Friday, March 18, 2022

Ways to Help Kids in Ukraine | Nick Helps | Nickelodeon

You may be hearing grown-ups in your life talking about what's going on in Ukraine, and you might be wondering, "how can I help?". If you'd like to find ways that you and your family can help kids in Ukraine, go to nickhelps.com for information and ways to take action.


Guide To Being A Global Citizen: Helping Ukraine

While war is big and scary, there are ways to spread hope and give support to people who need help. It all starts with being a good global citizen and working to make the world a better, more peaceful place. Click HERE to learn more.




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'Fairly OddParents: Fairly Odder' | Official Trailer | Paramount Plus Latin America

Los Padrinos Mágicos: Más Mágicos Que Nunca | Trailer oficial | Paramount+ Latinoamérica


✨ poof! ✨ Cosmo y Wanda regresan para “Los Padrinos Mágicos: Más Mágicos Que Nunca” y la magia sigue INTACTA 🙌 Estreno en Paramount Plus este 31 de marzo. https://www.paramountplus.com



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March 2022 on Nickelodeon Africa: Overlord and the Underwoods | The Loud House | The Casagrandes | Villains Stunt

Below is a round-up of Nickelodeon's programming highlights for Africa for March 2022!


More Highlights:

January & February 2022 on: Nickelodeon AfricaNick Toons Africa | Nick Jr. Africa


NEW EPISODES: S5 #519B, 520A, 523 – 524, 525B - 526
MONDAY 28 FEBRUARY – FRIDAY 03 MARCH AT 14:10

Ever wonder what it's like to grow up in a big family? Eleven-year-old Lincoln Loud gives viewers an inside look at how to survive the chaos of a huge household, especially as the only boy with ten sisters!

SATURDAY 28 FEBRUARY – SUNDAY 03 MARCH AT 14:10
EPISODE: S5 #518

Weekend marathon of The Loud House ending on Sunday with the premiere episode #518 Camped!: When Dad discovers that his childhood camp is closing, he decides to take the family for one final visit. // They soon uncover a map that could lead to a treasure big enough to save it and prove the existence of an old camp legend

VILLIAN MARATHON
STUNT
SUNDAY 03 MARCH AT 15:20

You can’t have heroes without villains, that will be just boring. We’re dedicating a two hours marathon with the most “villainic” bad guys of your favourite Nickelodeon shows: SpongeBob, Henry Danger and The Thundermans.

NEW SHOW
EPISODES: S1 #101 – 110
MONDAY 07 MARCH – FRIDAY 18 MARCH AT 07:15

The Underwoods, a normal, good-hearted family, have their lives thrown off kilter when the second most wanted bad guy in the galaxy moves in with them under witness protection.

EPISODES: S2 #218,220| S3 #301 - 305
MONDAY 21 MARCH – FRIDAY 01 APRIL AT 15:25

The Casagrandes tells the story of Ronnie Anne, an independent, adventurous, 11-year-old who explores city life with her big, loving, multi-generational Mexican-American family.

ABOUT NICKELODEON

Nickelodeon Africa is available to watch on DStv Channel 305.

Nickelodeon is one of the most globally recognised and widely distributed multimedia entertainment brands for kids and family. Seen globally in more than 500 million households across more than 130 territories, this diverse and global brand puts kids first in everything it does! Nickelodeon's mission to make the world a more playful place.

ViacomCBS creates original entertainment content for every audience, on every screen around the world. The company’s brands strive for creative excellence and cultural impact across programming, motion pictures and digital experiences that live online, on mobile and on apps.

Highlights based on Nickelodeon's Rest of Africa (ROA) schedules.

###

From GhanaWeb:

StarTimes to offer subscribers free viewing in Easter promo

Africa’s leading digital TV operator StarTimes is set to offer its cherished subscribers extra viewing days to enjoy more premium content this Easter period. 

The Easter Promo which rolls out from 15th March till 30th April rewards subscribers who recharge their decoder accounts.

Super Bouquet subscribers who pay for two months’ subscription get 10 days extra viewing days.

StarTimes offers three bouquets with monthly subscription rates at GHC 79 for Super Bouquet, GHC 49 for Smart Bouquet, and as low as GHC 22 for the Nova Bouquet.

According to the Head of Marketing, Mrs. Akofa Banson, the StarTimes Easter Promo is aimed at offering families more to enjoy while together during the holidays.

 “As Easter approaches, families like to spend quality time watching TV series and movies while at home. More reason we are delighted to offer them extra viewing days to enjoy the top Nollywood films on PBO TV and AMC Movies, Premium Telenovelas on Novela E & Novela E Plus, StarGold, Dizi, and more including loads of Blockbuster Hollywood, Bollywood, and series.

“News and documentaries aficionados can also enjoy thrilling programs on Fox News, BBC, SkyNews, National Geographic Channel (NGC) and NatGeo Wild (NGW), etc.

“In terms of sports, StarTimes subscribers will have access to exciting football, basketball, boxing, and mixed martial arts sports. StarTimes exclusively airs the Ghana Premier League, Spanish La Liga, Copa del Rey, German Bundesliga, Coppa Italia, US MLS among others, live and in HD. 

“We intend to offer our cherished customers enough reason to stick with us this Easter together with their families and enjoy quality entertainment at the most affordable cost.” Mrs. AKofa Banson said.

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The School of Laughter ship has landed, buckle up and hold onto your seats and tummies ✈️ | DStv


Strap up those seatbelts and get ready for the laughter adventure of your lives with School of Laughter. The first destination is deep down in the ocean with Big Blue. DStv will take you on a journey to the best destinations on offer. All aboard kid passengers!

Find your adventure – you’re invited to a whole new world of animation 🧚🏼🎢 | DStv


Hakuna Matata kids! All the awesome animated shows till your heads explode! Get on the cartoon ferris wheel, enjoy the rollercoaster ride. But buckle up because it’s guaranteed to be a daily ride that you won’t want to miss. Taffy is here, Sydney to the Max is back, and other treats including, The Pet Rescuers and loads more. Do your homework first, then catch all the endless options.

Find your adventure – whizz off to exciting new heights. Jump in, lets gooo!! 🚀 | DStv


Wanna be one of the coolest detectives of the animated world? Join Mira and solve intriguing mysteries. Nickelodeon has loads more to dive into, Baby Shark is guaranteed to give you good laughs and yes you guessed it, we’re going on a vacation with Bionic Max and adventures with The Casagrandes.


Originally published: February 03, 2022.

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Nickelodeon Australia & New Zealand to Premiere New Episodes of 'Middlemost Post' From March 21

Special delivery! Nickelodeon Australia & New Zealand will start to premiere brand new episodes of Middlemost Post from Monday, March 21!


Getting ready for School be like Spot (Nickelodeon New Zealand)



Originally published: March 18, 2022.

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Nickelodeon to Premiere 'Danger Force' Season 2 in Australia and New Zealand on March 21

A New Force Will Rise.

Danger Force Season 2. Premieres Monday, 21 March At 5.30pm On Nickelodeon.


Australia & New Zealand - Nickelodeon’s hit crime-fighting live-action series Danger Force, is back and set to pack a punch when it returns for season two on Monday, 21 March at 5.30pm (AEST). The new season will kick off with an epic four-part event and culminate with the return of Jace Norman (Henry Danger) as Henry Hart.

In the season two premiere of Danger Force, notorious villain Rick Twitler (David Blue) returns to Swellview with a devious plan to control Mika’s mind through an intense virtual reality video game and use her powers to destroy the internet. Danger Force must free Mika of Rick Twitler’s control before the world reverts back to the Dark Ages forever. The new season will also feature fan-favourite villains from the “Danger-verse” returning, including: Frankini (Frankie Grande, Henry Danger), Drex (Tommy Walker), The Toddler (Ben Giroux, Big Nate), Jeff (Ryan Grassmeyer) and Mitch Bilsky (Andrew Lewis Caldwell), among others.

Danger Force follows the students of Swellview Academy for the Gifted (SW.A.G. for short), a school conceived by Captain Man (Cooper Barnes) and brought to life by Schwoz (Michael D. Cohen), as they continue to master their superpowers as they battle even bigger villains than ever before to protect the citizens of Swellview. Chapa (Havan Flores), Miles (Terrence Little Gardenhigh), Mika (Dana Heath) and Bose (Luca Luhan) must also keep their real identities a secret from both from their families and the villains who are out to destroy them.

The series is developed and executive produced by Christopher J. Nowak (Henry Danger, Sam & Cat). Cooper Barnes and Jake Farrow (Henry Danger, Sam & Cat) serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Jace Norman and Mike Caron (Side Hustle, Henry Danger), who also serves as director of the four-part premiere event. Danger Force was created by Schneider & Olsen.

Production of Danger Force for Nickelodeon is overseen by Shauna Phelan and Zack Olin, Co-Heads of Nickelodeon & Awesomeness Live-Action. Omar Camacho serves as Nickelodeon’s Executive in Charge of Production for the series.

Danger Force.

Premieres Monday, 21 March At 5.30pm (AEST) On Nickelodeon Australia & New Zealand.

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Danger Force New Episodes Promo - Starting March 21, 2022 (Nickelodeon New Zealand)


Kids' Choice Awards 2022 Promo - Coming Soon (Nickelodeon New Zealand)



Originally published: March 11, 2022.


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Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for March 18, 2022 | Nickelodeon

Classic Rugrats Comic Strip for March 18, 2022 | Nickelodeon


Stream the classic and the all new CG-animated Rugrats series on Paramount+! Try it FREE at ParamountPlus.com!

Rugrats, provided to Creators Syndicate by Nickelodeon, based off the popular animated television series has been created for children and family's to laugh and enjoy together.

Follow these comics and their take on real episodes of the show and their own spin on hilarious adventures.

Read more Rugrats comic strips!: https://www.creators.com/features/rugrats

More Nick: Paramount Plus Renews the All-New 'Rugrats' for Season 2!

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Paramount Sees Opportunity to Open a Nickelodeon Resort on Dubai’s World Islands

A Nickelodeon resort would work “wonderfully for Dubai,” said Paramount’s Ty Granaroli


Paramount Global has said it is “aware of opportunities” on Dubai’s World Islands for a Nickelodeon resort, Hotelier Middle East is reporting. The manmade archipelago currently has just one property – Anantara Dubai World Islands Resort.

But Paramount Executive Vice President (EVP), Parks & Resorts Ty Granaroli said a Nickelodeon resort would match with the island perfectly, or another manmade island along the emirate. Currently, there are only two Nickelodeon properties - in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic and in Riviera Maya, Mexico - both of which leverage all the famous cartoon characters within the brand.

Speaking to Hotelier Middle East about Paramount’s future in hospitality in the Middle East and globally, Granaroli said: “Nickelodeon has potential in this region absolutely. What’s wonderful about it is, it’s a brand that works for children and adults. I could see that in Dubai, I could see it work. It would really tick a box here.

The Nickelodeon Resort in Punta Cana. Used for illustrative purposes only.

“I feel those sorts of island destinations, they’re internalised, is where Nickelodeon resorts could work. You could stay at these destinations for a while. Everything you need is there. We’re aware of opportunities on Dubai’s World Islands, it would be a good destination for Nickelodeon.

“The brands we put in hotels have to have longevity. SpongeBob is going to keep going, and that’s great because that adds trust to our hotel product.

“We’re not in talks for a Nickelodeon resort yet but I think it would fit in Dubai really wonderfully. It would be a great complement to what’s already here.”

Dubai World Islands

Nickelodeon resorts one of many ideas

Granaroli sat with Hotelier from the lounge of Paramount Hotel Midtown, Paramount’s second hotel-branded under Paramount Pictures. Following the success of Paramount Hotel Dubai, the EVP said he is confident Paramount Global will increase its stake in the region’s hospitality industry.

He said: “We want a lot of hotels and resorts in the Middle East, it’s hard to give a number. For sure we’ll work with DAMAC on Paramount; for Nickelodeon one or two would make sense. In the next five to 10 years you’ll see a lot more openings from us.”

Paramount Global expanding hospitality

Also overseeing all the theme parks for Paramount, Granaroli is familiar with entertainment across a number of verticals. According to him, hospitality is one of the best ways to grow and diversify the Paramount name.

He explained: “I would oversee a number of different formats for our brands. Hotels are just one format for us. It’s one of the fastest-growing formats as well though. Although hotels are expensive, they’re far less capitally-intensive than a water or theme park would be.

“You can open a hotel in two to three years, whereas a theme park could take five, six or seven years. Another benefit of hotels is immersion. You can get very close to our brand through a hotel. You can experience a brand in a very meaningful way at a hotel.

“Developers can get hotels up much more quickly [than theme parks] and the ROI is much shorter. I oversee all the brands in Paramount Global, so that’s Nickelodeon, MTV, Star Trek even. We’re opening a Nickelodeon hotel in Mexico this month and what we see – across them all – is that our brands work really well in the hospitality space.”

You can read Hotelier Middle East's interview with Ty Granaroli in full, in which Granaroli talks about wanting to open a indoor-outdoor 'wet and dry' theme park experience in the UAE on hoteliermiddleeast.com!


Originally published: March 18, 2022.

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Paramount CEO Details Plan to 'Suspend Operations' in Russia

The company will cease distribution of linear channels and some content licensing in Russia, contingent on existing contractual, technical and partner obligations.


Paramount Global has joined the growing media boycott of Russia, to include ceasing operations in the country amid Russia’s invasion and the ongoing war in Ukraine.

“We are taking a series of steps to suspend our operations in Russia, including pausing the supply of Paramount Global content,” Paramount CEO Bob Bakish said in an internal memo obtained by The Hollywood Reporter.

Steps taken by the Hollywood studio include Paramount Pictures’ previously announced delay of the theatrical release in Russia for The Lost City and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. And the studio will cease distribution of linear channels and some content licensing in Russia, contingent on existing contractual, technical and partner obligations.

“We are also making a $1 million donation to support humanitarian relief. In addition to the corporate donation, employees are encouraged to directly help those in need as this humanitarian crisis unfolds,” Bakish added.

Worldwide, companies and nations are stepping up sanctions on Russia to protest the war in Ukraine.

The memo from Bob Bakish to Paramount employees follows:

"Team,

Like many of you, I am closely following the devastating, unprovoked invasion of Ukraine. The resulting humanitarian crisis and its ripple effects on the lives of millions of people across Ukraine, Eastern Europe, and in Russia itself, is heartbreaking to witness.

Since the beginning of this crisis, our teams across the world have been working around the clock to determine the best, and most importantly – safest – ways we as a business can show our support for all those impacted. I want to be clear, the safety and security of employees and all those who work with us is, and will always be, our top priority. We continue to offer specialized support services to hundreds of staff, freelance and fixed term employees in Ukraine, Russia, and Poland whose lives are being impacted by this crisis.

We are taking a series of steps to suspend our operations in Russia, including pausing the supply of Paramount Global content. We have announced that Paramount Pictures will pause the theatrical release of our upcoming films in Russia, including The Lost City, and Sonic the Hedgehog 2. Simon & Schuster has suspended sales to accounts in Russia, along with the licensing of translation rights to Russian publishers. Additionally, Paramount Consumer Products will pause all new licensing deals in Russia. Other activity, including the distribution of linear channels and some content licensing, will take more time to pause due to existing contractual, technical and partner complexities.

We are also making a $1M donation to support humanitarian relief. In addition to the corporate donation, employees are encouraged to directly help those in need as this humanitarian crisis unfolds. Eligible employees in the UK and the US can take advantage of the Paramount Matching Program, which we are working to expand to additional international regions (more information will follow shortly).

In addition, we are using our content and capabilities to help those in need, including the power of our global platforms to ensure the world bears witness to this tragedy, as well as to support humanitarian relief efforts. The courageous news teams at CBS News, Channel 5, Chilevision, Network 10, and Telefe have been reporting around the clock from on the ground in Ukraine and neighboring countries.

Channel 5 recently aired a fundraising special, Ukraine: How YOU Can Help, in the UK. MTVE has initiated a global call to action across linear and social for audiences to donate funds to support relief efforts across several organizations, including World Central Kitchen, International Medical Corps, Save The Children, UN Refugee, UNICEF and more. Our Consumer Products team is donating toys, products, and funds to organizations that are supporting kids and families from Ukraine who are seeking refuge. And, our team is working to quickly bring Ukrainian-language kids’ content to European countries like Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy, Spain and France for free on Pluto TV, and to Poland through local Nickelodeon distribution partners. And there’s more underway and to come.

As we pause our operations, we will continue to financially support our dedicated team in Moscow. I also ask everyone across the business to please be sensitive to the effect this crisis is having on colleagues across Europe, and particularly those who are Ukrainian, Russian, and in Eastern Europe.

We will provide additional updates as we have them.

Best,
Bob"

###

Update (3/18) - Nickelodeon Russia has reportedly now gone off-air, and is displaying a "technical works" message.

To help Save the Children help as many children affected by the armed conflict as possible, please donate to Save the Children’s Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.

Originally published: March 15, 2022 at 23:08 GMT.

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Josh Peck Opens Up About His Past Addiction to Drugs and Alcohol

"What is really clear is that I overdo things," Josh Peck tells PEOPLE of his past addictions to food and drugs

He's been acting for over two decades, but Josh Peck, who first rose to fame on the hit Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, doesn't revisit his past work.

CREDIT: EMMA MCINTYRE/GETTY

"I don't even watch my new stuff," Peck, 35, told PEOPLE in this week's issue. The actor, who currently has a recurring role on How I Met Your Father, adds: "I don't watch anything!"

Understandably because for Peck, Hollywood life was often the setting for some very painful times in his life, including a public weight struggle and a years-long drug addiction that he details for the first time in his new memoir, Happy People Are Annoying.

"I was always looking for something outside to fix my insides," says Peck, who has been sober since 2008. "But eventually I realized that whether my life was beyond my wildest dreams or a total mess, it didn't change the temperature of what was going on in my mind. I knew that nothing in the outside world would make me feel whole."


Born and raised in New York City, Peck began performing stand-up comedy as an adolescent. He starred in the Nickelodeon Movies theatrical Snow Day in 2000 before a breakout role on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show led to Drake & Josh.

"I spent most of my life dying to be typical but I grew up with a single mom, I was overweight and I was a musical theater kid who really had no social status," says Peck, who recalls being teased relentlessly because of his size. "Comedy was my natural defense mechanism."

But eventually, the actor, who weighed nearly 300 pounds at 15, (he recalls regularly eating large pizzas on his own) knew he had to make some healthy changes and after 18 months of diet and exercise, he dropped 127 pounds. But still, he wasn't satisfied.

"It became clear that once I lost the weight that I was the same head in a new body," Peck says. "What is really clear is that I overdo things. And then I discovered drugs and alcohol. And that became my next chapter. I used food and drugs to numb my feelings."

CREDIT: JOSH PECK/INSTAGRAM

Experimenting with alcohol and drugs like cocaine as a teen into his early 20s provided an outlet for his private pain — and for insecurities stemming from childhood. "It was really a buffet," says Peck.

"I had this illusion of becoming more confident and attractive when I was partaking," he says. "I was trying to quiet that voice that woke me up every morning and told me I wasn't enough."

But eventually, due to his addiction, Peck found himself with a reputation in Hollywood for being "unstable and erratic," he recalls. "I had worked so hard for this thing and I was getting very close to losing it."

Josh Peck and Drake Bell | CREDIT: NICKELODEON

Peck joined a treatment program and got sober; a critically acclaimed role in The Wackness and then success in then-nascent social media outlets, including Vine and Instagram, followed.

"By walking through discomfort and by doing my best to break down the false identity I had for myself, I was able to get to the place that I was always seeking," says Peck. "I'm just trying to do good work that makes people happy."

Peck has been married to film editor Paige O'Brien since 2017 and they are parents to a 3-year-old son, Max.

He also has a newfound appreciation for the journey that brought him here.

"It took me a really long time to love the 15-year-old version of me," says Peck. "But now I understand how strong he was. And I feel like everything in my life set me up to find this chapter of health, peace and contentment."

In an except he shared of the book, Peck said the "first time I did drugs was because of a girl," not specifying who. He said the fifth time, he ingested "copious amounts liquor and bright-colored prescription pills" on a random weeknight and then was dangerously speeding down Coldwater Canyon in L.A. at 8 a.m.

"I had been living like this for a year now without much slowing down," he wrote. "Drugs and alcohol were like a water truck in the middle of a desert for me."

While this is the first time Peck really details addiction journey, his Grandfathered co-star and friend John Stamos credited Peck last year for helping him get sober. They were making their TV show, which aired from 2015 to 2016, when Stamos was arrested for DUI and entered treatment for alcoholism.

"Josh Peck was a big inspiration in my recovery," Stamos said. "Right around that time, I was going down the wrong path and I had to straighten out. And then, I’m on this show with this guy who was then in recovery for many, many years, playing my son. That part was meant to be. I wouldn’t be alive, if I hadn’t straightened up, and he was certainly part of it."

Stamos added, "I think I was meant to meet Josh Peck."

"I just wish I could teleport and tell 13-year-old, chubby Josh, that everything was going to work out," the Peck admitted in a 2021 interview with Esquire. According to Peck, the actor tried to find recognition outside of kid shows in other genres and projects, but for years, it was to no avail. While Peck said that comedic work was a consistent comfort zone, he often had troubles with self-esteem.

Happy People Are Annoying will be available on March 15.

Josh will be reuniting with his former Drake & Josh co-star Miranda Cosgrove in the upcoming second season of Paramount+'s iCarly revival, set to premiere on April 8.

From People:

Josh Peck Reveals in His Memoir That He 'Felt Better' When He Wore Spanx as a Teen

"I knew that a lot of people would be attached to that first image of me," Peck says of fans' reactions to his weight loss

In his new memoir, Happy People Are Annoying, Josh Peck is opening up about a secret undergarment he sported while filming his famed Nickelodeon comedy series, Drake and Josh.

"I'll never forget when the costume designer for the show took mercy on me after seeing me pull on my wardrobe for the hundredth time," writes Peck, 35, who struggled with his weight as a kid and weighed nearly 300 lbs. at age 15.

"She handed me what looked like a tank top but it was skin-colored and about two sizes too small. This angel of a costume designer had built me homemade SPANX."

Continues Peck in his memoir: "Wearing this magical tunic I no longer resembled a gigantic muffin and now looked more like an overstuffed bag of bread. It wasn't perfect, but it was better and I felt better. So I wore it, every day, for five years. I was wearing SPANX Men's, a corset, on national television, at 290 lbs., in five million homes, every Sunday night. Hollywood is glamorous as f---."

For more on Josh Peck, pick up a copy of PEOPLE, on newsstands Friday.

And despite the upsides of starring on a hit show, Peck, who was teased as a kid, was deeply insecure.

"I knew I was introducing myself to the world in a body that I wasn't comfortable with," Peck, who played lovable straight-A student Josh Nichols on the hit series, tells PEOPLE. "I knew that a lot of people would be attached to that first image of me."

And even after he committed to a healthy diet and exercise plan, hoping to transform his body, Peck still felt unsatisfied.

"It became clear that once I lost the weight, I was the same head in a new body," Peck, who had yo-yo dieted for years, recalls. "And the majority of people were supportive. But there were certainly some who had grown up with the big funny guy. And it's almost as if I took that guy away from them."

In order to ultimately find happiness, "I had to walk through discomfort and show up for life," says Peck, who has been wed to film editor Paige O'Brien since 2017 and is dad to their son Max, 3. "And as a result of good living, it became a good life."

Happy People Are Annoying is available March 15.

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Josh Peck finds light through struggles with fame, body image and more in new book l GMA - Good Morning America


The former Nickelodeon star reflects on his life in the spotlight in his new memoir, “Happy People Are Annoying.”

From TODAY:

Josh Peck gets candid about weight loss, addiction and happiness in new memoir


The actor and Nickelodeon veteran discusses why "Happy People are Annoying" in an interview with TODAY.

Josh Peck has a lot to say in his new memoir, “Happy People are Annoying” — especially about fitting into the status quo.

Peck, who is a beloved Nickelodeon actor known for his roles on “Drake and Josh” and “The Amanda Show,” said he assumed growing up that happiness was something reserved for an “elite class,” like the quarterbacks, the attractive or the wealthy. 

“I assumed that I just didn’t receive the same manual to navigate life that everyone else got at birth,” Peck told TODAY's Joe Fryer. “So in writing this book, it was sort of about coming to terms with that idea, and what I had to face to find my own version of happiness and define it for myself.”

Growing up, Peck said he was exposed early on to the idea that “life’s not exactly a piece of cake all the time.” He is the son of a single mother, who he writes "has been sticking her middle finger up to societal norms since she was a kid."

In his memoir, Peck talks growing up overweight, which he calls "the singular, powerful and all-consuming memory" of his childhood. To TODAY, he talked about using comedy as a defense mechanism for growing up overweight, a skill that he “acquired out of necessity.”

"I’d walk into most rooms at that age and at my weight at a disadvantage, that people made a snap judgment about me that I was, you know, slothful or lacked willpower or something," Peck said. "And that it was incumbent on me to sort of not necessarily even stand out; I just wanted to be on the same level as everyone else."

Peck’s weight loss, especially between seasons three and four of “Drake and Josh,” caused widespread media attention. Peck said the public response was odd to navigate — there was a year and a half between seasons three and four, but to audiences, the weight loss felt like a “massive shift.”

“When I did lose the weight, there was certainly a small contingent that thought, ‘Oh, you were funnier when you were fat or you took away this guy who we loved and we’re not so sure if we love this new guy,’” Peck said, noting that the “majority” were supportive.

After the weight loss, Peck said he turned to a different coping mechanism — substances. Peck got sober when he was 21, and spoke candidly to TODAY about how his addiction ruined relationships and put his life in danger.

“I was also 18 and supremely stupid and looking to sow my wild oats and maybe make up for some lost time where I held my myself back feeling insecure in my body that when I sort of discovered drugs and alcohol it quickly satisfied that itch that had presented itself when I lost weight but didn’t have the same medicine,” Peck said. 

Peck, 35, is now a husband and a father to 3-year-old Max, who he says gives him “cosmic comeuppance” coming from a childhood where he never met his own father.  

“The truth is, we don’t always get the amends that we deserve from the people who have hurt us,” Peck said. “But sometimes we give ourselves that amends by not passing that trauma on to the next generation.”

When Peck was just 10 years old, he appeared on "The Rosie O’Donnell Show," where he wowed the audience with his quick wit and confidently told O’Donnell that he wanted to be an actor. Now, over two decades later, he’s still keeping that vision. 

He’s a series regular in spinoff series “How I Met Your Father,” and appeared alongside his former on-screen "Drake and Josh" sister Miranda Cosgrove in the "iCarly" reboot. He starred in Disney's "Turner & Hooch" last year. And though he says he finds happy people “annoying,” he confessed to TODAY that even he feels he’s “happy adjacent.”

“I’m less concerned with happy and I’m more into content,” Peck said. “And I’m more than content.”

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Josh Peck Recalls Confronting Drake Bell, Asking Him to Apologize to His Wife at the VMAs Over Wedding Drama

Supporting his wife. Josh Peck didn’t publicly react to Drake Bell‘s comments about not being invited to his wedding — until now.

“I remember we were at the MTV Video Music Awards [in 2017] and I see him there and he sees me. I go up to him, and this might be the most Sopranos thing I have ever done, I looked at him and I go, ‘Go apologize to my wife right now,'” the How I Met Your Father star, 35, recalled during an episode of the “BFFs” podcast on Wednesday, March 16. “He made a beeline for my wife and I see him do a whole 5-minute performance of an apology.”

Peck and Bell, 35, skyrocketed to fame when they appeared on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh in 2004. After filming wrapped on the series in 2007, the costars quietly drifted apart as they moved on to other projects.

In 2017, Bell made headlines when he questioned why he wasn’t invited to Peck’s wedding to Paige O’Brien. “True colors have come out today,” the musician wrote in a since-deleted tweet. “Message is loud and clear. Ties are officially cut. I’ll miss you brother.”

The New York native, for his part, recalled on Wednesday how his former costar reached out to him on his special day to address the issue. “I am getting married that night and I see these text messages from him like cursing me out and coming for me. On the night of my wedding,” Peck told cohosts Dave Portnoy, Josh Richards and Brianna Chickenfry. “It’s delusional because it is like, ‘Bro, it is like we worked at Coffee Bean together when we were 16. I am sorry that I am 31 now and I might have lost your number.'”

The YouTuber noted that Bell was “creating this narrative that just wasn’t true” and his partner suffered the consequences of that.

“It was just unfortunate the way it worked out. It was one of the few times in my life where I went blind and my emotions put me in that place,” Peck, who shares 3-year-old son Max with his wife, added. “The dirty little secret was that I knew that Drake and I didn’t stay in touch for ten years since we made the show. But no one needed to know that. I was happy to just die with that secret that we made this thing that people really loved but we weren’t that close.”

The Ultimate Spider-Man alum previously opened up about how his encounter with Peck at the VMAs allowed them to work out their differences.

“We ran into each other at the VMAs. It was cool because I had called him and we were talking about meeting up. And that’s always kind of nerve-racking. ‘What am I going to say? Where are we going to meet? The ride over?’ So I was really happy that it happened organically,” he exclusively told Us Weekly in September 2017. “And he just kind of walked up behind me and I was like, ‘Oh. We have to deal with this right now.’ And so we were able to talk and hash it out and it’s all good.”


At the time, Bell explained that he felt his reaction was “completely justifiable” due to the situation.

“It’s interesting, we’re actually closer than we’ve been in a while … It’s totally great. It’s all love. We’re brothers, man,” he added. “We’ve been working together for 18 years, maybe even longer now. So we’ve had our ups, we’ve had our downs, it’s like we’re real brothers. It’s kind of that sibling rivalry and sibling love and it’s the whole thing.”

Josh Peck Book Revelations: Weight Struggles, His Addiction and Drake Bell
Four years later, Bell was arraigned and charged with two criminal counts of attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. The singer initially pleaded not guilty but later changed his plea during his pretrial hearing.

In response to the California native’s sentence of two years probation, Peck explained that he was just as shocked at the news.

“When Drake got into legal trouble, people ran to get my opinion. They thought I must have a take on this person I had spent so much time with, when in reality, it had been years since we’d talked and even longer since we’d seen each other,” he wrote in his memoir, Happy People Are Annoying, which was released earlier this month. “Which is why alongside everyone else who doesn’t know Drake, I was upset by the inexplicable events that unfolded in his life.”

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From ET Canada:

Drake Bell’s Wife Janet Von Schmeling Calls Out Josh Peck

Josh Peck has been doing a major press tour for his new book Happy People Are Annoying and it looks like he annoyed someone along the way.

The candid memoir mentions Peck’s former “Drake & Josh” co-star, Drake Bell, quite often, and following his latest interview, the author received backlash from Bell’s wife Janet Von Schmeling.

This week, Peck appeared on the “BFFs” podcast where he touched on his 2017 VMAs reunion with Bell after he had upset his former co-star a few months prior by not inviting him to his wedding.

“I remember we were at the MTV Video Music Awards [in 2017] and I see him there and he sees me. I go up to him, and this might be the most Sopranos thing I have ever done, I looked at him and I go, ‘Go apologize to my wife right now.’ He made a beeline for my wife and I see him do a whole 5-minute performance of an apology,” Peck said on the podcast.

Von Schmeling refused to keep quiet after hearing what Peck had to say.

“Josh Peck is a total piece of s**t. I stay quiet until lies happen,” she said on her Instagram Story. “And… the fact that I was there at the VMAs, I was next to Drake. I was the one who told him Josh was coming [up to us with the camera.] I was there, heard it all. Drake was never threatened by Josh… that’s actual[sic]  hilarious. Bro you’re not tough.”

She continued, “Also, yea, Drake apologized to your wife because you asked him nicely to. We actually hung out after that. Multiple times. We talked multiple times since then. You’re a f***ing liar. A f***ing liar, Josh.”

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Originally published: March 10, 2022 at 01:51 GMT.

H/T: ET Canada; Additional sources: Yahoo! Entertainment, AOL, NickiSwift.com.

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