Drake Bell forgives Rider Strong for writing letter supporting his alleged abuser

‘We are all healing together,’ the former child star shared

Former child star Drake Bell has revealed that he has spoken to actor Rider Strong about the letter Strong wrote in support of convicted child sex offender, Brian Peck, in the early 2000s – who Bell accused of sexual abuse.

Bell, 37, who rose to fame on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh, has been widely praised for his appearances on the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, in which he opens up about his alleged sexual abuse at the hands of Peck, a Nickelodeon dialogue coach.

Boy Meets World star Strong appears to have joined the list of celebrities who have offered their support, despite years ago writing a letter backing Peck during his court trial for the abuse – an action that Bell has criticised publicly in the past.

Producers for the documentary petitioned to unseal 41 letters of support written on Peck’s behalf during his sexual abuse trial in 2004, revealing Strong had initially joined several others in vouching for the disgraced dialogue coach. The letters were written to help influence the decision of the judge during sentencing.

Last week, Bell shared that he has forgiven Strong for his actions.

“I just had the most amazing conversation with @RiderStrong,” Bell posted on X/Twitter on Friday (5 April).

“We are all healing together. I have nothing but love and forgiveness for him.”

Among the list of supporters revealed in the documents were Growing Pains stars Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns, as well as actors Will Friedle, James Marsden, and Taran Killam.

Strong and Friedle discussed their relationship with Peck in an episode of their podcast, Pod Meets World, which aired shortly before Quiet on Set premiered. They said they felt “shame” for being “misled” into supporting him.

Bell says he has forgiven Strong for his action in support of the convicted child sex offender (Getty Images)

“He didn’t say that nothing had happened,” Strong said. “So by the time we heard about this 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 a victim of jailbait. There was this hot guy. I just did this thing, and he’s underage.’

“And we bought that storyline. I never heard about the other things because, back then, you couldn’t Google to find out what people were being charged with.”

The Investigation Discovery documentary has sent shockwaves through the industry, with several celebrities coming out in support of Bell and to share their own experiences.

Rape Crisis offers support for those affected by rape and sexual abuse. You can call them on 0808 802 9999 in England and Wales, 0808 801 0302 in Scotland, and 0800 0246 991 in Northern Ireland, or visit their website at www.rapecrisis.org.uk. If you are in the US, you can call Rainn on 800-656-HOPE (4673)