[Warning: Potentially Triggering Content]
Drake Bell’s abuser Brian Peck had quite a few television stars in his corner before his sentencing in 2004…
In the Investigation docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the 37-year-old actor revealed Peck sexually assaulted him when he was 15 years old. And the “extensive” and “brutal” abuse he faced at the hands of Nickelodeon’s former dialogue coach only got “worse” as time went on.
It’s a horrible story we’re just learning the details of many years later — as Peck was arrested for his abuse of children back in 2003. The following year, he pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. But here’s where the story starts spiraling out to include a lot of other TV stars…
Before his sentencing, several actors wrote letters of support for the convicted child molester — expressing how much of a so-called “good person” he was and asking for leniency. Kind of like what Mila Kunis and Ashton Kutcher penned for convicted rapist Danny Masterson last year. Pretty gross.
Supporters of Peck include James Marsden, Boy Meets World‘s Rider Strong and Will Friedle, Growing Pains stars Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns, and SNL‘s Taran Killam, General Hospital‘s Ron Melendez, and Twin Peaks alums James Marshall and Kimmy Robertson.
Related: Sharon Stone Reveals Co-Star She Was Told To Sleep With
TMZ obtained 41 of those letters on Thursday, including Marsden’s. The Jury Duty star penned a lengthy note, detailing his 14-year friendship with Peck. He wrote:
“My name is James Marsden and i am very proud to say that i’ve been a close friend of Brian Peck’s for about 14 years now. I am from Oklahoma originally and i met Brian through an actor friend … Brian believed in my talent as an actor and encouraged my decision to move to Los Angeles and pursue this dream i had.”
Marsden went on to say Peck was one of the reasons why he has been “successful” in the entertainment industry as he would often coach and assist the actor for free. When the Enchanted star heard about the sexual assault done by Peck, he said he “couldn’t breathe” and felt it was “extremely out of character” for him. Marsden insisted he never felt “composed or uncomfortable” around Peck, even when he had lived at his house for months and shared hotel rooms with him. He concluded:
“Brian is a good person with a very healthy fear and respect for the law and, i assure you, what Brian has been through in the last year is the suffering of a hundred men. I don’t want to victimize Brian, nor would he ever wish that, but i do feel compelled to shed light on the fact that (he) has learned his lesson.”
Alan had some things to say about Peck, too. The late TV legend said while working on Growing Pains for years, Peck was a “highly professional and nurturing mentor of the young people on our television set.” He further claimed the dialogue coach was “never inappropriate in any way around children including my own two young sons.” Wow. Little Robin Thicke was around this guy, too? And Alan’s TV wife Joanna Kerns said Peck was “one of the most honest and trustworthy people I have ever met” and “would hire him today to work with children and young adults” in projects.
And there’s more. Taran Killam — who worked on The Amanda Show with Peck — had similar comments. In his letter, the 41-year-old comedian called him his “co-worker, my friend” and insisted he did not belong in prison:
“When I found out about Brian being arrested I was shocked. Brian is the last person I would expect to be charged of criminal activities. My first thought was ‘this is a mistake.’ I know many of our mutual friends had similar thoughts. It is too out of character.”
Rider Strong said he was an “outstanding human being.” Remember, this is after his guilty plea. WTF… You can read all of the letters in full HERE.
Following these positive letters from his friends and co-workers, Peck went to prison for 16 months and was required to register as a sex offender. The identity of the victim in the case was kept under wraps. But Drake bravely came forward to share the heartbreaking story of what happened to him for the first time this month.
As of this writing, none of these stars have addressed the letters. But they’re definitely not a good look! Reactions, Perezcious readers? Did any of the letters surprise you? Will the stars face backlash like Mila and Ashton? We’ll see. Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
If you or someone you know has experienced sexual violence and would like to learn more about resources, consider checking out https://www.rainn.org/resources.
[Image via Investigation Discovery/YouTube, MEGA/WENN, FayesVision/WENN, Judy Eddy/WENN]