All About Drake Bell’s Parents, Robin Dodson and Joe Bell
Drake Bell is the son of Robin Dodson and Joe Bell, the latter of whom appeared on ID's docuseries 'Quiet on Set'
Drake Bell and his father are speaking out about his experience working at Nickelodeon in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
The former Nickelodeon star was born in June 1986 to parents Robin Dodson and Joe Bell and raised in Newport Beach, California, alongside his four older siblings.
When Bell was five years old, his parents separated. That same year, the actor made his onscreen debut in a commercial for Whirlpool appliances before going on to star on hit Nickelodeon shows such as The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh, both of which were created by Dan Schneider.
In ID's new docuseries, Quiet on Set, Bell and other child stars detail allegations of a toxic and dangerous culture behind popular children’s shows of the late ‘90s and early 2000s, including the sexual abuse Bell repeatedly endured as a child actor at the hands of his then-dialogue coach Brian Peck.
“I’m not the same today,” Bell's dad, Joe, tells a producer through tears in the series. “The pain’s still there from the moment that I knew. I don’t wish this on any parent or child whatsoever. It’s just devastating.”
Read on to learn more about Drake Bell’s parents, Robin Dodson and Joe Bell.
Related: Where Is Brian Peck Now? All About His Sexual Assault Case and Prison Sentence
Robin was a professional billiards player
Robin is from Omaha, Nebraska born in 1956. At age three, she moved to California with her mom and sisters following her parents’ separation.
When she was 12 years old, Robin learned how to play billiards, ultimately becoming a pro in the game, per The Courier. Between 1984 and 1998, she won many tournaments, including the National Championships, and was inducted into the BCA Hall of Fame in 2005, per a previous press release.
Joe managed Drake Bell’s early career
In the Quiet on Set docuseries, Joe opened up about the role he played in his son's early acting career, noting that taking Bell to auditions became their way of bonding amid his divorce from Robin.
“Him and I just became so close. It was just natural, and he loved [acting],” Joe recalled in an episode.
Joe managed Bell's early career. However, Bell revealed in the docuseries that Brian Peck eventually became his manager, despite Joe expressing concerns that Peck was spending too much time with his teenage son.
Peck would often take Bell on auditions, which were sometimes hours away from his mother's home, resulting in him sleeping at Peck's house. However, one night, when the actor was 15 years old, everything changed.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I usually sleep and I woke up to him... I opened my eyes and I woke up and he was…he was sexually assaulting me,” Bell said in the documentary. “And I froze, and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react.”
“You know anytime I had an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian's house,” he continued. “And it just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse, and I was just trapped. I had no way out. The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal.”
Related: Drake Bell's Dad Recalls Finding Out About Son's Sex Abuse by Brian Peck: 'I'm Not the Same Today'
Joe's relationship with Drake Bell became strained as he worked with Brian Peck
Joe explained in Quiet on Set that he was “always within eye distance” of Peck and Bell as they worked together. However, he started to become uncomfortable with the relationship that was developing between them.
As Peck insinuated himself in Bell's life, the actor's relationship with his father became strained.
“I think Brian got a sense that my dad was on the watch. And so he started to really drive a wedge between my dad and me,” Bell said in the series, adding that Peck convinced him that his father was “horrible for my career.”
Bell said he believed what Peck told him due to his experience in the business, adding that Peck started telling Bell's mother the same things.
“Brian (Peck) really started getting into my mom’s mind and telling her the same things he was telling me,” Bell said. “There was never any mishandling of any funds, but it was like an army against my dad.”
Joe says Brian Peck's actions 'didn't sit right' with him
Joe remembered Peck’s behavior during the Quiet on Set docuseries. "Unfortunately, I started seeing Brian start to just hang around Drake too much and it didn't sit well with me," he said.
He claims that while his son was in his dressing room, Peck would touch Bell in front of others in ways that made him question Peck’s intentions.
“Drake would be in the dressing room or something and in would pop Brian and just touch Drake," said Joe in an episode. "Then he’d maybe walk over to Drake and be feeding him some lines or whatever and put his arm around his waist, put his hand up on his shoulder and kind of run it down his arm, things like that."
Joe added, "And this would happen routinely. It was just always uncomfortable.”
Related: Drake Bell Says He Spotted Brian Peck Out with Underage Children Since Prison Release
Joe voiced his concerns about Brian Peck on set, but was 'ostracized'
After some time, Joe expressed his concerns with production personnel and said he was uncomfortable with Peck always being around Bell. When Joe raised his concerns, he claimed he was "ostracized" on set and "backed off.”
Joe wasn't the only parent who said they openly expressed misgivings about the behavior they witnessed at Nickelodeon. Tracey Brown, the mother of All That alum Bryan Hearne, also opened up in Quiet on Set.
Brown recalled being unafraid to point out her discomfort in watching her son be cast in what she and her son believe was a racially stereotyped role as a teen who sold cookies, in an apparent reference to drug dealing.
When Brown spoke up about the eyebrow-raising behavior and "adult jokes" she deemed inappropriate for children’s shows, she claimed she was asked to stay quiet. “I was complaining too much,” she said. “I became the oddball.”
Robin spoke out about Brian Peck in court
After Peck’s arrest in 2003, Joe said he wasn’t surprised when Bell told him but became emotional when he later learned Bell was the victim. (Drake’s identity was not made public at the time since he was a minor.)
“I’m not the same today,” Joe told a producer through tears in Quiet on Set. “The pain’s still there from the moment that I knew. I don’t wish this on any parent or child whatsoever. It’s just devastating.”
In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 as well as a charge of performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. Peck spent 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender.
At the 2004 sentencing hearing, Robin and her now-husband Roy Dodson said they’d been duped into trusting Peck, reported The New York Times. Robin also noted that Peck had urged them to keep Bell away from his then-girlfriend.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!
Read the original article on People.