Drake Bell Candid Revelations:
In a powerful new docuseries, actor Drake Bell is opening up about the traumatic sexual abuse he experienced as a child star and how hitting “rock bottom” after his child endangerment charges became a wake-up call to get his life back on track.
Drake Bell Addresses Child Endangerment Conviction Head-On
The former Nickelodeon actor, best known for Drake & Josh, speaks candidly in the Investigation Discovery series Quiet on Set about the misdemeanor child endangerment case against him in 2021. Drake Bell was found guilty of attempted child endangerment and disseminating harmful material to minors for inappropriate texts sent to a teenage fan in 2017.
I took responsibility for that…but the media grabbed a hold of so much misinformation, and it destroyed me,” Drake Bell reveals. He was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service.
The Child Star’s Painful Past Trauma Resurfaces
In the docuseries, Drake Bell also courageously discusses the repeated sexual abuse he suffered as a teenager from a Nickelodeon dialogue coach named Brian Peck. Tragically, this unresolved trauma manifested in a “slow decline” in Bell’s mental health and sobriety over the years.
“There was a slow decline in my mental health and sobriety, I mean, DUIs, behaviors that were happening because I was…lost,” the 36-year-old actor admits.
Child Endangerment Case Became Wake-Up Call for Change
Drake Bell ultimately credits his child endangerment case as the turning point that motivated him to finally confront his past traumas and get his life together. “If I had continued down that path, that could very likely be the end of my story,” he says.
I was at rock bottom, and so I checked into treatment, and I got to go through a lot of trauma therapy, a lot of grief therapy, and be surrounded by people who, for the first time in a long time, wanted to just see me get better.
Ending
Drake Bell’s brutally honest reflections shed important light on the lasting impacts of childhood sexual abuse and trauma. While in no way excusing his illegal actions, Drake Bell’s willingness to take accountability and get desperately needed professional help after hitting rock bottom should be commended. His openness about these deeply personal struggles may help raise further awareness and prevent future tragedies.