Drake Bell has clapped back at the cast of Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide for mocking the abuse detailed in Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
Quiet on Set delves into the Nickelodeon empire built by Dan Schneider, lifting the curtain on allegations of bullying, sexism, and racism on the set of some of the biggest kids TV shows from the ’90s and ’00s.
In the final episodes of the true crime docuseries, Drake Bell comes forward to reveal his identity as the victim in Brian Peck’s child abuse case, which saw the former Nickelodeon dialogue coach sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004.
Former child stars Devon Werkheiser, Lindsey Shaw, and Daniel Curtis Lee, who appeared in Nickelodeon’s Ned’s Declassified in the ’00s, are currently facing backlash for how they responded to the abuse allegations made in Quiet on Set — including from Bell himself.
On Monday, March 18, Werkheiser, Shaw, and Lee appeared in a TikTok live video for their Ned’s Declassified podcast where they laughed about the allegations. Bell has since shared the damning clip on his X page, writing: “Ned’s Declassless… this is wild… laugh it up guys… laugh it up… ‘Give me your h*les?!!’ Really?!”
Ned’s Declassless…this is wild…laugh it up guys…laugh it up…”Give me your h*les?!!” Really?! https://t.co/pD2ZYdd2gG
— DrakeBell.ethᵍᵐ (@DrakeBell) March 19, 2024
In the footage, the trio can be heard laughing, before Werkheiser tells Lee, “Daniel, we told you never to speak about that. Get back in your hole, Daniel, and give me your holes.” He follows up by saying, “Sorry, we shouldn’t joke about this. We really shouldn’t, because this is about us. Listen, our set was not like that. No, it’s f*cking awful. The Drake Bell sh*t, that’s crazy to hear. That is f*cked. And that never came out, which is really wild. Really wild.”
They continue to fool around before Werkheiser reads out a comment that accuses them of “being in on it.” He continues, “I’m not talking about this anymore… guys, we can’t joke like this. Sometimes humor helps us move through things.”
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Alongside Bell’s criticism of their reaction, the Ned’s Declassified cast have faced backlash online from Quiet on Set viewers. As said by one on X, “‘Sometimes humor helps us move through things.’ As a survivor, there’s nothing ‘humorous’ about it… this is disgusting… what a way for them to show their true colors.”
“As if he has any right to joke about it like that at all? Embarrassing in private and especially on a livestream. Clearly the humor of Schneider had an effect on him,” wrote another, while a third responded, “And humor can help THE VICTIM. If he’s not a victim, what’s funny?! What is HE coping with?”
Following the backlash, Werkheiser has since apologized on X, writing, “So sorry to Drake. Gutted I hurt you.” In a statement, the actor continued: “I was being an idiot today. No way around it. I feel horrible that my dumbass was even speaking about this without seeing it.
“I watched Quiet on Set tonight and am horrified by the gravity of what Drake and others shared. Truly heartbroken over what my fellow actors went through. I can’t believe they weren’t protected. I’m sorry for compounding any hurt.”
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV is available on ID and Max, which you can sign up for here. Read more about Brian Peck’s connection to John Wayne Gacy here, and check out all of the true crime and documentaries heading to streaming this month here.
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