This article mentions child sex abuse.
Weeks after calling out Rider Strong for supporting convicted child sex abuser Brian Peck amid his 2004 legal trial, Drake Bell has revealed that they've made amends.
For those who missed it, Drake took to Instagram last month to slam Boy Meets World actors Rider and Will Friedle for supporting former Nickelodeon alum Brian after he was charged with two counts of sex abuse in 2003 against a then-unnamed child actor, who was aged 14 or 15 per court documents.
The former dialogue coach and actor was initially charged with 11 counts against the child actor at age 43. He ended up pleading no contest to and being found guilty of 2 of these counts: lewd act upon a child and oral copulation. The remaining counts were dismissed.
Drake, who shot to fame starring in Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, came forward as Brian's alleged victim ahead of the release of ID docuseries Quiet on Set, which delved into the behind-the-scenes culture of the kids' TV network.
"I was sleeping on the couch where I usually sleep, and I woke up to him... He was sexually assaulting me. And I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react," Drake said in the docuseries.
It's important to note that elsewhere in the docuseries, Drake also addressed his own 2021 legal trial, where he was charged with attempted endangering of children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. He pled guilty to both charges and was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service. Drake detailed spending years in therapy and treatment as he discussed the trial.
A month before the docuseries aired, Rider and Will — who were 24 and 27 respectively when Brian was convicted — recalled writing letters of support for the dialogue coach on their podcast, Pod Meets World.
Rider and Will — who shared a close friendship with Brian despite their age gap — claimed they were "misled" and expressed "shame" and guilt for supporting him.
"By the time we heard about the case and knew anything about it, it was always in the context of: 'I did this thing, I am guilty, I am going to take whatever punishment the government determines, but I'm the victim of jailbait,'" Rider said as he recounted the way Brian told him about the legal case.
However, Drake accused them of only discussing their past support for Brian to save face and try to "get ahead of the story."
Responding to an Instagram comment that appeared to defend the Boy Meets World actors, Drake wrote: "Will was not manipulated. Brian admitted it to him and he wrote the letter anyway. Then he worked with me on many many episodes of spider man [sic] years later and never said a word to me about it."
"This is because they were told there letters are going to be made public. Everyone thought the letters would be sealed forever and no one would ever see them. This is their publicist telling them how to get ahead of the story," Drake continued. He added in a separate comment: "RIDER WAS 24 years old when he wrote the letter and was told by Brian what he did. He wrote the letter anyway."
Drake later claimed that since the docuseries aired, he had not received apologies from anyone who supported Brian amid the trial.
But now, it looks like things have taken a turn, with Drake revealing on X (formerly known as Twitter) that he and Rider have had an "amazing conversation."
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault, you can call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673), which routes the caller to their nearest sexual assault service provider. You can also search for your local center here.
If you are concerned that a child is experiencing or may be in danger of abuse, you can call or text the National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-422-4453 (4.A.CHILD); service can be provided in over 140 languages.