20 years ago, Drake and Josh It was one of the favorite television programs for many children and teenagers. The charisma of Drake Bellits protagonist, transcended the screen and conquered everyone.
However, for some time now he has been unable to find work in Hollywood because he has been involved in several controversieswhich include driving under the influence of alcohol, child endangerment, and even receiving a public complaint of physical and verbal abuse from your ex-partner.
Last Tuesday, the 37-year-old actor surprised everyone when he confessed that Brian Peck, the dialogue coach of Amanda’s show (his first television show on the children’s network Nickelodeon), abused him when he was a teenager.
The claims emerged from a new Discovery documentary, titled Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids’ TVwhich aims to reveal the darkest secrets of life as a child diva.
It will mainly focus on Nickelodeon hitmaker Dan Schneider icarly AND Zoey 101that already it was publicly denounced by many of its protagonists for the “perverse” attitudes he had with children and adolescents in set to.
The accused
In 2003, right when it ended Amanda’s showPeck was separated from Nickelodeon after he was arrested on charges of more than a dozen crimes, related to the sexual abuse of a minor whose identity was never revealed, to preserve his integrity and privacy.
A year later, pleaded guilty to sexual abuse charges against two minors aged 14 and 16 and was sentenced to 16 years in prison. Furthermore, in 2004 he was registered by the American judicial system as a “sex offender”.
Drake Bell and Josh Peck, back when they starred in “Drake and Josh”. Bell had never been linked to this case, and in the new documentary in which he stars, he promises to reveal details of the abuse he suffered more than two decades ago.
A troubled past
The news of Drake Bell’s abuse caused a particular stir, as the last time the actor was widely reported in the media was when he pleaded guilty to child endangerment and distributing material harmful to children. young people in 2021, after complaints from a minor he met online.
Drake Bell at the police station after being charged with child endangerment and distributing material harmful to youth. Photo: Photo: Cuyahoga County Sheriff’s Department.Subsequently, his ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt targeted Bell and said she received physical and verbal abuse from him while they were a couple, between 2006 and 2009. “He drugged me and dragged me down the stairs of my house. My face hit every step as I went down,” the model and actress said in a video of her on her TikTok account.
Lingafelt, known as “Jimi Ono” on social media, also shared with her followers screenshots of messages she received from other women who had experienced similar situations with Bell when they were minors.
Drake was last seen on camera on January 1, 2024, when he attended Mexican television network TV Azteca’s New Year’s Eve party.
“Drake Campana,” as Bell calls himself as of 2020, has been working in Mexico as a musician for years, which is why he has released several songs in Spanish. Taking advantage of the fact that he continues to have the affection of Mexican viewers who met him on Drake and Josh, he makes appearances on local programs and reality shows such as Who is the mask?
Drake Bell, before being an informant, was reported for abuse by his ex-partner. Photo: AP.The fans of Drake and Josh They hope to get Drake Bell’s side of everything that happened in his turbulent years after his success Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids’ TVwhich will air on Investigation Discovery on March 17 and 18.
Source: Clarin
