{"id":82510,"date":"2024-03-13T13:53:36","date_gmt":"2024-03-13T13:53:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/13\/james-marsden-more-supported-brian-peck-during-drake-bell-case\/"},"modified":"2024-03-13T13:53:36","modified_gmt":"2024-03-13T13:53:36","slug":"james-marsden-more-supported-brian-peck-during-drake-bell-case","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/entertainment.runfyers.com\/index.php\/2024\/03\/13\/james-marsden-more-supported-brian-peck-during-drake-bell-case\/","title":{"rendered":"James Marsden, More Supported Brian Peck During Drake Bell Case"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Albert L. Ortega\/Getty Images; Presley Ann\/WireImage<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Investigation Discovery\u2019s docuseries on Nickelodeon unsealed the letters of support dialogue coach Brian Peck<\/strong> received after being arrested for sexually abusing actor Drake Bell<\/strong> <\/a>in 2003.<\/p>\n

The contents of the letters were briefly shown during the fourth episode of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV<\/em><\/a>, which will air on Monday, March 18. Directors Mary Robertson <\/strong>and Emma Schwartz<\/strong> confirmed to Us Weekly<\/em> that they petitioned the Los Angeles court to unseal the court documents while making the docuseries.<\/p>\n

According to journalist Kate Taylor<\/strong>, the letters asked the judge to grant Peck, now 63, probation at the time. Taylor noted it\u2019s unclear how much Peck\u2019s friends knew about the charges against Peck<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Peck was a crew member who worked in front of and behind the camera on dozens of Hollywood productions. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Peck was employed on several of producer Dan Schneider\u2019<\/strong>s projects at Nickelodeon.<\/p>\n

Peck was arrested after an unnamed child star accused him<\/a> of sexual abuse. The 11 charges brought against Peck included oral copulation, sodomy and forcible penetration. He pleaded no contest to two charges of child sexual abuse and was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004. He is now a registered sex offender.<\/p>\n

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\"Jeremy<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>Hollywood’s Sexual Misconduct Scandals<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tWhile Hollywood may appear to be all glitz and glam on the surface, the industry has seen its fair share of\u00a0scandals\u00a0through the years. The\u00a0New York Times\u00a0and the\u00a0New Yorker first published investigative pieces in 2017 that accused disgruntled movie producer Harvey Weinstein of decades of sexual assault and harassment. Soon after, Weinstein stood trial and was [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

During the ID docuseries, Bell, now 37, revealed he was the then-minor involved<\/a> in the lawsuit. He recalled being surprised when people packed into the courtroom to support Peck (who has no relation to Bell\u2019s former Nickelodeon costar Josh Peck<\/strong>) on the day the dialogue coach was set to be sentenced.<\/p>\n

\u201cOn the day of sentencing for Brian, I get to the courthouse and it was the most unbelievable thing you have ever seen,\u201d Bell, 37, told cameras. \u201cHis entire side of the courtroom was full. There were definitely some recognizable faces on that side of the room and my side was me, my mom and my brother.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bell added: \u201cI addressed my statement to everyone in the room. I looked at all of them and I just said, \u2018How dare you. You will forever have the memory of sitting in this courtroom and defending this person. And I will forever have the memory of the person you are defending violating me and doing unspeakable acts and crimes. And that is what I will remember.’\u201d<\/p>\n

The docuseries didn\u2019t specify which celebrities publicly showed their support for Peck in court. However, James Marsden<\/strong><\/a>, Taran Killam<\/strong><\/a>, Alan Thicke<\/strong><\/a> and Ron Melendez<\/strong> were some of the stars to contribute the 41 letters of support, which Peck provided to the judge. It\u2019s noted that neither Schneider, 58, nor top executives at Nickelodeon wrote any letters.<\/p>\n

Bell pointed out that Schneider \u2014 whom he worked with on The Amanda Show <\/em>and Drake & Josh<\/em> \u2014 offered him support after finding out he was involved in the case<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe only person I remember being there for me is Dan,\u201d Bell said in the docuseries.<\/p>\n

While speaking to Us<\/em>, Quiet on Set<\/em> directors Robertson and Schwartz discussed the process of unsealing the documents.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe began hearing from people who had been at Nickelodeon around this time that they had been asked to write letters of support. I had been a court reporter so I knew in general that letters of support are supposed to be public documents,\u201d Schwartz explained. \u201cBut when we went to the court, they were not public. So we spoke with our lawyers and we said, \u2018What can we do?\u2019 And they said, \u2018Well, you can petition the court to unseal them.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

She continued: \u201cThat\u2019s in fact what we did. And the court agreed to release those letters. We didn\u2019t know what we would find. We didn\u2019t know who would be in there. And that\u2019s what you see in the documentary.\u201d<\/p>\n

Robertson addressed whether they were concerned about the public response from people who wrote the letters, concluding, \u201cThe letters have been entered into the public record, they\u2019re available.\u201d<\/p>\n

Keep scrolling for a breakdown of some of the familiar names who supported Peck at the time \u2014 and their letters:<\/p>\n

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV<\/em> airs on ID Sunday, March 17, and Monday, March 18, at 9 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

James Marsden<\/h3>\n
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After working with Peck on movies such as Public Enemies <\/em>and X-Men<\/em>, Marsden, 50, reflected on their friendship in his letter.<\/p>\n

\u201cI can easily say that Brian is one of the reasons why I have been as successful as I have been in this industry,\u201d Marsden wrote at the time. \u201cI was lucky enough to have been graced with Brian\u2019s guidance, uncommissioned guidance I might add, and support in pursuing an acting career.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marsden referred to Peck as a \u201cmentor\u201d to him, adding, \u201cI don\u2019t mean to dramatize this but I am speaking wholeheartedly about a man who\u2019s heart is pure and no matter what you\u2019re talking about, his intentions are always good. He has such an amazing capacity to care about people. This, I find, is very rare. Especially in Hollywood. Brian genuinely cares about other human beings.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the docuseries, Marsden compared Peck\u2019s suffering after his arrest to that of \u201ca hundred men.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I first heard the news of Brian\u2019s arrest I couldn\u2019t breathe. I could not believe what was happening. It was unimaginable,\u201d he concluded. \u201cI\u2019ve known Brian for 14 years and never once did I ever see any sign of him being capable of something like this. I have lived at his house for months and shared hotel rooms with him and never once did he ever make me feel compromised or uncomfortable in any way. I don\u2019t know what it would take to have something like this occur, whatever it is, it is extremely out of character for Brian.\u201d<\/p>\n

Marsden was also mentioned in X-Men<\/em> producer Thomas DeSanto<\/strong>\u2018s letter about Peck. DeSanto, 56, noted that Peck served as Marsden\u2019s best man when he married Lisa Linde<\/strong> in 2000<\/a>. (Us Weekly<\/em> has reached out to Marsden for comment.)<\/p>\n

Taran Killam<\/h3>\n
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\u201cI first met Brian Peck four years ago while working together on a television show. We instantly became friends, which seems to be a common response to meeting Brian,\u201d the comedian, 41, wrote in his letter. \u201cOver the years, Brian has become one of my dearest friends. I know him quite well on both a professional and personal level. Brian has to be one of the most well liked people I have ever known. I think this has to do a great deal with his generosity, genuine concern for other\u2019s well being, and especially his honesty.\u201d<\/p>\n

Killam referred to Peck\u2019s arrest as \u201ctoo out of character.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen I found out about Brian being arrested I was shocked. Brian is the last person I would expect to be charged with criminal activities. My first thought was, \u2018This is a mistake.\u2019 I know many of our mutual friends had similar thoughts,\u201d he added. \u201cI have seen the effects this situation has had on Brian and I know for a fact that he regrets any mistakes made and that this is certainly not something that would ever happen again.\u201d<\/p>\n

Killam concluded: There has yet to be a set that I work on, where someone doesn\u2019t know Brian, and also doesn\u2019t think the world of him. He honestly is one of the most well liked, well-respected people in this business.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Us Weekly<\/em> has reached out to Killam for comment.)<\/p>\n

Tom DeSanto<\/h3>\n
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Following their time working together on X-Men<\/em><\/a>, DeSanto had nothing but praise for Peck.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Brian Peck that I know is a man who is always there when a friend is in need,\u201d DeSanto wrote. \u201cThe Brian Peck I know [is] a well respected and loved professional who has worked in the entertainment industry for over 20 years. That is why his arrest was so surprising and totally out of character. He has worked with actors as a coach for many years with never one whisper of improper conduct. His actors speak of him in the highest regard and continue their friendship even after the working relationship has ended.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Us Weekly has reached out to DeSanto for comment.)<\/p>\n

Rider Strong and Will Friedle<\/h3>\n
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The Boy Meets World<\/em><\/a> costars addressed their past friendship with Peck shortly before the docuseries was released. (Strong, 44, and Friedle, 47, met Peck during his time as a guest star on their hit sitcom, which ran from 1993 to 2000<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Their letters were also featured on Quiet on Set, with one stating, \u201cIt was extremely disturbing to learn of Brian\u2019s arrest. Maliciousness is so antithetical to his nature, it is impossible for me to comprehend a situation that would lead him to do something illegal or even inappropriate. I immediately called him and offered whatever support I could. Of course, Brian being Brian, he had already received numerous such calls.\u201d<\/p>\n

Strong clarified on his \u201cPod Meets World\u201d podcast last month that he wasn\u2019t aware of the charges brought against Peck.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cHe didn\u2019t say that nothing had happened. So by the time we heard about this case and knew anything about it, it was always in the context of, \u2018I did this thing, I am guilty. I am going to take whatever punishment the government determines, but I\u2019m a victim of jailbait. There was this hot guy! I just did this thing and he\u2019s underage.\u2019 And we bought that story line,\u201d Strong said. \u201cI never heard about the other things because, back then, you couldn\u2019t Google to find out what people were being charged with. So in retrospect, he was making a plea deal and admitting one thing \u2014 which is all he admitted to us \u2014 but it looks like he was being charged with a series of crimes, which we did not know.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friedle, meanwhile, expressed regret at attending Peck\u2019s sentencing.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re sitting in that courtroom on the wrong side of everything \u2026 The victim\u2019s mother turned and said, \u2018Look at all the famous people you brought with you. And it doesn\u2019t change what you did to my kid,\u2019\u201d he recalled. \u201cI just sat there wanting to die. It was like, \u2018What the hell am I doing here?\u2019 It was horrifying all the way around.\u201d<\/p>\n

Friedle added: \u201cWe weren\u2019t told the whole story, but it doesn\u2019t change the fact that we did it. I still can\u2019t get the words out to describe all of the things that I\u2019m feeling inside of myself.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alan Thicke<\/h3>\n
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\u201cI worked with Brian Peck daily from 1987 through 1991 and found him to be a highly professional and nurturing mentor of the young people on our television set. Because he was never inappropriate in any way around children, including my own two young sons, I was shocked and saddened to learn of the trouble he was in,\u201d the late actor wrote at the time of the case. \u201cKnowing him as I did, I also know beyond a doubt how remorseful he is and how dedicated and focused he will be on his rehabilitation. Brian\u2019s integrity and self-respect have always been important to him and this turn of events has been mortifying to him in ways that will only make him a better, stronger citizen in the future.\u201d<\/p>\n

Thicke died in 2016 at age 69<\/a> from a ruptured aorta.<\/p>\n

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\n\t\t\tRelated: <\/span>\u2018Growing Pains\u2019 Cast: Where Are They Now?<\/span><\/a>
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\n\t\t\tAll about the Seavers! Alan Thicke, Kirk Cameron and their\u00a0Growing Pains\u00a0costars brought to life a TV family worth loving. Thicke (Dr. Jason Seaver), Cameron (Mike Seaver), Joanna Kerns (Maggie Seaver), Tracey Gold (Carol Seaver), Jeremy Miller (Ben Seaver) and Ashley Johnson (Chrissy Seaver) portrayed the sitcom clan. The show ran from September 1985 to April [\u2026]\t\t<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Joanna Kerns<\/h3>\n
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In addition to Thicke, whom he met on the set of Growing Pains<\/em>, Peck received support from former costar Kerns, 71, as well. The docuseries quoted a section of Kerns\u2019 letter, which read, \u201cI can only believe there must have been some extreme situation or temptation exerted upon him to influence his actions.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kerns issued a statement in response to her show of support for Peck, which was included in Quiet on Set<\/em>. \u201cI have now learned that my letter of support was based on complete misinformation,\u201d she stated. \u201cKnowing what I know now, I never would have written the letter.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kimmy Robertson<\/h3>\n
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Robertson, 69, who appeared in Peck\u2019s 1990 movie The Willies<\/em>, wrote in a letter to the judge, \u201cI believe with all my heart that Brian was pressured and pushed beyond belief before he caved in.\u201d<\/p>\n

(Us Weekly<\/em> has reached out to Robertson for comment.)<\/p>\n

Rich and Beth Correll<\/h3>\n
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The couple stood by Peck at the time, with Rich, 75, writing in his letter, \u201cIt would be my pleasure to work with him again.\u201d Rich and Beth, 58, professionally crossed paths with Peck two years after he was sentenced for child sexual abuse when they worked together on The Suite Life of Zack and Cody<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

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