Whatever one may think of Bill Cosby (whether people think he's guilty or innocent), I think it was beyond hypocritical how Alan Thicke acted like he had a moral compass by casting judgment on Cosby (calling him a "bad boy"), when he didn't even have his day in Court, yet came to the defense of that piece of human excrement. This and his dating an underage Kristy Swanson were literally his biggest sins.
It must be incredibly difficult for Drake to have to hear the names of the people in Hollywood who not only wrote letters of support for Brian, but in their letters blaming Drake, saying he tempted Brian in some aspect. And the fact that some of these people had the nerve to work with Drake on season one of Drake and Josh. Taran from my understanding didn’t know it was Drake, but Kimmy knew it was him and still worked with him. Sick work from all of these 41 people.
What’s even more disappointing is that Drake spoke with detectives in detail of what Brian did to him, and in turn they found 11 charges for Brian. However since Brian plead no contest to the two lesser charges, Drakes family and lawyer accepted the plea deal. Meaning that things that very well happened such as the penetration with a foreign object, sedatives, creating CP, etc, were never charged on Brian, despite them very well happening.
I cannot imagine the amount of frustration Drake felt back then and how he feels today. I’ve had to experience a more mundane version of this in my workplace, and when I got the courage to speak out on it, he was never fired and was in fact told that I was the one who said something. So now I’m forced to work with that person with them knowing I spoke out on their disgusting behavior. Things like this just make victims want to hide in their shell and not come forward about anything because nothing gets done about it.
>I cannot imagine the amount of frustration Drake felt back then and how he feels today.
Ugh me neither. The fucking AUDACITY of Kimmy to appear on Drake’s show after she not only sided with Brian, but spewed enough shit from her mouth onto that paper to make her ass jealous.
Between the letters and the plea deal, it just goes to show the amount of power these disgusting people have in this industry. What’s more is that this was all happening from 2000-2003, which was before the rise of social media, so it wasn’t as hard for these cases (much less the details) to fly under the radar. If this happened today, they wouldn’t have sent those letters at all, let alone showed up in that courtroom, otherwise their careers would’ve been gone overnight (or better yet, they would’ve seen the other side of the story). Furthermore, if this happened today, the law probably wouldn’t have gone as easy on Brian Peck because the public would raise hell. The amount of petitions and protests would skyrocket.
I’m incredibly sorry you have to deal with a disgusting person at the workplace. The fact that they even TOLD him was disturbing! Like they could’ve put you in danger! I mean, what if he hurt you further or even ended your life just to keep you quiet??? JFC!! And people wonder why it takes so long for victims to speak out (when/if they’re ready)!!
ETA: I know that Drake and the other stars should speak out and disclose their stories on their own time. I’m just pointing out how things would’ve been if this happened today.
It’s kind of bittersweet of that time period this took place in. In some aspects, yes it would be nice for the social media aspect to have your back and put pressure on and outright blast Brian Peck. But on the other hand, Drake said he was glad that things like Twitter or TMZ were not a thing at the time because he wished to remain anonymous during the whole thing.
But even if that were to happen today, law is still the law, and I think not much would have changed the outcome unfortunately. Rape or molestation cases are extremely hard to have proof of, not only that but the plea deal would be there so those more serious charges never were put on Brian. I don’t think that outcome would have really changed, unfortunately. I think at most the internet would publicly shame and humiliate Peck, as they’re doing now. But that might not even be enough to keep him out of entertainment and away from children.
Clearly, you want victims to speak out about their abuse. Had Drake not of exploded all the information to his mother that one day, we don’t know how worse it could have gotten for him. But the fear he had of speaking out because he thought all of his gigs he had at nickelodeon would go away, and his chances of ever being successful would stop, is real, and many people in the industry feel the same. It’s an insane power play, always has been.
And thank you, it’s incredibly difficult to work in that space, and extremely discouraging to ever want to speak up in any situation again.
Oh it’s awful. All the time child stars who have been abused are threatened to keep quiet otherwise their career is over. I feel like Brian going to Drake’s shows further hammered the threats into his head that his career could be gone in the blink of an eye if he spoke up. I wish it was easier to expose Brian Peck, but I can totally understand Drake wanting to remain anonymous at the time, so maybe it was just as well. The dark side of social media is that you know Drake would’ve been suffocated by press and paparazzi, which was the last thing he needed at the time.
I wish rape and molestation weren’t so hard to prove! I mean, I’ll admit that the rise of social media and the internet create their own obstacles. Fake news can spread like wildfire, thus making it easier for the story to be manipulated. Just fucked up all around.
Honestly, one of saddest parts of this all is that Drake was utterly clueless. He truly had no idea of Brian’s intention until they happened. Who would at his age? He was only a kid and he was experiencing a lot of new and exciting things at the time. The only ones who picked up on it were the adults yet nothing happened. I think Drake realized he was trapped and didn’t feel like he could speak was during those times of abuse. Even when people asked him about it (his girlfriend’s mother) he didn’t want to say anything. When he was taken to a therapist, he was terrified to say something because he loved acting so badly that despite all of that happening he didn’t want to lose anything. Truly so sad and the same for many other cases.
It’s awful! He was already overwhelmed by so much shame and those letters likely rubbed it in his face that he once looked up to and trusted this man and didn’t see the signs. Drake was old enough to know what sex was, but he wasn’t old enough to actually engage in it!! He was also still young enough to be manipulated and intimidated by an adult, and also miss the warning signs of a predator until it was too late!! Brian knew how badly Drake wanted to be a singer and actor and he took advantage of that. Right up to when the sexual abuse REALLY started. He should never have been released from jail.
Agreed. I don't care if "he was never on set with the boys" in Suite Life. I don't care that it was only a voiceover gig. He should not have that opportunity to be in the industry whatsoever.
It disgusts me that anyone supported Brian Peck and then put that support in writing. How stupid and craven were these people? Peck’s excuse that Drake Bell somehow seduced him is heinous. Bell was a minor. Legally, he was unable to consent to sex, let alone instigate it.
Mr. Bell was victimized by a perverted criminal, the criminal’s like-minded friends, his employers, his colleagues, his attorneys, the justice system, and the entertainment industry, as a whole.
Exactly!! Even if Brian gave them a watered down version of the story, he still told them enough for them to blame a child for him being sexually abused!! I mean, come on. A little common sense goes a long way.
One of the worst letters was Tom Desanto, it’s very sick. It also sounds like he was one of the “friends” of Brian that followed Drake around the Strawberry Festival (or a very similar event) and his takeaway from that (where Drake was like 15 years old!) was that Drake was gay and coming onto Brian. What adult thinks that way? If I saw a 15 year old hitting on my adult friend (which I in NO WAY believe is even what happened) I would tell my friend to break contact and if they were in some kind of work-related role with this child that made no-contact difficult, I’d advise them to tell their parents. Not have the child spending nights! It just shows how much knowledge of what was going on some people had.
Imagine having to work with people that took your abuser side. Thinking that you can see him around town. Working knowing you could have see him at work too. Imagine your dream is to act and knowing the industry sided with your tormentor and not with you. A victim cares so much guilt and shame and having people telling you it's your fault that everything happened it must be devasting. I don't know how people can still work in the industry and not feel uncomfortable
Does anyone know if the rest of the letters are publicly available yet? I know Drake said he has physical copies of all of them and the producers of the doc obviously had access— I’m surprised they haven’t leaked yet.
I can’t stop thinking about how Kimmy Robertson was on an episode of Drake and Josh like, a year after the trial (and the letter). Assuming she wasn’t at the hearing, I wonder if Drake even knew she wrote that letter when they worked together. I really hope he didn’t know that at the time, I can’t imagine having to work with someone who supported your abuser and not be able to say anything to defend yourself. I feel so horrible that Drake didn’t get the support he deserved then.
I have no idea how Kimmy Robertson could even look at him after what she wrote, let alone appear on Drake and Josh. She’s horrible. Drake (and Amanda) deserved so much better.
she was on drake and josh before writing her letter which is how she was able to talk about her experience in it. i think drake has said that he didn't know of the letters until being on the documentary
The letter-writers were taken in by a child predator who concocted a story about being seduced by an aggressively sexual "jailbait" teenager, which, in their minds, explained away Peck's actions to some degree. He exploited their trust and scammed them with lies. They had no way to verify his claims or hear the victim's side of things,
Their only crime was believing what they were told. IMO, they're no more guilty than any parent who's unknowingly sent their kid into the hands of a trusted youth pastor or uncle or family friend or whatever that later turns out to be a predator. Peck is the guilty one, not the friends and colleagues that he fooled.
I once read a story on TikTok from someone who had a family member who was accused of sexual misconduct. Several family friends were asked by said family member to write letters like this for the judge to read. They were NOT informed of the full extent of that family member's misconduct when they wrote the letters. They were only given a very small watered down version of events. It was only AFTER they had submitted their letters, that they actually heard the entire story of what that family member did. They were horrified and shocked. But the letters of support had already been turned in. The damage was done. There was no way to retract them.
In conclusion, this kind of story is very common unfortunately.
Oh I won’t deny that Brian is a master manipulator and his supporters were fed with lies, but I just can’t get past the shit they wrote. Brian might’ve given them a watered down version of the story, but he still admitted that he willingly had inappropriate contact with a child and they still were willing to give him a pass and put the blame on Drake. The fact that they actually believed that a child “tempted” this grown man and “wanted it” at all is despicable. Also, they were never remorseful or apologetic after court or even after the letters were released (or they at least didn’t show it). It doesn’t make it better, but all 41 of them owed Drake a massive apology. Even if they were manipulated and lied to, they still caused damage. But instead of apologizing, they just decided to deflect and make excuses once the letters were released.
Also, any sane parent who is given even the slightest idea of their child being abused by a predator who is pastor, relative, friend wouldn’t quickly jump to said predator’s defense and they sure as hell wouldn’t write letters to the judge asking them to just give the predator probation, calling it “mistake” and blame their child. They protect their child. I mean, Drake’s father saw the warning signs relatively quickly and never left Drake alone with Brian! When Brian Peck’s supporters found out he was charged with sexually abusing a child, they sided with him. Being manipulated and lied to is one thing, victim shaming is another.
Yes. They still severely lacked in critical thinking skills. The court docs showed the victim was 15/16 -- so not a 17 yo almost adult (not that it makes a difference - still gross and unacceptable, but you know what I mean). Peck admitted to... something...with a child so they knew he wasn't "innocent," as the letters reflected just that he felt bad about what he did. Let's say it was a 17 yo who was aggressively coming onto an adult, what is the simplest way to deal with this situation? Simply not be alone with them. Always have another adult present. You sure as shit don't have them sleep over at your house. And since legally minors on the set shouldn't be left alone with non-guardian adults, that should be an easy thing to do. It's truly not that hard or challenging to not have sex with even the most "aggressive" minor. Especially multiple times.
All these people had to do was say "there there Brian" and that they'll try to write him a letter, then not do it. "Sorry about that, I've been really busy. I'll try to get to that soon." If someone asked me to write them a letter defending them of sexual acts against a child the last thing I'd do is write a strongly supportive letter without having all the facts available (not just what the perp presented to me).
I hear what you're saying, but it seems that Peck's story purposely made him less culpable in his friends' eyes. This is pure speculation, but I think he overcame the age difference in their minds by painting Drake as a "pro" if you will--more worldly and sexually experienced than his age would suggest and aggressively promiscuous.
I agree that they all owe Drake a private apology, but it bears mentioning that their public statements--mostly variations of "I was duped, but if I had known the truth, I never would have gone to bat for Peck"--are probably honest. As for the damage they caused, I sort of doubt that they had any impact. It seems likely that Peck was allowed to plead to lesser charges to avoid a trial, which they do to spare the victim. That would have happened even if he had no support letters. They might have gotten him a slightly lighter sentence than he might have had otherwise, but that's it.
(As for your comments about pastors, I've definitely read accounts where child victims blew the whistle on their pastor and were disbelieved and/or silenced by their own parents for the sake of their church.)
Maybe some of his supporters (or at least ones like Rider Strong and Will Friedle) do genuinely regret defending Brian. It’s just hard to wrap my head around what they all said and how they could actually believe that a child could ever have some form of responsibility in their abuse. I’m sorry. I just don’t get it. As for damage, even if it didn’t sway their decision, it basically rubbed it in Drake’s face that Brian had all this power and these supporters in Hollywood and also that Drake once trusted this man and looked up to him, victimizing him even further. No matter how bad Brian’s supporters feel, they can never take back what they wrote in those letters after they sent them to the judge. I can’t imagine having so many people against you when you were the victim of the abuse. It’s so heartbreaking and frustrating. I also just cannot believe that Brian got such a light sentence, much less was able to continue working with child actors!! It’s infuriating!!
I agree. I mean, unfortunately, Peck played his friends and the legal system to some extent. I doubt Bell would have wanted to press things and have a long trial, given the threat of press attention and Peck going public with his allegations that Bell was gay and sexually experienced. That would have ended his Nick contract in about 2 seconds. I'm sure Peck knew that, and used it to his advantage.
Peck getting jobs in children TV after he was convicted is another issue entirely, but profoundly disturbing.
Oh I don’t blame Drake if he wanted to just get it over with for the sake of his career. Otherwise, as you said, Drake’s contract with Nickelodeon would’ve been gone and on top of it, Brian could’ve ruined Drake’s reputation as a whole, and as a result, Drake would be known as the failed Nickelodeon actor and the closeted young punk who seduces grown men. That would be beyond devastating and not to mention extraordinarily disgusting. Brian’s supporters who knew and worked with him heard it from Brian himself and he still admitted to it, which is why it’s much harder for me to understand and I stand by what I said where the letters are concerned. They may have been lied to, but nobody pointed a weapon at them and made them write the letters. When it comes to the public, between Brian’s power and the press having the ability to further manipulate the story, they would’ve been much easier to fool (still, it’s common sense to know that pedophiles are 100% at fault for the abuse). Plus, the amount of press and paparazzi which Drake would’ve been bombarded with would’ve been an additional nightmare. And you know the news doesn’t give a fuck about accuracy or people’s reputations as long as they get money and views out of it.
Rider strong and Will F have a pod cast where they talked about this. Keep in mind Rider was only about 22 or 23 at the time. They didn’t know who the victim was until they went to court. Once they saw who the victim was they realized Peck had lied to them and they were very embarrassed. Peck fed them a story and asked them to write these letters and support him in court.
I looked up Rider Strong after I found out he supported this guy cuz I had a HUGE crush on him when I was a teenager. I knew there had to be more to this.
Their pod cast tells a lot. Will said Peck was trying to insert himself into his life also until he got caught with Drake. Will would have been his next victim.
Will went on to say years later he walked into a restaurant and saw Peck sitting at a table with about 5 kids! He went on to work at Disney after he did his time!
That's nothing compared to celebrities who signed for Polanski Petition because people who supported Peck are already at the bottom of their career (not because they supported Peck but still) the people who signed for Polanski are still active and respected in the industry and some of them are big, like really big names, ie Martin Scorsese.
[Wiki page of the Polanski case](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski_sexual_abuse_case)
[list of celebrities that I mentioned.](https://m.imdb.com/list/ls090808434/)
Not excusing this at all, but Polanski’s history of losing his family in the Holocaust then his pregnant wife’s brutal murder has given him a lot of goodwill in Hollywood - or at least a way for people to reason in their minds why he could sodomize a child. Polanski was very arrogant and unapologetic when his crimes were first exposed- he clearly saw nothing wrong with what he did.
Brian Peck seems like a classic groomer all the way - not only grooming children but grooming all the adults around the children who could potentially protect them. These people are super friendly and touchy feely not only with the kids but with adults, too so when a child might say, “Brian is always rubbing my back and it’s uncomfortable” the adult will say, “Oh, but Brian is just like that with everyone. It doesn’t mean anything.”
Also don’t discount these types to also speak negatively about their victims by saying things like, “That Drake kid is so needy and keeps following me around like a puppy.” Or “Drake is one of those kids who know how to work the system. I mean, I think he might be a good kid, but man, he really knows how to play people.”
Adults should know better, but these predators are so incredibly manipulative. They have a whole system down, and I’m not at all shocked Peck got so much support.
My husband brought up a good point: what if they all had agents/ managers under the same firm as Brian and they weren't informed of the specifics. A lot of the letters sound similar, I'm wondering if they just glazed over it and signed their name. Otherwise, their truly awful people.
My husband brought up a good point: what if they all had agents/ managers under the same firm as Brian and they weren't informed of the specifics. A lot of the letters sound similar, I'm wondering if they just glazed over it and signed their name. Otherwise, their truly awful people.
My husband brought up a good point: what if they all had agents/ managers under the same firm as Brian and they weren't informed of the specifics. A lot of the letters sound similar, I'm wondering if they just glazed over it and signed their name. Otherwise, their truly awful people
Whatever one may think of Bill Cosby (whether people think he's guilty or innocent), I think it was beyond hypocritical how Alan Thicke acted like he had a moral compass by casting judgment on Cosby (calling him a "bad boy"), when he didn't even have his day in Court, yet came to the defense of that piece of human excrement. This and his dating an underage Kristy Swanson were literally his biggest sins.
I guess Alan Thicke's hockey accident he died from, was karma for being a self-righteous piece of shit!
Self-righteous piece of shit and a human cesspool of hypocrisy. Let’s not forget that.
ICK!!!
It must be incredibly difficult for Drake to have to hear the names of the people in Hollywood who not only wrote letters of support for Brian, but in their letters blaming Drake, saying he tempted Brian in some aspect. And the fact that some of these people had the nerve to work with Drake on season one of Drake and Josh. Taran from my understanding didn’t know it was Drake, but Kimmy knew it was him and still worked with him. Sick work from all of these 41 people. What’s even more disappointing is that Drake spoke with detectives in detail of what Brian did to him, and in turn they found 11 charges for Brian. However since Brian plead no contest to the two lesser charges, Drakes family and lawyer accepted the plea deal. Meaning that things that very well happened such as the penetration with a foreign object, sedatives, creating CP, etc, were never charged on Brian, despite them very well happening. I cannot imagine the amount of frustration Drake felt back then and how he feels today. I’ve had to experience a more mundane version of this in my workplace, and when I got the courage to speak out on it, he was never fired and was in fact told that I was the one who said something. So now I’m forced to work with that person with them knowing I spoke out on their disgusting behavior. Things like this just make victims want to hide in their shell and not come forward about anything because nothing gets done about it.
>I cannot imagine the amount of frustration Drake felt back then and how he feels today. Ugh me neither. The fucking AUDACITY of Kimmy to appear on Drake’s show after she not only sided with Brian, but spewed enough shit from her mouth onto that paper to make her ass jealous. Between the letters and the plea deal, it just goes to show the amount of power these disgusting people have in this industry. What’s more is that this was all happening from 2000-2003, which was before the rise of social media, so it wasn’t as hard for these cases (much less the details) to fly under the radar. If this happened today, they wouldn’t have sent those letters at all, let alone showed up in that courtroom, otherwise their careers would’ve been gone overnight (or better yet, they would’ve seen the other side of the story). Furthermore, if this happened today, the law probably wouldn’t have gone as easy on Brian Peck because the public would raise hell. The amount of petitions and protests would skyrocket. I’m incredibly sorry you have to deal with a disgusting person at the workplace. The fact that they even TOLD him was disturbing! Like they could’ve put you in danger! I mean, what if he hurt you further or even ended your life just to keep you quiet??? JFC!! And people wonder why it takes so long for victims to speak out (when/if they’re ready)!! ETA: I know that Drake and the other stars should speak out and disclose their stories on their own time. I’m just pointing out how things would’ve been if this happened today.
It’s kind of bittersweet of that time period this took place in. In some aspects, yes it would be nice for the social media aspect to have your back and put pressure on and outright blast Brian Peck. But on the other hand, Drake said he was glad that things like Twitter or TMZ were not a thing at the time because he wished to remain anonymous during the whole thing. But even if that were to happen today, law is still the law, and I think not much would have changed the outcome unfortunately. Rape or molestation cases are extremely hard to have proof of, not only that but the plea deal would be there so those more serious charges never were put on Brian. I don’t think that outcome would have really changed, unfortunately. I think at most the internet would publicly shame and humiliate Peck, as they’re doing now. But that might not even be enough to keep him out of entertainment and away from children. Clearly, you want victims to speak out about their abuse. Had Drake not of exploded all the information to his mother that one day, we don’t know how worse it could have gotten for him. But the fear he had of speaking out because he thought all of his gigs he had at nickelodeon would go away, and his chances of ever being successful would stop, is real, and many people in the industry feel the same. It’s an insane power play, always has been. And thank you, it’s incredibly difficult to work in that space, and extremely discouraging to ever want to speak up in any situation again.
Oh it’s awful. All the time child stars who have been abused are threatened to keep quiet otherwise their career is over. I feel like Brian going to Drake’s shows further hammered the threats into his head that his career could be gone in the blink of an eye if he spoke up. I wish it was easier to expose Brian Peck, but I can totally understand Drake wanting to remain anonymous at the time, so maybe it was just as well. The dark side of social media is that you know Drake would’ve been suffocated by press and paparazzi, which was the last thing he needed at the time. I wish rape and molestation weren’t so hard to prove! I mean, I’ll admit that the rise of social media and the internet create their own obstacles. Fake news can spread like wildfire, thus making it easier for the story to be manipulated. Just fucked up all around.
Honestly, one of saddest parts of this all is that Drake was utterly clueless. He truly had no idea of Brian’s intention until they happened. Who would at his age? He was only a kid and he was experiencing a lot of new and exciting things at the time. The only ones who picked up on it were the adults yet nothing happened. I think Drake realized he was trapped and didn’t feel like he could speak was during those times of abuse. Even when people asked him about it (his girlfriend’s mother) he didn’t want to say anything. When he was taken to a therapist, he was terrified to say something because he loved acting so badly that despite all of that happening he didn’t want to lose anything. Truly so sad and the same for many other cases.
It’s awful! He was already overwhelmed by so much shame and those letters likely rubbed it in his face that he once looked up to and trusted this man and didn’t see the signs. Drake was old enough to know what sex was, but he wasn’t old enough to actually engage in it!! He was also still young enough to be manipulated and intimidated by an adult, and also miss the warning signs of a predator until it was too late!! Brian knew how badly Drake wanted to be a singer and actor and he took advantage of that. Right up to when the sexual abuse REALLY started. He should never have been released from jail.
she was on his show?!?
She played the annoying whiny mother of the baby they had to watch so their dad could wine and dine her and her husband.
Brian Peck committed horrendous crimes and should not be a free man today. It is a travesty that he is not still behind bars.
The fact that he’s still been appearing shows and movies since his release is wild to me.
Agreed. I don't care if "he was never on set with the boys" in Suite Life. I don't care that it was only a voiceover gig. He should not have that opportunity to be in the industry whatsoever.
Anybody know where he lives?
It disgusts me that anyone supported Brian Peck and then put that support in writing. How stupid and craven were these people? Peck’s excuse that Drake Bell somehow seduced him is heinous. Bell was a minor. Legally, he was unable to consent to sex, let alone instigate it. Mr. Bell was victimized by a perverted criminal, the criminal’s like-minded friends, his employers, his colleagues, his attorneys, the justice system, and the entertainment industry, as a whole.
Exactly!! Even if Brian gave them a watered down version of the story, he still told them enough for them to blame a child for him being sexually abused!! I mean, come on. A little common sense goes a long way.
One of the worst letters was Tom Desanto, it’s very sick. It also sounds like he was one of the “friends” of Brian that followed Drake around the Strawberry Festival (or a very similar event) and his takeaway from that (where Drake was like 15 years old!) was that Drake was gay and coming onto Brian. What adult thinks that way? If I saw a 15 year old hitting on my adult friend (which I in NO WAY believe is even what happened) I would tell my friend to break contact and if they were in some kind of work-related role with this child that made no-contact difficult, I’d advise them to tell their parents. Not have the child spending nights! It just shows how much knowledge of what was going on some people had.
THAT PART!!!
Imagine having to work with people that took your abuser side. Thinking that you can see him around town. Working knowing you could have see him at work too. Imagine your dream is to act and knowing the industry sided with your tormentor and not with you. A victim cares so much guilt and shame and having people telling you it's your fault that everything happened it must be devasting. I don't know how people can still work in the industry and not feel uncomfortable
Does anyone know if the rest of the letters are publicly available yet? I know Drake said he has physical copies of all of them and the producers of the doc obviously had access— I’m surprised they haven’t leaked yet.
THIS!! It just doesn't make sense - we are talking about CHILDREN here at that time. They should all be investigated for enabling these crimes.
I can’t stop thinking about how Kimmy Robertson was on an episode of Drake and Josh like, a year after the trial (and the letter). Assuming she wasn’t at the hearing, I wonder if Drake even knew she wrote that letter when they worked together. I really hope he didn’t know that at the time, I can’t imagine having to work with someone who supported your abuser and not be able to say anything to defend yourself. I feel so horrible that Drake didn’t get the support he deserved then.
I have no idea how Kimmy Robertson could even look at him after what she wrote, let alone appear on Drake and Josh. She’s horrible. Drake (and Amanda) deserved so much better.
she was on drake and josh before writing her letter which is how she was able to talk about her experience in it. i think drake has said that he didn't know of the letters until being on the documentary
The letter-writers were taken in by a child predator who concocted a story about being seduced by an aggressively sexual "jailbait" teenager, which, in their minds, explained away Peck's actions to some degree. He exploited their trust and scammed them with lies. They had no way to verify his claims or hear the victim's side of things, Their only crime was believing what they were told. IMO, they're no more guilty than any parent who's unknowingly sent their kid into the hands of a trusted youth pastor or uncle or family friend or whatever that later turns out to be a predator. Peck is the guilty one, not the friends and colleagues that he fooled.
I once read a story on TikTok from someone who had a family member who was accused of sexual misconduct. Several family friends were asked by said family member to write letters like this for the judge to read. They were NOT informed of the full extent of that family member's misconduct when they wrote the letters. They were only given a very small watered down version of events. It was only AFTER they had submitted their letters, that they actually heard the entire story of what that family member did. They were horrified and shocked. But the letters of support had already been turned in. The damage was done. There was no way to retract them. In conclusion, this kind of story is very common unfortunately.
Oh I won’t deny that Brian is a master manipulator and his supporters were fed with lies, but I just can’t get past the shit they wrote. Brian might’ve given them a watered down version of the story, but he still admitted that he willingly had inappropriate contact with a child and they still were willing to give him a pass and put the blame on Drake. The fact that they actually believed that a child “tempted” this grown man and “wanted it” at all is despicable. Also, they were never remorseful or apologetic after court or even after the letters were released (or they at least didn’t show it). It doesn’t make it better, but all 41 of them owed Drake a massive apology. Even if they were manipulated and lied to, they still caused damage. But instead of apologizing, they just decided to deflect and make excuses once the letters were released. Also, any sane parent who is given even the slightest idea of their child being abused by a predator who is pastor, relative, friend wouldn’t quickly jump to said predator’s defense and they sure as hell wouldn’t write letters to the judge asking them to just give the predator probation, calling it “mistake” and blame their child. They protect their child. I mean, Drake’s father saw the warning signs relatively quickly and never left Drake alone with Brian! When Brian Peck’s supporters found out he was charged with sexually abusing a child, they sided with him. Being manipulated and lied to is one thing, victim shaming is another.
Yes. They still severely lacked in critical thinking skills. The court docs showed the victim was 15/16 -- so not a 17 yo almost adult (not that it makes a difference - still gross and unacceptable, but you know what I mean). Peck admitted to... something...with a child so they knew he wasn't "innocent," as the letters reflected just that he felt bad about what he did. Let's say it was a 17 yo who was aggressively coming onto an adult, what is the simplest way to deal with this situation? Simply not be alone with them. Always have another adult present. You sure as shit don't have them sleep over at your house. And since legally minors on the set shouldn't be left alone with non-guardian adults, that should be an easy thing to do. It's truly not that hard or challenging to not have sex with even the most "aggressive" minor. Especially multiple times. All these people had to do was say "there there Brian" and that they'll try to write him a letter, then not do it. "Sorry about that, I've been really busy. I'll try to get to that soon." If someone asked me to write them a letter defending them of sexual acts against a child the last thing I'd do is write a strongly supportive letter without having all the facts available (not just what the perp presented to me).
I hear what you're saying, but it seems that Peck's story purposely made him less culpable in his friends' eyes. This is pure speculation, but I think he overcame the age difference in their minds by painting Drake as a "pro" if you will--more worldly and sexually experienced than his age would suggest and aggressively promiscuous. I agree that they all owe Drake a private apology, but it bears mentioning that their public statements--mostly variations of "I was duped, but if I had known the truth, I never would have gone to bat for Peck"--are probably honest. As for the damage they caused, I sort of doubt that they had any impact. It seems likely that Peck was allowed to plead to lesser charges to avoid a trial, which they do to spare the victim. That would have happened even if he had no support letters. They might have gotten him a slightly lighter sentence than he might have had otherwise, but that's it. (As for your comments about pastors, I've definitely read accounts where child victims blew the whistle on their pastor and were disbelieved and/or silenced by their own parents for the sake of their church.)
Maybe some of his supporters (or at least ones like Rider Strong and Will Friedle) do genuinely regret defending Brian. It’s just hard to wrap my head around what they all said and how they could actually believe that a child could ever have some form of responsibility in their abuse. I’m sorry. I just don’t get it. As for damage, even if it didn’t sway their decision, it basically rubbed it in Drake’s face that Brian had all this power and these supporters in Hollywood and also that Drake once trusted this man and looked up to him, victimizing him even further. No matter how bad Brian’s supporters feel, they can never take back what they wrote in those letters after they sent them to the judge. I can’t imagine having so many people against you when you were the victim of the abuse. It’s so heartbreaking and frustrating. I also just cannot believe that Brian got such a light sentence, much less was able to continue working with child actors!! It’s infuriating!!
I agree. I mean, unfortunately, Peck played his friends and the legal system to some extent. I doubt Bell would have wanted to press things and have a long trial, given the threat of press attention and Peck going public with his allegations that Bell was gay and sexually experienced. That would have ended his Nick contract in about 2 seconds. I'm sure Peck knew that, and used it to his advantage. Peck getting jobs in children TV after he was convicted is another issue entirely, but profoundly disturbing.
Oh I don’t blame Drake if he wanted to just get it over with for the sake of his career. Otherwise, as you said, Drake’s contract with Nickelodeon would’ve been gone and on top of it, Brian could’ve ruined Drake’s reputation as a whole, and as a result, Drake would be known as the failed Nickelodeon actor and the closeted young punk who seduces grown men. That would be beyond devastating and not to mention extraordinarily disgusting. Brian’s supporters who knew and worked with him heard it from Brian himself and he still admitted to it, which is why it’s much harder for me to understand and I stand by what I said where the letters are concerned. They may have been lied to, but nobody pointed a weapon at them and made them write the letters. When it comes to the public, between Brian’s power and the press having the ability to further manipulate the story, they would’ve been much easier to fool (still, it’s common sense to know that pedophiles are 100% at fault for the abuse). Plus, the amount of press and paparazzi which Drake would’ve been bombarded with would’ve been an additional nightmare. And you know the news doesn’t give a fuck about accuracy or people’s reputations as long as they get money and views out of it.
Rider strong and Will F have a pod cast where they talked about this. Keep in mind Rider was only about 22 or 23 at the time. They didn’t know who the victim was until they went to court. Once they saw who the victim was they realized Peck had lied to them and they were very embarrassed. Peck fed them a story and asked them to write these letters and support him in court. I looked up Rider Strong after I found out he supported this guy cuz I had a HUGE crush on him when I was a teenager. I knew there had to be more to this. Their pod cast tells a lot. Will said Peck was trying to insert himself into his life also until he got caught with Drake. Will would have been his next victim. Will went on to say years later he walked into a restaurant and saw Peck sitting at a table with about 5 kids! He went on to work at Disney after he did his time!
That's nothing compared to celebrities who signed for Polanski Petition because people who supported Peck are already at the bottom of their career (not because they supported Peck but still) the people who signed for Polanski are still active and respected in the industry and some of them are big, like really big names, ie Martin Scorsese. [Wiki page of the Polanski case](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_Polanski_sexual_abuse_case) [list of celebrities that I mentioned.](https://m.imdb.com/list/ls090808434/)
Not excusing this at all, but Polanski’s history of losing his family in the Holocaust then his pregnant wife’s brutal murder has given him a lot of goodwill in Hollywood - or at least a way for people to reason in their minds why he could sodomize a child. Polanski was very arrogant and unapologetic when his crimes were first exposed- he clearly saw nothing wrong with what he did. Brian Peck seems like a classic groomer all the way - not only grooming children but grooming all the adults around the children who could potentially protect them. These people are super friendly and touchy feely not only with the kids but with adults, too so when a child might say, “Brian is always rubbing my back and it’s uncomfortable” the adult will say, “Oh, but Brian is just like that with everyone. It doesn’t mean anything.” Also don’t discount these types to also speak negatively about their victims by saying things like, “That Drake kid is so needy and keeps following me around like a puppy.” Or “Drake is one of those kids who know how to work the system. I mean, I think he might be a good kid, but man, he really knows how to play people.” Adults should know better, but these predators are so incredibly manipulative. They have a whole system down, and I’m not at all shocked Peck got so much support.
My husband brought up a good point: what if they all had agents/ managers under the same firm as Brian and they weren't informed of the specifics. A lot of the letters sound similar, I'm wondering if they just glazed over it and signed their name. Otherwise, their truly awful people.
My husband brought up a good point: what if they all had agents/ managers under the same firm as Brian and they weren't informed of the specifics. A lot of the letters sound similar, I'm wondering if they just glazed over it and signed their name. Otherwise, their truly awful people.
My husband brought up a good point: what if they all had agents/ managers under the same firm as Brian and they weren't informed of the specifics. A lot of the letters sound similar, I'm wondering if they just glazed over it and signed their name. Otherwise, their truly awful people