Drake Bell is opening up about a song he penned for his debut album, where he alluded to the sexual abuse he suffered as a teenager.
Bell revealed on the ID docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV that he was molested by former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck.
In a new TikTok video, the Drake & Josh alum shared that the song “In the End,” which was part of the 2005 album Telegraph, was about the traumatic experience he lived.
Bell shared, “I wrote this song when I was 15 about what happened before I said anything to anyone.”
“In the End” lyrics say, “And in the end, are you stronger? / Do you no longer need to recover? / And where have you been since it’s been over? / Over my shoulder, under my skin, will you ever return again?”
Peck was arrested in 2003 on 11 charges, including sodomy, lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older, and oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance, but the minor was never named.
Due to Bell being a minor at the time, the name of Peck’s victim was not made public until the singer and actor revealed it on the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV docuseries.
Nickelodeon said in a statement following the docuseries, “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward.”
