‘NOT MANIPULATED’

Drake Bell Slams Fellow Child Stars Who Supported Abuser

In response to online statements expressing sympathy for the two former child actors, Bell left comments about their complicity.

Actor Drake Bell took aim at two Boy Meets World actors over their support of his former acting coach who was convicted of sexually assaulting him. In a recent episode of their podcast, Rider Strong and Will Friedle claimed that they’d been manipulated into supporting Brian Peck, and said that was why they attended his trial, and wrote letters of support. In 2004, Peck was convicted of sexually abusing a child actor on Nickelodeon, who was recently identified as Bell. In response to online statements expressing sympathy for the two actors, Bell responded in Instagram comments on Thursday, slamming Strong’s and Friedle’s complicity. “Will was 27 years old and Brian told him what he did many people turned away and said no I won't write a letter but they did. Will was not manipulated.” Strong, he said, was “24 years old when he wrote the letter and was told by Brian what he did.” Bell worked with Friedle on Ultimate Spider-Man. Bell was only 14 years old when he first met Peck, and was 18 when he testified against him in court.