogue coach Brian Peck, who he worked with on "The Amanda Show," sexually assaulted him when he was 15. Bell also revealed he participated in an investigation leading to Brian Peck's arrest on a charge of lewd acts with a child. He was convicted in 2004.
Josh Peck reveals Drake Bell told him his alleged abuser was 'a really bad guy'
Peck told Bell on the podcast that he "can't even imagine" what he went through, as he described in "Quiet on Set."
"I didn't know any of this at 14, and in watching the documentary, at 38, as a father, as a grown-up, so much was revealed to me," Peck said. Though he said he wasn't aware of details at the time, Peck recalled Bell once telling him that he doesn't talk to Brian Peck anymore because he's a "really bad guy."
"I remember thinking, 'Gotcha,' and it was all that I needed to know," Peck said. "I didn't know anything more than that, but I was like, 'That's clear.'"
Bell and Josh Peck, no relation to Brian Peck, have rarely appeared together since "Drake & Josh" ended in 2007. The two had also previously revealed a rift in their relationship, with Peck saying in 2022 that they are not friends.
Are Drake Bell and Josh Peck friends? Actors open up about their relationship
Reflecting on the evolution of their relationship, Peck said he and Bell became "inseparable" after they started working together on "The Amanda Show" but said that sometime after their own show "Drake & Josh" began, there started to be a "separation" between them.
"I was just looking at it through the prism of a 14-year-old's brain going, 'Ah, he doesn't want much to do with me,'" Peck recalled.
Drake Bell alleges 'extensive,' 'brutal' sexual abuse by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck
But Bell indicated the distance that developed was related to the situation with Brian Peck.
He said that that when the pilot for "Drake & Josh" was shot, an investigation into Brian Peck's alleged sexual abuse was underway, but his colleagues were unaware because no arrest had been made yet. He said this knowledge was always in the back of his mind during this period when he and Josh Peck should have been bonding as partners.
"I had to come back to working with my partner going, 'I've got all this stuff that nobody knows about that's going on. Is this going to hurt our show? When this drops, is Josh going to look at me and be like, Bro, you took our dream away. Are we going to lose our show?'" Bell said.
At a certain point, though, Peck said he felt the friendship with Bell started "coming back." Bell summed up their relationship as having its ups and downs, saying there were "times when we hung out a lot and were close" and times when they weren't.
Drake Bell says Josh Peck 'reached out' after Brian Peck sex abuse allegations: 'It's been very sensitive'
"When you are working with somebody every day, day in and day out, and you're going through stuff at home ... they come out with the person," Bell said, adding, "I think we suffered the brunt of that a bit."
Peck, who was not interviewed in "Quiet on Set," also slammed the "lack of protection" that existed for child actors at the time. Without getting into details, he recalled dealing with "tyrannical bosses" and "people acting inappropriately" on sets, thinking, "I don't know if that'd be cool anywhere else but here."
The second part of Bell and Peck's conversation will air on Thursday. The first part of their chat ended with Bell tearing up while reminiscing about how much he loved working on "Drake & Josh" and stressing that fans should not feel the need to avoid rewatching the show in light of the "Quiet on Set" allegations. "I'm very proud of what we did," he said.
Bell and Peck previously went through a rough patch in their relationship after Bell shared in 2017 that he was hurt to have not been invited to Peck's wedding. Bell tweeted at the time that "ties are officially cut." Peck later said on the "BFFs" podcast that he didn't invite Bell because they're "not really" friends and had not stayed in touch since working together.
The podcast did not delve into Bell's own legal issues after the actor pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges in 2021. At the time, a woman accused Bell of grooming her beginning when she was 12 and exchanging sexual messages with her. He has denied sending explicit photos to the alleged victim and said he was unaware of her age.
In a statement shared on social media last year after "Quiet on Set" aired, Josh Peck said he had reached out to Bell privately and expressed his support "for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world."
"Children should be protected," he wrote. "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."
###
From The Express Tribune:
Drake Bell gives update on Drake and Josh reboot after reunion with Josh Peck
Drake Bell reveals reboot talks for Drake & Josh following emotional reunion with Josh Peck on Good Guys podcast.
Drake Bell has opened up about the potential for a Drake & Josh reboot, following his recent reunion with former co-star Josh Peck.
The actor discussed the idea during an interview with E! The Rundown, where he confirmed that there have been ongoing conversations about revisiting the beloved Nickelodeon sitcom. “We would love to do something,” Bell said, adding that the idea has come up several times over the years, especially during the wave of television reboots. A clip from the interview was posted on TikTok by E! News.
Bell explained that if a reboot were to happen, he envisions it beginning with his character approaching Josh’s, proposing the idea of restarting their past dynamic—only to be met with resistance. He believes the concept could be a light-hearted way to reflect their real-life history.
His comments come shortly after he and Peck reunited publicly on the Good Guys podcast, where the two had an emotional conversation for the first time since the show ended in 2007. During the episode, they discussed the reasons behind their years-long estrangement, including personal struggles and a widely publicized falling-out after Bell wasn’t invited to Peck’s 2017 wedding.
Drake & Josh, which originally aired from 2004 to 2007, remains one of Nickelodeon’s most iconic series. While nothing is official yet, Bell’s openness—and his reconnection with Peck—has fans buzzing about the possibility of the show’s comeback.
###
From nj.com:
Nickelodeon star went public about being sexually abused after going to rehab
Nickelodeon alum Drake Bell is opening up about how a stint in rehab helped him speak publicly about the sexual abuse he endured as a child star.
During the Thursday, March 27, episode of Josh Peck and Ben Soffer’s “Good Guys” podcast, Bell said he initially turned down multiple offers to appear in the 2024 docuseries “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”
“Before rehab, I said no to the documentary over and over and over and over and over. I was not gonna be a part of it,” Bell said. “But after rehab, when I came out, it was like, ‘Let me see what your angle is here. I’ll talk to you guys, I’ll start entertaining this idea.’ Because I felt really good. … Maybe sharing my story will help me and maybe help others.”
Bell went public with his experience of childhood sexual abuse for the first time in “Quiet on Set.” He previously remained anonymous in the sexual abuse case against Brian Peck (no relation to Josh Peck), a Nickelodeon dialogue coach who appeared on programs including “All That” and “The Amanda Show.”
Brian Peck was arrested in 2003 for sexually assaulting Bell in 2001, who was about 15 at the time of the incidents. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004 after being found guilty of a lewd act upon a child and oral copulation of a person under 16.
Bell and Josh were costars on the Nickelodeon programs “The Amanda Show” from 2000 to 2002 and “Drake & Josh” from 2004 to 2007, but Josh didn’t know about the abuse until years later.
During Thursday’s episode of “Good Guys,” Bell said he went back and forth about whether to speak publicly about the abuse.
“I didn’t know if I was ever gonna really say anything, but I would think about it a lot,” he said, noting that he had doubts about what the proper platform would be. Over time, the “Quiet on Set” documentary seemed like the right way to come forward.
“I was like, ‘Maybe this is all kind of the way it was supposed to work out. … If you were ever gonna tell your story, here’s a platform. Here’s a way to get it heard and make it not be meaningless,‘” he said.
Speaking out about his experience was healing for Bell, but it also helped mend his rocky relationship with Josh. In part one of their “Good Guys” conversation, which debuted on Monday, March 24, Josh and Bell spoke about how the abuse impacted their relationship.
“Something I feel bad about is … until you sort of shared with me what was happening, I was just looking at it through the prism of a 14-year-old’s brain, going like, ‘Ah, he doesn’t want much to do with me,‘“ Josh said of the pair’s time on “Drake & Josh.”
“And in watching the documentary at 38 — as a father, as a grownup — so much was revealed to me of what you had to go through,” he continued.
Bell explained that he told his mom about the abuse after “The Amanda Show” wrapped and before “Drake & Josh” started filming, which is why he seemed different on the set of the latter sitcom.
“Now I’m entering the ‘Drake & Josh’ phase, where we should be, like, ‘Bro, [we’re] partners. This is our time, let’s be in this together,‘” he told Bell. “But I came back to the same stage, the same parking lot, the same dressing rooms [where the abuse started].”
After all they’ve gone through, Josh said on Thursday that “nothing makes [him] happier” than him and Bell being “in each other’s lives.”
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, help is available. Contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).
From People:
Why Josh Peck Didn't Invite Any Drake & Josh Cast Members Except for Dan Schneider to His Wedding
The actor played the role of Josh Nichols in the Nickelodeon series from 2004 to 2007
Josh Peck is clearing the air around who made the guest list on his big day, and why he chose to leave off his former Nickelodeon costars.
Speaking on the second part of his Good Guys podcast with cohost Ben Soffer and guest Drake Bell, which was released on Thursday, March 27, Peck opened up about why he didn’t invite any Drake & Josh cast members to his wedding, except for the show’s creator, Dan Schneider.
Peck, 38, played the role of Josh Nichols, while Bell, 38, played his stepbrother Drake Parker on the hit series, which aired from 2004 to 2007.
“You know I think about my wedding and the only person from the show that was there was Dan because my mom was friends with his wife. Thanks, Mom," he shared.
Nickelodeon cut ties with Schneider, 59, in March 2018 after reports of his alleged abusive behavior on set. Schneider, 59, has denied allegations of wrongdoing.
Speaking about his reasons for not inviting his castmates to his wedding, Peck added, “It’s not an indictment of one particular person.”
“I love you, I love Miranda (Cosgrove),” the actor said about Bell and Cosgrove, who played the role of their younger sister Megan.
“There’s so many people that I probably would, now at 38, wanted to be there,” Peck, who tied the knot with wife Paige O'Brien in 2017, continued. “But at 30, I just wanted to leave it all behind because it felt like it didn’t serve me anymore.”
The star added, “And the realization I had was when you wrote that stuff during my wedding about our friendship and all these things and our love and our history.”
Peck's wedding was attended by friends and family, as well as celebrity guests — including John Stamos, whom he costarred with on the 2015 FOX sitcom Grandfathered.
Following Peck’s wedding, Bell wrote a series of tweets to express his displeasure at not being invited.
He later recanted his words, telling PEOPLE at the time that there were “no hard feelings.”
“I was caught off guard,” he said. “I hadn’t heard anything about it. He’s been my best friend for 18 years. In all honesty, we talk all the time, we’ve been talking. I was just expecting … ”
Speaking on the recent podcast, Peck said he realized Bell had been “living in a world where our relationship should have been, while I was too much living in the past of when our relationship wasn’t great and it was really somewhere in the middle.”
“But I think that was revealed to me and why we had so much of that because over those 10 years we saw each other like once a year,” he continued. “So when this stuff was coming out I’m like, ‘What does he mean?’ ”
However, Peck said he now understands that “we should have been closer.”
###
From People:
Drake Bell Says Seeing Josh Peck Stay Sober Is ‘a Big Inspiration’ for His Own Recovery
- Drake Bell and Josh Peck reunited on Peck’s Good Guys podcast to talk about their time as child stars on Nickelodeon's Drake & Josh in the 2000s
- Peck asked Bell about the moment he knew he needed to get help for his addiction
- Bell admitted that he felt like a "rat in a cage," and watching Peck with his recovery journey ultimately helped him
Drake Bell and Josh Peck are opening up about their recovery journeys.
On the March 27 episode of Peck's Good Guys podcast, which he hosts with Ben Soffer, the former Drake & Josh costars, both 38, talked openly about their substance abuse struggles and the recovery that followed. The podcast marked the first time the pair have reunited since the 2024 Quiet on Set documentary premiered, in which Bell talked about being sexually assaulted by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck (no relation to Josh) when he was 15. The aftermath ultimately led Bell to use drugs and alcohol.
In 2004, Brian Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old in connection with the case. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender. After serving his sentence, he was released from prison in 2005.
On the podcast, the second half of a two-part conversation between the actors, Peck remarked that Bell was "the best I had ever seen him," and said, "I'm just extremely excited about what you have next and all the great things you're doing. And I think there was, like, and you talked about it in the doc. I would love to know if there was a moment."
He then asked, "Did you go somewhere to work on some of this?"
Bell said that he went to rehab in Nashville in 2023. When Peck asked what drove him to that moment, Bell responded, "I think it was just, like, exhaustion and just being at nowhere else to turn like, just feeling like a rat in a cage. Like, just feeling like I couldn't do it anymore." The actor had been facing legal issues of his own at the time, too.
When Peck pointed out that Bell was going through this process publicly, Bell recalled that he knew he needed to survive, but didn't know how to do it himself.
"Oh, everything was public, man. I mean, it's just crazy. It got hard. I just got to a point where I was like, I don't know what to do. I don't know how to do this. Like, this is just something I don't know how to do. I know how to survive," he said. "I've been doing that my whole life. I feel like I've needed to just survive."
Bell admitted that he didn't know how he would be a father and work in acting again. When he got to rehab, he was adamant that no one there know what he was going through.
"When I got there, I went, it was like this battle where I was kicking and screaming," he admitted.
Bell said that once he got to the facility and filled out the intake forms, he could take his first deep breath in a long time, and it slowly became a reformative experience. Bell also opened up about his experience with the 12-step program and how he has been able to get motivation from watching Peck.
Drake Bell Says Secret of Brian Peck Abuse Hurt His Friendship with Drake & Josh Costar Josh Peck
"Watching you throughout the years too has been a big inspiration. 'Cause it's like, you know, being in this industry and being around and also just being in that world of the 12 steps and all of that," Bell shared. "Watching you has been inspiring because it's like, you know, you really stick to your s---."
Bell went on to admit that it has been a struggle, and recovery is an everyday choice. "It's a day-by-day thing, you know, you're not gonna fall and you're not gonna slide back, but ... it's not f------ easy."
Peck responded with, "And giving you credit for facing that stuff and going to rehab."
In the first part of the podcast, which aired last week, Peck revealed his personal struggles during and after Drake & Josh, including losing 100 pounds and getting sober at 21.
Speaking to Tana Mongeau in 2023, Peck opened up about his drug and alcohol use.
"I just spent four years being a total cliché," he said of turning to drugs and alcohol as a teen. "I think the most insidious or corrosive moment of my life was the first time I tried drugs and I was 17. I'm lying in bed that night and I realized what a great time I'd had that night. I felt charming, handsome, and I was having great conversations and talking to girls."
He continued, "I remember thinking, 'Why would anyone ever want to feel any other way but this?' And I took that deep breath I'd been seeking my whole life. Suddenly, I felt free."
In 2008, he got sober.
Speaking to Bell on Good Guys, Peck said he still struggles to reconcile the happiness the show brought to fans with his own feelings about that time in his life.
"You know that the moments that were great and we were incredibly lucky to get to do this thing that we loved. But there's also the truth of everything you went through and everything that was ... just an experience for a kid that was unacceptable in so many ways and you go wrestle with this idea .. I remember people would ask me about the show or, or something, and I would say, 'Well, I lost 100 pounds and had to get sober at 21. Did I seem happy?' Like, it's sort of, you know, it's a bit of a sign."
Drake & Josh ran for four seasons, from 2004 to 2007.
If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.
###
Shop your Paramount favorites: https://www.paramountshop.com
Stream a Mountain of Entertainment, including your Nickelodeon favorites on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!
Originally published: March 22, 2025.
Additional source: The Hollywood Reporter.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Have your say by leaving a comment below! NickALive! welcomes friendly and respectful comments. Please familiarize with the blog's Comment Policy before commenting. All new comments are moderated and won't appear straight away.