00:00 James Marsden and Boy Meets World stars were among those who wrote letters in support of
00:04 Nickelodeon's Brian Peck. Court documents from the former Nickelodeon employee and convicted
00:10 sex offenders trial, including the 41 letters of support, were unsealed for the first time
00:15 in nearly 20 years for the docuseries Quiet on Set, the dark side of kids TV. At the time,
00:21 the identity of the child actor who was abused by Peck was unknown publicly. However, in the
00:26 third episode of the series, actor Drake Bell came forward, revealing he was the child in question.
00:31 His entire side of the courtroom was full.
00:37 Full. There were definitely some recognizable faces on that side of the room.
00:46 In total, 41 people wrote letters of support for Peck, which are used to influence the judge
00:51 during sentencing. Among the recognizable names that voiced their support towards Peck were Ron
00:56 Melendez, Alan Thicke, James Marsden, Ryder Strong, Wilfred L, and Bell's former The Amanda
01:03 Show co-star Taron Killam. In his letter, Marsden noted that he'd known Peck for 14 years.
01:09 "I assure you what Brian has been through in the last year is the suffering of a hundred men,"
01:13 Killam wrote in his letter. "I've seen the effects this situation has had on Brian,
01:18 and I know for a fact that he regrets any mistakes made."
01:21 In February, Strong and Friedle commented on the situation on their Boy Meets World podcast, saying,
01:27 "In telling me what happened and instantly spinning it to where it wasn't his fault,
01:31 it was clearly the fault of his victim. My initial instinct because of the years
01:34 I'd been working with him was, 'Well, yeah, of course, it can't be you.'"
01:38 Strong added, "It was always in the context of, 'I did this thing, I'm guilty, I'm going to take
01:43 whatever punishment the government determines. But I'm a victim of jailbait. There was this hot guy,
01:48 I just did this thing, and he's underage.'"
01:50 In an Instagram post made by former Zoey 101 star Alexa Nicholas,
01:54 who also appears on Quiet on Set, she addressed the Boy Meets World cast letter, saying,
01:59 "You cared more about Hollywood, Pizzagate, and Boy Meets World than a child that was
02:03 molested by someone you defended and never apologized to."
02:07 Bell himself replied to a comment on the post, which was since deleted, writing,
02:11 "Many people turned away and said no, I won't write a letter. But Friedle and Strong did."
02:16 Nickelodeon's Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide star Devin Workshire also apologized to Bell
02:22 after facing backlash on social media for comments he made about the actor on TikTok.
02:27 Bell shot back on "X," writing, "Ned's declassless."
02:31 For much more details on this story, including Dan Schneider's response to the allegations,
02:36 and a video exclusively obtained by The Hollywood Reporter, head to THR.com.
02:41 And for the latest entertainment news and updates, keep watching The Hollywood Reporter News.
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