Drake Bell Says Boy Meets World's Will Friedle, Rider Strong 'Check In on Me' After Apologizing for Supporting His Abuser

Drake Bell is opening up about the support he received after revealing he was a victim of sexual abuse.

In the episode of December 19 The Sarah Fraser Show, Bell, 38, spoke about how other Nickelodeon stars reacted after he shared that he was sexually abused as a child actor online by dialogue coach Brian Peck. The Drake & Josh The alum appeared on Fraser’s podcast a few months ago to discuss his story, and said he heard from two cast members after the episode A boy meets the world who had previously written letters of support to his abuser.

“Want [Friedle] extended his hand,” he said. “That was really sweet. Rider [Strong] extended his hand — he was very apologetic and sweet, and we had a very long, two-hour conversation. They check me and everything and, yeah, that’s about it.”

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Fraser also asked if Bell had spoken to Robin Thicke, whose late father Allen Thicke also wrote a letter of support to Peck, while they were working together on Masked singer.

“No, I don’t think he even connected the dots or anything like that because he has nothing to do with it,” Bell explained.

(l-r) Drake Bell, Will Friedle and Rider Strong.

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In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to charges of oral sex with a minor under the age of 16 and performing an indecent act with a 14- or 15-year-old in connection with Bell’s case. Peck spent 16 months in prison and had to register as a sex offender.

Docuseries only in March 2024 Silence on set: The dark side of children’s television delved deeper into the details of abuse as he uncovered some of the toxic culture of children’s television shows in the 1990s and 2000s, including many produced by Dan Schneider.

The ID Channel special exposed several actors who wrote letters of support to Peck when he was about to be convicted of sexually assaulting Bell in 2004, though it’s unclear how much each of them knew about the allegations at the time.

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When Friedle and Strong were revealed to be among those actors, they expressed regret for backing Peck (who appeared in two episodes Boy Meets World) on theirs The floor meets the world podcast. Friedle said Peck turned him “against the victim” after he “intruded” into his life.

“So you go up to a guy that you now look up to as an adult and you say, ‘He’s terrible,'” Friedle said. “And my instinct at first was, ‘Well, my friend can’t be [this person]this cannot be. So it must be the other person’s fault,’ must be the story. Of course, it makes perfect sense. The way he says it and ‘You’re damn right, that kid is wrong. How dare he?’ I look back on it now as an adult and it makes me cry that I was ever so naive.”

He added that he now believes he was sitting in the courtroom “on the wrong side of everything.”

From left: Brian Peck, Will Friedle and Rider Strong.

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Bell later called out Friedle and Strong for writing the letters in the since-deleted comments below the post from Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas after the release Silence on the set in March. He claimed that both Friedle and Strong knew what Peck had done to him, but “wrote the letter anyway.”

The following month, Bell took to X (formerly Twitter) to share an update on his friendship with Strong. “I just had the most amazing conversation with @RiderStrong we all heal together. I have nothing but love and forgiveness for him,” Bell wrote.

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Brian Peck.

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In addition to Friedle, Strong and Thicke, letters of support for Peck also poured in SNL alum Taran Killam, Growing pains star Joanna KernsTwin Peaks actress Kimmy Robertson and The X-Men producer Tom DeSanto.

In a statement released in the documentaries, Kerns said: “I have now learned that my letter of support was based on complete misinformation. Knowing what I know now, I would never have written the letter.”

In a statement to PEOPLE issued by his representative on March 13, DeSanto said, “I have dedicated a significant portion of my career to shedding light on systemic abuse and advocating for the voiceless. These experiences deeply shaped my understanding of responsibility and advocacy, and it is at the core of who I am.”

He added: “My decisions at the time were based on the incomplete information I received, and I lacked full awareness of the seriousness of the allegations. With the knowledge and understanding I possess today, I want to personally apologize to Drake and his family and I expressly state that I would my support was absolutely denied that I was fully informed of all the allegations. This situation highlights the critical importance of due diligence in the relentless pursuit of the truth, especially when it comes to solidarity with survivors of abuse.”

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text “STRENGTH” to the crisis line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.

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Source: HIS Education