Directed by Mary Robertson and Emma Schwartz, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV brought out the ugly side of kids’ television during the ’90s and ’00s to light. In the five-part docuseries, Drake Bell, who rose to prominence following the success of Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh, shed light on his s-xual trauma, suffered at the hands of convicted s-x offender Brian Peck.
Bell also spoke at length about the actors who signed in support of Peck during the 2004 trial, which included Cabin Fever star Rider Strong. But with the actor finally moving past this traumatic experience, he took to X to share that he has made peace with the actor.
Brian Peck Forgives Rider Strong for His Support Letter for Brian Peck
Almost two decades after the conviction of Brian Peck, the 41 letters that were sent in support of the former dialogue coach were finally unsealed. The notable names, which involved several of Drake Bell‘s costars, with whom he continued to work for years after the case, included Boy Meets World star Rider Strong. While Strong did open up about Peck before the release of the docuseries, Bell, in a deleted tweet, speculated it was nothing more than a PR stunt.
However, taking to X, the Drake & Josh Star stressed that after having a fruitful conversation with Strong, he has nothing but love and forgiveness for the actor, stating they’re healing together.
I just had the most amazing conversation with @RiderStrong we are all healing together. I have nothing but love and forgiveness for him.
— DrakeBell.ethᵍᵐ (@DrakeBell) April 5, 2024
Before the 41 names were made public by the court, Strong joined Will Friedle in a lengthy discussion revolving around Peck and how the convicted s-x offender manipulated them.
Rider Strong on Being Kept in the Dark by Convicted S-x Offender Brian Peck
During Peck’s s-xual assault trial in the early 2000s, Strong alleged that he was kept in the dark about the seriousness of the case. By the time the details came to light, the actor recalled that Peck was claiming to be a “victim of jailbait”.
Considering that it was a pre-Google era, Strong claimed they had no way of knowing what Peck was actually charged with, which led them to buy the convicted s-x offender’s story.
Speaking on Pod Meets World (Via Variety), Strong explained :
“I never heard about the other things because, back then, you couldn’t Google to find out what people were being charged with. So in retrospect, he was making a plea deal and admitting one thing — which is all he admitted to us — but it looks like he was being charged with a series of crimes, which we did not know.”
With Bell finally opening up about his trauma, followed by a lot of therapy, the whole thing has been a freeing experience for the actor.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available to stream on Max.
