Drake Bell says extensive therapy helped him come forward for “Quiet on Set” in new episode
The "Drake & Josh" star also discussed his relationships with his parents and the healing power of music in the new episode of the docuseries
Drake Bell was hesitant to come forward with his testimony about surviving repeated sexual abuse from former Amanda Show dialogue coach Brian Peck — but his time in therapy inspired him to share his story.
In the latest episode of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the Drake & Josh star reflected on child stardom and gaining the courage to participate in the Investigation Discovery docuseries. Journalist Soledad O'Brien asked him during a Zoom interview how he's been processing and dealing with his trauma, as well as his thoughts comparing his story to those of other former child stars. "When you look at other actors — I mean, Amanda Bynes, who’s in the doc as well, when you see her story and her struggle — do you look and think, this is also part of what happens when you’re a child actor?”
Bell responded candidly. “With Amanda and so many others, I mean, we’ve lost so many that aren’t here anymore,” he said. “I’ve watched tragedy after tragedy in this business and it’s just heartbreaking. I went many years not wanting to even talk about it at all. Not in therapy, not with my friends, not with my family. I kind of started, there was a lot of things happening in my personal life that were really difficult and I started to just, I guess spiral is the best way to put it.”
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Drake BellBell said that undergoing extensive therapy in rehab helped shift his perspective on sharing his story. “When I went to rehab, it wasn’t just 45 minutes with your doctor twice a week, it was from 8 o’clock in the morning to 10 o’clock at night, therapy all day,” he explained. “Trauma therapy, group therapy, one-on-one, all of this stuff, and I think a lot of the help was being in groups and hearing other people’s stories and going ‘Oh my gosh, I’m not alone,’ and it was really helpful to start facing this stuff head-on.”
“Obviously, things like DUIs and choices that I’ve made in my life, they’re decisions I’ve made on my own, so I do have to take accountability and responsibility for those things, but it’s really eye-opening to get down to maybe what’s the root cause,” he continued. “Where is this coming from?”
The new episode also features a brief previously-unseen clip from Bell’s original interview, in which he discusses how music helped him process his trauma. “A lot of times, my emotions and my inner thoughts and what I had been through would creep up and get in the way, but luckily I was writing songs and expressed what I was feeling through music,” he said. “I think that was my therapy, really, at that time.”
Bell elaborated on his relationship with music in his conversation with O’Brien. “Music’s like my diary or my journal,” he said. “I’ve always written about my life, and after I did this doc, I started just writing even more and more and more, and stuff started pouring out. That’s actually when I wrote the new song I just put out and the video that addresses the abuse and other things that I’ve gone through in my life, and rehab. It’s kind of the most vulnerable, honest, self-reflective stuff that I’ve written ever.”
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Drake BellBell also said that he maintains positive relationships with both of his parents today. “My dad’s very emotional, but I mean we have a fantastic relationship, and I’m so grateful for that because, like it shows in the doc, we went through many years of separation, and it was really hard on both of us,” he said. “And right now, we have an amazing relationship, and my mom and I have an incredible relationship.”
The actor also implored viewers to be less harsh on his mother. “I do feel, there’s a lot of people kind of after the doc, going after my mom a bit, but if you were in that situation at that time, he was so good at what he was doing, Brian, he was so calculated, he knew exactly what to say, how to say it, what to do, the image to portray, everything,” he said. “I completely understand how he just pulled the wool over everyone’s eyes. It’s tragic.”
All five episodes of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV are streaming on Max.
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.
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