Rider Strong And Will Friedle Check In On Drake Bell Frequently

After the release on “Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV,” it was revealed that several actors had written letters of support for Brian Peck ahead of his 2004 sentencing for sexually abusing Drake Bell, though it remains unclear how much they knew about the charges at the time.

Among those actors were Will Friedle and Rider Strong, who later expressed regret for their support on their “Pod Meets World” podcast. Friedle explained that Peck had “ingratiated himself” into his life and manipulated him to view the victim in a negative light.

Now, on a new episode of “The Sarah Fraser Show,” Drake Bell opened up about his relationship with Rider Strong and Will Friedle following the previous backlash the “Boy Meets World” stars received.

Fraser raised the question after the initial interview about whether anyone had reached out to offer support. It was noted that none of those who had written letters had followed up. However, Bell did share that actors Strong and Friedle had reached out to him during his difficult times.

“Will reached out. That was really sweet,” the actor said. “Rider reached out and was very apologetic and sweet. We had a long two-hour conversation, and they check in on me.”

Shortly after the release of the documentary and after Friedle was exposed for writing a letter of support for Brian Peck.

“So you sidle up to the guy who now you look back on as an adult and you go, ‘He’s horrible,’” Friedle said. “And my instinct initially was, ‘Well, my friend can’t be [this person], this can’t be. So it’s got to be the other person’s fault,’ has to be the story. Of course, it makes complete sense. The way that he’s saying it and ‘You’re damn right, it’s that kid’s fault. How dare he?’ And I look back at that now as an adult, and it makes me want to cry that I ever was that naive.”

He added that he now believes he was sitting in the courtroom “on the wrong side of everything.”

In March, following the release of Quiet on Set, Bell criticized Friedle and Strong in since-deleted comments under a post by “Zoey 101” star Alexa Nikolas, accusing them of knowing about Peck’s actions but still writing letters of support.

However, the following month, Bell provided an update on his relationship with Strong via X (formerly Twitter). “I just had the most amazing conversation with @RiderStrong. We are all healing together. I have nothing but love and forgiveness for him,” Bell shared.

In 2004, Peck pleaded no contest to charges of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. At the time, the victim’s identity remained a mystery—until now.

Bell surprised many by revealing himself as the accuser in Peck’s sexual assault case. In the docuseries, he opened up with raw vulnerability, recounting how the abuse started and sharing his journey toward healing.

“[Brian Peck] pretty much worked his way into every aspect of my life,” Bell said in the documentary about when Peck convinced Bell’s dad to step down as his manager so Peck could take over the job. “I knew that my life was going to be absolutely going to be completely different from that point on.”

Bell started spending more time with Peck, often staying overnight at his house. However, one night, everything took a devastating turn.

“I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep, and I woke up to him, I opened my eyes, I woke up, and he was s-xually assaulting me and I froze and in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I had no idea how to get out of the situation,” Bell said in the docuseries.

He added, “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, 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.”

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, help is available. Call 800-656-HOPE (4673) or visit the official National Sexual Assault Hotline website to speak with a sexual assault service provider.