Drake Bell Recalls 'Scary' Moment of 'Not Recognizing Myself' Before Coming Forward with Sex Abuse (Exclusive)

Before he decided to come forward about his sexual trauma,Drake Bellnearly went down a dangerous path as a result of his experiences. In PEOPLE’s exclusive look at his appearance on Monday’s episode ofThe Man Enoughpodcast, theDrake and Joshstaradmits that his recent forthcomings about suffering abuse as a child star was “very scary” but “very freeing.” Drake Bell on ‘Quiet on Set’.Courtesy Investigation Discovery Courtesy Investigation Discovery Despite being “in the fire” and the “thick” of the hubbub around his admission, Bell says that public scrutiny feels “nothing compared to how I have felt in the past.

Drake Bell Recalls How Josh Peck Was 'So Sensitive' During Their Private Talk After His Sex Abuse Reveal

(L) Josh Peck and Drake Bell.Photo: Jon Kopaloff/Getty Images; Paul Archuleta/Getty Images Drake Bellis sharing the gentle wayJosh Peckprivately extended his support following his sex abuse revelations. At first,Drake and Joshfans implored Josh, 37, to make a public statement, but Drake later revealed theHow I Met Your Fatherstarreached out to him privately. (L) Josh Peck and Drake Bell.Jordin Althaus/Walt Disney Television via Getty Images Studios via Getty Images “He reached out to me privately and, you know, didn’t go straight to the media because, you know he was there with me and, and saw what I was going through,” Drake explained on the podcast, noting that Josh didn’t know the “specifics” of his abuse but had suspected something wasn’t right.

Drake Bell RecreatesDrake and JoshSet for Music Video After Revealing He Was Sexually Abused

Drake Bellis processing his trauma through new music. Several days after the singer/actor, 37, revealed he was avictim of sexual abusewhile working as a child actor on Nickelodeon, he’s released “I Kind of Relate,” a newsongabout his experience and an accompanyingmusic video. The project seemingly alludes to his past, as the song finds him singing of “running away / From the abuse and all the shame,” while the visual sees him appearing on a television set that resembles his former Nickelodeon series,Drake and Josh.

Drake Bell Reveals His 2005 Song 'In the End' Was About Sexual Abuse He Suffered from Ex-Acting Coach

Drake Bell at Teen Vogue’s 2019 Young Hollywood Party in Los Angeles in February 2019.Photo:Presley Ann/FilmMagic Presley Ann/FilmMagic Drake Bellis opening up about how he turned his pain into music, years before he publicly came forward as a survivor of sexual assault. Ina TikTokposted on Saturday, he revealed that his song “In the End,” off his 2005 debut albumTelegraph, was “about what had happened.” The clip theDrake and Joshalum posted featured footage of himself listening to the first several verses of the song and a caption that said, “Wrote this song when I was 15 about what happened before I said anything to anyone.

Drake Bell Says He Spotted Brian Peck Out with Underage Children Since Prison Release

Drake Bell.Photo:Courtesy Investigation Discovery Courtesy Investigation Discovery Drake Bellis speaking out about a time when he saw his sexual abuser and former dialogue coach,Brian Peck, out in public after his prison sentence. “I remember one time I saw him at a restaurant and he was at the table with like 10 or 12 actors, all male actors between the ages of 14 and 16, and I walked in and saw him,” Bell recalls.