Drake Bell Shares How His 3-Year-Old Son Inspired Him to Come Forward About Abuse in Quiet on Set

Drake Bell is revealing that part of the reason he came forward as a victim of child abuse was to set an example for his son.

In an exclusive interview with Today, the former Nickelodeon star, 37, was asked by NBC News' Katie Snow if his role as a father played a part in his decision to open up while participating in Investigation Discovery's series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

"Was part of your motivation in speaking out because of your son?" Snow asked.

"Yeah and as he grows, my hope is that he'll be able to say, 'My dad did go through that. And the man that I know today is a hero to me,' " Bell responded.

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"I don't think so much that I wanted my son to be proud of me, but not wanting someone else to have to tell him about his father," Bell continued. "I could've either allowed this to destroy me or make me stronger for him."

"As he grows, he's going to hear things, and people are going to have opinions," the proud dad added. "But my hope is that he'll be able to say, 'Yeah, my dad did go through that. Yeah, that did happen to my dad. Yeah, my dad did do that."

"But the man I've known my whole life and the man that I know today is a hero to me. And the fact that he's been able to get through these things has helped me be able to face the world and not let it tear me down."

Bell shares his 3-year-old son with ex-wife Janet Von Schmeling.

In March, Bell came forward as a survivor of sexual abuse. The Nickelodeon alum opened up about the abuse he endured at the hands of the network's dialogue coach, Brian Peck, which occurred over six months when he was 15.

Despite being "in the fire" and the "thick" of the commotion around his admission, Bell said in the series that public scrutiny feels "nothing compared to how I have felt in the past."

"The more that I'm able to talk about it, and the more that I'm able to articulate my thoughts just for myself, in my own mind, there is a big weight that feels has been lifted and is freeing," he explained, noting that the trauma is something that will be with him for the rest of his life.

The Drake and Josh alum recalled thinking he could "go down this path and that'd be the end of my story" or stand back up and "fight for what is important to you and your life: to fight for your family, to fight for your relationships, to fight for yourself, and to finally be at peace."

In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old in connection with Bell's case. After spending 16 months in prison, Peck was required to register as a sex offender. 

In July 2021, Bell first announced he was married, just a few days after he pled guilty to attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles following his arrest for sending inappropriate text messages to a 15-year-old fan.

"In response to various rumors that are incorrect, I have been married for almost 3 years, and we are blessed to be the parents of a wonderful son,” he wrote in a statement in Spanish on X (formerly known as Twitter) at the time. “Thank you very much to all my fans around the world for your good wishes."