'Drake & Josh' Mom Nancy Sullivan Breaks Silence On Brian Peck Allegations
By Kelly Coffey-Behrens on March 20, 2024 at 7:32 PM EDT
Updated on March 20, 2024 at 7:43 PM EDT
Nancy Sullivan, who portrayed Drake Bell's mom on 'Drake & Josh', is breaking her silence on the allegations made by the former Nickelodeon star against Brian Peck.
As you know, Drake Bell came forward and admitted to being the unidentified 15-year-old who accused Brian Peck of s-xual assault. He spoke out in the new docuseries, 'Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV', which, after hearing his story, has gained a ton of support from fans and his former Nickelodeon family, including his on-screen brother, Josh Peck.
Now, another 'Drake & Josh' star is speaking out in support of Drake Bell.
Drake Bell's Accusations Against Brian Peck
After being introduced to Drake Bell and working alongside him, Brian Peck began taking the then-child actor to his auditions, and sometimes made excuses for him to stay at his house, according to Bell in the docuseries. “He’d pretty much worked his way into every aspect of my life,” Bell said in 'Quiet On Set'.
“I knew that my life was going to be absolutely going to be completely different from that point on, ” Bell said before describing the incident. “I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep and I woke up to him, I opened my eyes, I woke up and he was s-xually assaulting me and I froze and in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react and I had no idea how to get out of the situation. What am I going to call my mom and be like, ‘Hey, this just happened. Can you come pick me up? I’ll just sit here and wait.’ I had no car, I didn’t drive. I was 15 at this time.”
Bell never came forward, as he was afraid of his career-ending.
'Drake & Josh' Mom Breaks Silence On Nickelodeon Allegations
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Nancy Sullivan is speaking out on the allegations made by Drake Bell towards Brian Peck, stating, "They weren't my real kids, but I'll always love them."
She went on to say, "It broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together. I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he's grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth."
Drake Bell previously came out and accused former Nickelodeon voice instructor Brian Peck of s-xual abuse. Peck was later arrested and served 16 months in prison.
"Past abuse doesn't define us, and it has no right to rule our lives, I know that putting this burden down will free him in so many ways," Sullivan added, "I hope memories of the joy he had on our shows will someday greatly overshadow the pain. Sending love to Drake for a deep healing and for a rich and beautiful life ahead."
Nancy Sullivan Says 'It Hurts' To See The 'Kids' She Worked With Struggle
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The former Nickelodeon actress previously posted about her on-screen son, Drake, sharing, "When we began 'The Amanda Show' Drake Bell was 12, he'd auditioned with something like 18 characters and already had his own band. He's so talented and has a very sweet and soft heart."
Adding, "It hurts mine to see the 'kids' I've worked with struggling, their challenges are so public. Life is hard, a turbulent background has to be sorted out, and we all deserve to do the hard work to have the best life we can. Sending good energy to Drake for clarity, strength, happiness, and a life that thrives."
Fans Thanks Nancy Sullivan For Speaking Out
After posting about the allegations Drake Bell had made, many fans flooded the comments section to thank her for her words of support.
"These are the first positive words I’ve seen regarding Drake’s segment of quiet on set," one user wrote, adding, "Thank you for sticking by Drake’s side."
Another commented, "It was devastating to hear Drake share his painful truth. I’m sure the support of his castmates means a lot to him."
A third chimed in, "Thanks for speaking up! drake and all the kids from then who got this treatment need all the help and support."
Drake Bell Says Josh Peck Has Reached Out Following Allegations
While Josh Peck has not commented publicly on the accusations, he has reached out to Drake Bell, according to the star himself.
“I just want to clear something up. I’ve noticed a lot of comments on some of Josh’s TikToks and some of his posts,” Bell said of the recent hate Josh Peck has received. “I just want to let you guys know that this is really … processing this and going through this is a really emotional time, and a lot of it is very, very difficult. So not everything is put out to the public.”
Bell continued, “But I just want you guys to know that he has reached out to me, and it’s been very sensitive. But he has reached out to talk with me and help me work through this. And has been really, really great. So just wanted to let you guys know that and to take it a little easy on him.”