Drake Bell Criticizes Rider Strong and Will Friedle for Lack of Apology in Brian Peck Support

Drake Bell Claims Boy Meets World Cast Didnt Apologize After Supporting Brian Peck

Drake Bell Amy Sussman/Getty Images

Drake Bell criticized Rider Strong and Will Friedle for not apologizing to him after acknowledging their history with Brian Peck on a podcast. Fellow Nickelodeon star Alexis Nikolas called out Strong and Friedle on social media for choosing Hollywood and their show Boy Meets World over supporting Bell when he accused Peck of sexual abuse. Peck, who is not related to Bell's former costar Josh Peck, was convicted of sexual abuse when Bell was a minor.

Several fans came to the defense of Strong and Friedle, noting that they did acknowledge their complicated history with Peck.

Bell quickly joined the conversation, responding to a social media user by stating, "Will was 27 years old when Brian confessed his actions. Despite some people backing away, Will still chose to write a letter. He wasn't manipulated - Brian came clean and Will made his own decision to support him."

Friedle, who wrote a letter of support for Peck and attended his 2004 sentencing, later worked with Bell on a project.

Drake Bell Claims Boy Meets World Cast Didnt Apologize After Supporting Brian Peck

Rider Strong & Will Friedle SGranitz/WireImage/Getty Images

Bell shared that Strong worked with him on numerous episodes of Spider-Man years later, but never mentioned the incident. This was because they were informed that their letters would be made public. The publicist advised them on how to address the situation before it became public knowledge.

Bell disagreed with a comment that mentioned the young age of Strong and Friedle when Peck was arrested. Bell stated that Rider was actually 24 years old when he wrote the letter, despite knowing what Brian did. Bell emphasized that Rider still chose to write the letter.

Investigation Discovery recently unveiled a trailer in February for Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV. The focus of the trailer was on discussions regarding a negative work environment at Nickelodeon. In a subsequent clip, former cast and crew of the network talked about an incident involving Peck in August 2003. He was accused of sexually abusing a child, leading to his arrest. Peck pleaded no contest to charges of performing lewd acts with a victim aged around 14 or 15, as well as oral copulation with a child under 16. This resulted in a 16-month prison sentence.

The documentary, which premiered on March 17 and 18, revealed that the child star involved in the lawsuit was Bell. Prior to the airing of the docuseries on ID, Strong and Friedle discussed their past friendship with Peck on their “Pod Meets World” podcast.

Strong mentioned that he was unaware of the charges against Peck at the time. He explained that Peck never denied that something had happened, but rather framed it as a situation where he was a victim of jailbait. Strong shared that they only found out about the case in the context of Peck admitting guilt for one specific thing, without knowing about the other charges he was facing. During that time, it was not easy to search online for information about people's charges.

Friedle felt sorry for being present at Peck’s sentencing. He remembered feeling out of place in the courtroom. The victim's mother even pointed out the famous people in attendance, but it didn't change what had happened to her child. Friedle felt overwhelmed with guilt and horror, questioning why he was there.

Friedle expressed that even though they were not given all the details, it does not change the fact that they were involved. They found it difficult to put into words the emotions they are experiencing internally.

In an exclusive interview with We, directors Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz shared their thoughts on Strong and Friedle choosing to discuss the situation on their podcast after being contacted for comment beforehand.

Schwartz told Us earlier this month that they reached out to everyone who wrote a letter of support for Brian Peck that was mentioned in the film, including Will and Rider. However, they did not receive a response from them. She found it interesting to learn that they released a podcast after the trailer for the film was announced.

Schwartz confirmed that she listened to their response and gained insight into their perspective on Brian. She noted that they used similar language to describe him as Drake did. Will, who had also been in the courtroom, used comparable language to describe the number of people present, mirroring Drake's account.

Robertson expressed that they have many unanswered questions regarding the letters of support. They are curious about the circumstances in which the letters were written, whether any pressure was applied, who requested specific letters, and the reasons behind them. Robertson looks forward to gaining more clarity on these matters in the upcoming weeks and months.

In the final two episodes of the documentary, airing on Monday, March 18, Bell finally spoke out about Peck's abuse and the court hearing that followed. He described the shocking moment when he entered the courtroom for the sentencing.

"I arrived at the courthouse and it was truly unbelievable," Bell shared with the cameras. "Peck's side of the room was completely full. I recognized some faces there, while on my side, it was just me, my mom, and my brother."

The actor decided to speak directly to everyone in the room. He shared, "I looked at each of them and simply said, 'How dare you. You will always remember defending this person in court. And I will always remember the person you defended violating me and committing unspeakable acts and crimes. That is what will stay with me,'" he concluded.

Strong and Friedle have not commented on the news that Bell was the unnamed child star in Peck's case. They mentioned in their February podcast episode that they have not kept in touch with Peck.

Catch Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV on Investigation Discovery this Sunday, March 17, and Monday, March 18, at 9 p.m. ET.

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, reach out to the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673).

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