Drake Bell received sympathy on social media from former Nickelodeon actor Devon Werkheiser, who walked back his jokes about the alleged sexual abuse the “Drake & Josh” star and other actors suffered on set.
“Ned's Declassified” star Werkheiser offered Bell an apology on X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday. writing that he was “gutted, I hurt you.” Days after the premiere of the explosive docuseries “Quiet on Set,” a clip of Werkheiser seemingly mocking allegations of abuse and toxicity surrounding Dan Schneider and his sets went viral.
“Go back to your hole, Daniel, and make holes in me,” says Werkheiser in the video“Sorry, we shouldn't joke about this… Listen, our set wasn't like that.”
He added: “It's f***ing horrible, the Drake Bell… it's crazy to listen to, that's f***ing, man. And that never came to light, which is really crazy.”
Werkheiser, 33, and his “Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide” co-hosts, including former co-star Lindsey Shaw, quickly faced backlash against X for “mocking abuse” other actors allegedly clashed on other Nickelodeon shows. While “Ned's Declassified” aired on Nickelodeon, it was not produced by Schneider's production company, which oversaw other hits such as “iCarly,” “Victorious” and “All That.”
“They should stand by their peers even if their outfit was different.” wrote a user “Gross”.
Alexa Nikolas, former “Zoey 101” star and advocate for sexual abuse survivors, wrote“really sad and disturbing to see other Nick stars joking and making jokes about child sexual abuse on Tiktok.”
Another X user defended Werkheiser: writing that the laughing TikTok clip was the “Ned” stars’ “coping mechanism” and their way of processing the “Quiet on Set” revelations.
Bell, however, had his own thoughts: “Ned has no class,” he said. he tweeted on Mondayreposting the Werkheiser clip.
“This is crazy… you guys laughed… you laughed…” he wrote. “'Give me your asses?!!' Actually?!”
In “Quiet on Set,” Bell broke her silence about the alleged sexual abuse she faced from Nickelodeon speech coach Brian Peck. Bell had worked with Peck on the set of “All That” and “The Amanda Show.”
Peck was convicted of child abuse in 2004, but the identity of the victim was unknown for years. Bell said in the docu-series that the dialogue coach had “pretty much worked its way into every aspect of my life.”
In response, Nickelodeon said in a statement: “We are shocked and saddened to learn of the trauma she has endured, and we commend and support the strength needed to move forward.”
Shortly after receiving criticism from both social media fans and Bell, Werkheiser acknowledged the impact of his comments and shared a statement.
“I feel horrible that my fool was talking about this without seeing it,” he wrote. “Tonight I watched Quiet on Set and I am horrified by the severity of what Drake and others shared.”
He continued: “Really heartbroken by what my fellow actors went through. I can't believe they weren't protected. “I’m sorry I aggravated the pain.”
Bell has not acknowledged Werkheiser's apology.
Investigation Discovery's four-part “Quiet on Set” renewed interest and intrigue in the controversies surrounding Schneider's television legacy. On Tuesday, the producer posted a nearly 20-minute video acknowledging the documentary and addressing a series of accusations. Schneider denied hiring Peck for her set and cried as he recalled helping Bell's mother write her speech for her testimony against the speech coach.
“That was probably the darkest part of my career,” he said.
Schneider concluded his video by detailing what he could have done differently on his sets, from hiring a licensed therapist to mentor young talent to changing “how I would treat people and everyone.”
“When I saw the [docuseries], I could see the pain in some people's eyes and it made me feel very bad, sorry and sorry,” he said. “I would like to be able to go back especially to those early years of my career and bring the growth and experience that I have now and just do a better job.”
