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In the upcoming documentary Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, former Drake & Josh star Drake Bell details how he was abused by Nickelodeon acting coach Brian Peck, who was — in addition to being a convicted child abuser — a penpal of serial killer John Wayne Gacy.
Peck was arrested in 2003 on 11 criminal charges, including sodomy, lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older, and oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance.
The victim, who was a minor, was not named at the time. That victim is now confirmed to be Bell.
“My name is Drake Bell and I came here today to tell my story,” Bell says in the third episode of ID’s Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV series.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep. I woke up to him — I opened my eyes, I woke up and he was assaulting me. I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I have no idea how to get out of this situation,” Bell, who was 15 years old at the time, said, according to Variety.
Furthermore, Kyle Sullivan, a Nickelodeon actor who appeared on The Amanda Show and All That, said that Peck showed off letters and a gift from serial killer John Wayne Gacy, who claimed the pair had become penpals.
“Brian, I hope you enjoy the painting. Best wishes. Your friend, John Wayne Gacy,” a message on the back of the gift read.
Bell also said that Peck would leverage his Hollywood connections by threatening to harm Bell’s career through his relationships with producers.
“He had the ability to basically go, ‘Well you’re never going to work with this person,’” Bell said. “So it was me believing that I would never be able to do this again… I didn’t want to risk that. I was doing what I loved to do, so I just kept it inside.”
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV will premiere on ID on Sunday, March 17, and Monday, March 18 before being made available to watch on the MAX streaming service.