Drake Bell Says It’s ‘Freeing’ to Finally Speak Out About Childhood Abuse at Nickelodeon

Drake Bell finds it "freeing" to speak about the abuse he endured from Brian Peck.

The 37-year-old actor recently told of the "extensive and brutal" ordeal he had experienced at the hands of the dialect coach over the course of six months when he was 15 years old, and though opening up has left him "in the fire," he insisted the public scrutiny he has faced is "nothing compared to how [he] has felt in the past."

In a preview from his appearance on the Man Enough podcast shared with People magazine, he said: "The more that I'm able to talk about it, and the more that I'm able to articulate my thoughts just for myself, in my own mind, there is a big weight that feels has been lifted and is freeing."

The "I Found a Way" singer acknowledged the trauma will stay with him for the rest of his life, but he has sought help in "rehab," which also helped with his issues with "self-medicating" and behavioral changes sparked by the abuse.

He said: "[I] was not recognizing myself. [I was acting] just so out of character for not just who I want to be or who I want the world to see me as but who I know I am and how I know myself."

Drake told how he had thought that he could "go down this path and that'd be the end of [his] story" or stand back up and "fight for what is important," including his family, his relationships, his family and "to finally be at pace."

In 2021, the Amanda Show star was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service after pleading guilty to attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles after allegedly sending inappropriate messages to a teenage girl in 2017.

Drake has now acknowledged there was a "power dynamic" in place and he "shouldn't have been texting her in the first place," and appealed to fans to "absolutely 100 percent stop" after it emerged the victim had been targeted on social media.

He said: "Do not go on the attack.

"That is not the best way. If you're feeling that that's a way to defend me or to be in my corner, that is not the correct way to go about that."

Instead he asked his followers to support him through "love and compassion" and by being there for "other survivors."