Quiet on Set: Which actors defended Brian Peck during trial?

One of the biggest scandals to have emerged from the upcoming documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV involves the numerous actors who defended Brian Peck – here’s what you need to know about the case and which celebrities were involved. 

Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is set to air this weekend, taking a deep dive into the numerous allegations made about the Nickelodeon empire built by Dan Schneider, the man responsible for hits such as The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, and Victorious. 

Ahead of its release, Drake Bell’s appearance has emerged in which he reveals his identity as the victim in the 2004 case against former voice acting coach and Nickelodeon “Pickle Boy,” Brian Peck. 

While opening up about the sexual abuse he endured at the hands of Peck, Bell also speaks about the trial, which saw Peck sentenced to 16 months in prison. Quiet on Set discloses the group of actors who vouched for Peck with letters of support. 

Quiet on Set: Which actors defended Brian Peck during trial?

Numerous actors and industry figures wrote letters of support for Brian Peck, including X-Men star James Marsden, SNL’s Taran Killam, Growing Pains actors Alan Thicke and Joanna Kerns, X-Men producer Thomas DeSanto, AHS’s Ron Melendez, and Boy Meets World stars Rider Strong and Will Friedle.

Appearing in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Kate Taylor – a journalist for Business Insider who helped get the documents unsealed – explains that the purpose of the letters of support were to influence the judge during sentencing, with many requesting for Peck to receive probation rather than prison time. 

In excerpts shown in the documentary series, Marsden wrote: “I assure you, what Brian has been through in the last year is the suffering of 100 men.” Killam added: “I’ve seen the affects this situation has had on Brian and I know for a fact that he regrets any mistakes made.”

DeSanto added, “I know Brian is remorseful about his lapse of judgement,” while Melendez described Peck as a “good man.” Taylor also highlights a number of letters that place blame on the victim, suggesting that Peck wouldn’t have abused Bell if he “wasn’t tempted.” A line from Kerns’ letter reads: “I can only believe that there must have been some extreme situation or temptation exerted upon him to influence his actions.”

However, as Taylor points out, it’s unknown whether any of those who supported Peck were aware of his crimes at the time. Kerns herself has since shared a follow-up statement that reads: “I have now learned that my letter of support was based on complete misinformation. Knowing what I know now, I never would have written the letter.”

Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV premieres across two nights on ID from 9pm-11pm ET/PT on Sunday, March 17 and Monday, March 18. It will also be available for streaming on Max, which you can sign up for here. And for more upcoming true crime and documentaries this month, head here. 

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