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Drake Bell's 'Drake & Josh' Co-Star Josh Peck Calls His Conviction 'Upsetting' And 'Disappointing'
Josh Peck, who played Drake Bell's stepbrother on "Drake & Josh," weighed in on his former co-star's conviction for attempted child endangerment.
Following the sentencing of former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell, his former “Drake & Josh” co-star is speaking out.
“It’s upsetting, and it’s an unfortunate situation,” Josh Peck told Variety on Thursday while attending the premiere for the new Disney+ series “Turner & Hooch.” “It’s disappointing.”
Peck and Bell starred together on Nickelodeon's “Drake & Josh,” in which they played stepbrothers, for four seasons, starting in 2004. The series led to two movies.
On Monday, a judge sentenced Bell, 34, to two years probation for the attempted child endangering charge and six months for disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. He pleaded guilty last month to charges of endangering a child for a 2017 incident involving a 15-year-old girl, now 19.
The victim gave an impact statement in court on Monday, explaining how she met Bell through her aunt when she was 12 and “one of his biggest fans.” She alleged that Bell groomed her for years and then engaged in sexual acts with her at a Cleveland concert when she was 15.
“He was such a big part of my childhood and in turn, he ruined my life,” she said, calling Bell a “monster” and “a danger to children.”
“I deserved better than to be used for his sick desires,” she said. “Jared Drake Bell is a pedophile and that is his legacy.”
Bell has not been convicted of any sexual crimes. Bell’s lawyers Ian Friedman and Madelyn Grant said in a statement provided to Oxygen.com on Monday that their client’s plea had nothing to do with any sexual offense.
Late last month, following Bell's guilty plea, he abruptly announced that he is married to Janet Von Schmeling and is a father. His ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him last year of being verbally and physically abusive during their relationship. He denied the claims. Bell was also arrested in 2015 for a DUI which he pleaded no contest to and spent four days in jail for. He was arrested for a previous DUI in 2009.
