Drake Bell is opening up about his childhood abuse even more — and the impact it’s had on his mental health, even after all these years.
As we’ve been reporting, the Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV documentary opened the world’s eyes about how Nickelodeon‘s child stars were treated. The biggest bombshells dropped in the docuseries was of course the now-37-year-old revealing he was the minor who was molested by Brian Peck. Peck was a vocal coach for various TV series back then. He was convicted in 2004, pleading no contest to one charge each of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. But the victim’s identity was always kept secret… until now.
Related: Does Drake Bell Forgive Rider Strong After His Support For Abuser Brian Peck?
Drake has been extremely candid and honest about his horrifying childhood assault, and now he’s opening up once again. But this time he’s talking about his life after the abuse. In a snippet of an upcoming episode of the Luminosity podcast obtained by People, the Drake & Josh actor admitted he’s suffered quite a bit of anxiety since his childhood abuse. So much so, that he says he can’t stand being feeling “trapped” — and that even affects where he sits in an enclosed space like a plane:
“I always have to have the aisle seat in the airplane. Anytime I feel uncomfortable, I cannot feel trapped… I always need an escape in any situation that makes me anxious and trapped.”
He draws a straight line to his experience, even remembering how he felt in his attacker’s home:
“I think this comes back to my experience with Brian at his house, I felt trapped.”
So heartbreaking to have to live every day feeling like you need a way out of basic situations — and it’s always a reminder of what he went through. This is what sexual assault does to people — it leaves scars that can’t be easily healed.
Drake has since made some good strides in healing and taking care of his mental health. We hope he continues to find peace amid everything he’s had to go through. And we remain in awe of his bravery as he continues to speak out about this!
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 We Are Man Enough/YouTube]