While reflecting on the ups and downs in his friendship with Josh Peck, Drake Bell revealed what ultimately brought the former Nickelodeon costars closer than ever was parenthood.
“Both of us becoming fathers has had a huge impact on our relationship,” Bell, 38, exclusively shared in the newest issue of Us Weekly.
Bell noted that he and Peck, 37, talk “a lot,” adding, “We hold a very special place in each other’s hearts. We do have an incredible love for each other.”
Viewers were introduced to Bell and Peck as a comedic duo when they played stepbrothers on Drake & Josh in 2004. After three years on the show, their friendship fizzled as they branched out to new projects.
Tension arose in 2017 when Bell wasn’t invited to Josh’s wedding to Paige O’Brien, but they were ultimately able to privately work their issues out.
After facing his own personal challenges, Bell made headlines in March when he broke his silence about being a victim of dialogue coach Brian Peck‘s (no relation to Josh) abuse in Investigation Discovery’s four-part docuseries Quiet on Set. (The docuseries also covered producer Dan Schneider’s time at the network, with former child stars and crew members recalling their experiences on the sets of various shows including All That and The Amanda Show.)
Josh showed his support for Bell that same month with a public statement, which read, “I finished the Quiet On Set documentary and took a few days to process it. I reached out to Drake privately, but wanted to give my support for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world.”
He continued: “Children should be protected. Reliving this publicly is incredibly difficult, but I hope it can bring healing for the victims and their families as well as necessary change to our industry.”
After leaving their Nickelodeon days behind them, Josh found love with O’Brien, with whom he shares sons Max, 5, and Shai, 20 months. Bell, for his part, shares a 3-year-old son with ex-wife Janet Von Schmeling.
Bell opened up about his hopes for his relationship with his child, telling Us, “I hope that one day he’s able to come to me with whatever is going on in his life and feel that I’m somebody he can confide in.”
Bell also discussed how important music has been to him over the years.
“I really, really love what I do. Not many people get to say they love going to work and they spend their entire lives on their work,” he shared. “I love producing, directing, acting and entertaining. That is what I hope my future is for the rest of my life.”
He continued: “It’s my air. It’s my oxygen. That’s how I survive and how I live. That’s how I tell my story. I hope that I’m able to continue telling my story, and thankfully, I have a job where that’s what I do. We tell stories, and whether it’s our story or it’s our stories, that’s my goal for the future.”
With reporting by Andrea Simpson
