'We Are All Healing Together’: Drake Bell Reveals He Has Forgiven Rider Strong After Brian Peck Letter Of Support Drama

According to recent reports, Drake Bell has forgiven Rider Strong for supporting his abuser Brian Peck. He posted an update on X saying 'we are all healing together'. Read ahead for all the scoop.

By Sweta Choudhury

Published on Apr 07, 2024 | 12:53 PM IST | 79.1K

Actor and musician Drake Bell - Getty Images

Trigger Warning: This article includes references to sexual abuse

Drake Bell, a sexual assault survivor has forgiven Rider Strong, in a recent news update. The star took to X (formerly Twitter) and shared a post on Friday, saying that he forgives Rider for supporting his abuser, Brian Peck, in the past. In Investigation Discovery’s new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Rider Strong was named as one of the actors who supported Peck and wrote letters to the judge on behalf of the former dialogue coach during his 2003 sexual assault trial for his crimes against Drake Bell.

This post came much later after Drake Bell opened up in the series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, about the sexual abuse he suffered as a child actor under his former dialogue coach, Brian Peck, who then faced conviction in 2004.

More details about the case

In a press release about the documentary, Discovery said that Peck was convicted in 2004 for his crimes against Bell and ordered to register as a sex offender. Moreover, after Strong was named as one of Peck's supporters in the documentary, Bell called out the actor on social media.

Rider Strong was only 24 years old when he wrote the letter. In a series of since-deleted comments on a post by Zoey 101 star Alexa Nikolas that slammed Strong and his Boy Meets World co-star Will Friedle for their past support of Peck. “He wrote the letter anyway."

Furthermore, on a February episode of their podcast Pod Meets World with ex-costar Danielle Fishel, Strong, and Friedle, said they were groomed by Peck, who "turned us against the victim," Friedle said, referring to Bell.

In Bell's now-deleted comments, he wrote that in his view at the time, Strong and Friedle only talked about Peck on the podcast because they were told that 'the letters are going to be made public.”

“Everyone thought the letters would be sealed forever and no one would ever see them. This is their publicist telling them how to get ahead of the story,” Bell added.

Drake Bell addresses how he's healing now

Drake Bell said sharing his story in the recent docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of TV has been a 'freeing experience'. In an April 2 interview with Amanda Hirsch of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, Bell said that along with therapy, opening up about his experience years ago has helped him move forward.

"I'm able to start processing and dealing with things that I've kept inside for so many years," he said. The star also admitted that following the incident put him on a path of self-destruction, including drinking and substance abuse but now he's in a better place. He also said that he has a great relationship with his mom and is also thankful for the support of his ex-wife, the mother of his son.

"I don't know what I would do if I didn't have her," he said, adding, "I have to take a lot of responsibility for the pain that I caused. But she's such an incredible mom and she sacrificed so much in our relationship to keep my career going, to keep the family stable, and to be an incredible mom." Bell, who has also struggled with sobriety, said that he has been nearly sober for a year now.

"It's a day-by-day thing," he said, adding that the support of family and friends helps ground him.

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