'Drake & Josh' TV mom breaks silence on Drake Bell's Nickelodeon abuse allegations

The ongoing fallout from the Investigation Discovery docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV has been an inescapable topic over the past week.

With many former child actors telling stories of abuse and harassment they allegedly suffered at the hands of producers, showrunners and staff throughout the 1990s and 2000s, many fans have struggled to wrap their heads around just how sinister and traumatic these events were for the stars of their childhood.

However, it appears that it wasn’t just fans who were rocked by the series, but actors who appeared in them as well. Nancy Sullivan, the woman who played the mom in the hit Nickelodeon TV show Drake & Josh, recently weighed in on the abuse that her TV son, Drake Bell, suffered on the set of their show.

“They weren’t my real kids, but I’ll always love them,” Sullivan stated in an Instagram post on Wednesday.

“It broke my heart into a million pieces to hear just how much Drake was holding inside while we were working together."

While Sullivan and Bell are best known for their roles as mom and son on Drake & Josh from 2004-2007, they were also both recurring cast members on The Amanda Show from 1999-2002, a show in which several instances of alleged misconduct took place.

Sullivan continued applauding Bell for coming forward about his traumatic past.

“I was both devastated and proud seeing the man he's grown into sit down on camera and bravely tell his truth,” Sullivan wrote.

“Past abuse doesn't define us, and it has no right to rule our lives, I know that putting this burden down will free him in so many ways.”

Among the various accounts of abuse given by the former child stars in the recent docuseries, Drake Bell’s was especially disheartening.

The actor and musician came forward alleging he was sexually abused by a Nickelodeon dialogue coach, Brian Peck while he was a teenager, revealing that he was the minor involved in the court case that got Peck arrested for child sexual abuse.

Sullivan concluded her Instagram post with a message of love to her former castmate.

“I hope memories of the joy he had on our shows will someday greatly overshadow the pain,” the actress said.

“Sending love to Drake for a deep healing and for a rich and beautiful life ahead.”

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available to watch in the US on HBO Max. It is not currently available to watch in the UK.