Drake Bell addresses abuse allegations against him in Nickelodeon documentary series

“I did what was asked of me, but the media picked up so much misinformation and it completely destroyed me,” the former child star says in ID’s “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.”

Drake Bell reflects on the mistakes of his past.

In the new documentary series Investigation Discovery Peace on set: The dark side of children’s televisionThe Drake and Josh The actor is speaking publicly for the first time about the repeated sexual abuse he experienced as a teenager, perpetrated by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck, who was later convicted. In the final installment of the four-part series (tonight on ID), Bell talks about how his trauma led him down a dark path. “My mental health and sobriety were definitely slowly deteriorating, I mean, drunk driving, behaviors that occurred because I was lost,” Bell said.

“Immediately after Drake and JoshI got signed and then I released my second album,” Bell explained. “I did some really cool movies, but I had periods of sobriety and then, you know – the pressure was too much and all these demons that I had were very difficult to deal with,” he described. “And so I think a lot of my self-destructive behavior was always just a temporary fix and kept coming back up. I went through this bankruptcy and lost my house. I mean, it was absolutely devastating.”

In 2021, Bell pleaded guilty to attempted child endangerment and distribution of adult material in connection with inappropriate text messages he sent to a young girl in 2017. He was sentenced to two years’ probation and 200 hours of community service.

During the sentencing, the victim called Bell “the epitome of evil” and accused the actor of soliciting her when she was 12 and then sexually abusing her when she was 15. “He was calculating. He exploited me and sexually abused me,” she said, also accusing him of sending her pictures of his genitals. “He is a monster and a danger to children.”

The actor was not charged with physical violence and he and his lawyer denied the allegations of misconduct, insisting at the time that the contact only involved text messages and no photos or anything sexual.

“I took responsibility for it, you know, I did what was asked of me, but the media picked up so much misinformation and it absolutely destroyed me,” Bell said in the docuseries about the attempted child endangerment case. “And I spiraled out of control. If I had continued down that path, that very possibly could have been the end of my story.”

Bell said his trajectory improved when he finally sought help. “I was at my lowest point and I went into treatment. I had to go through a lot of trauma therapy and grief therapy and was surrounded for the first time in a long time by people who just wanted to see me get better,” he said.

Bell was also accused of physical and verbal abuse by an ex-girlfriend in 2020. He denied these allegations at the time, but they are not explicitly mentioned in the documentary.

Peace on set: The dark side of children’s television Episodes 1 and 2 are now airing on ID. Episodes 3 and 4 will air Monday at 9 p.m. ET/PT on ID.

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

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly’s free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.