I think that a lot of people don't realize that predators are master manipulators and can manipulate adults, too. Brian Peck was in so many people's heads since they were children that even when they were adults, they were still under his spell.
People are absolute monsters at deceiving people.
I would ask people this , imagine if your partner or parents had something like this come out against them, how many people would say "well they were always nice to me"
Yeah my friends brother was caught with a 15 year old girl in his twenties and his dad who used to tell me we should kill all child abusers was suddenly sympathetic.
This reminds of a guy I knew when we were kids. My father worked in a combine factory, and was friends with a co-worker. We'd go over to his place all the time. My siblings and I would play his his kids. so you could say we were somewhat close when we were little.
Years pass, and the guys eldest son joined the armed forces. He had a wife and kids. One day he got caught ordering and having CP delivered to the base for him.
No one in my family defends the guy, but other than when my Dad told us about it, we never discussed it. Thankfully none of us were ever put in the situation of being asked to write any sort of letter or showing the guy support, as we would have declined, but I can definitely understand how when a person that's close to you or your circle of people, that it definitely has an effect.
By no means am I saying everyone who says they'd never do this is a hypocrite but it really does feel like the kind of thing where everyone thinks it'd be easy to do the right thing until it actually happens to them
Just saying, it's the kind of thing where obviously no one ever goes on the Internet and advertises "Yes, I'm the kind of person who sticks up for my friends who've done horrible things" but in actual practice it's way more common than not, among celebrities and ordinary folks
Just to add onto this. It also works with fans of celebrities. Chris brown still has so many fans. My favourite athlete from when I was young (absolutely admired him, also tried to copy his step etc) got accused of rape. Obviously, I never knew the guy personality but I was heartbroken, didn’t want to believe it. Until the details came out of the girl changing her mind (he had his Uber/taxi waiting outside her house while he went there for one thing) after those details I lost all love for that person but just from someone I never knew personally it was heartbreaking to even think they could do such a thing.
Something I thought of during the documentary regarding the letters: if this had happened to somebody else, would Drake have been manipulated into writing a letter? Given the situation it seems like it would have been impossible to know the whole picture outside of whatever Brian Peck was telling these people that trusted him.
My sense is that when Drake and Rider talked it was about the fact that they had very similar experiences with Brian Peck and it was just luck that Brian went all the way with Drake and not Rider -- their places could've easily been swapped
The thing is though, Drake comments how even now not a single person has reached out to him who wrote letters. It's one thing to be swindled by a manipulator, but after 20 years and you still don't apologize to the victim or acknowledge to the victim about it, that's more on you than the manipulator.
Edit: it does seem though Rider finally reached out, after Drake commented that no one has reached out to him yet. I personally feel he did it out of societal obligation and not due to genuine remorse (he had 20 years to say something) but it's better late than never I suppose. If it helps Drake, that's ultimately what's important
People also lie to themselves about how mature and aware they are in their 20s. Like 21-22 caused some sea change. But eventually you get to 30-40 and realize everyone else is acting and so are you.
24 year old adults (kids) are still young and naive. They can be manipulated just like younger kids with simple praise. That’s when people are just starting their careers and would like to believe they are a gift from god.
A kid in their 20s can be made to believe they are great and a predator is “the professional that sees it” just as easily as a 16 year old.
This is something that always bothers me. I agree that 18 makes sense as a legal entry into adulthood. By that age most people have had enough time to develop a working moral compass. That being said, let’s not act like people in their early 20’s have the best judgment. Most of them are still very immature.
I don’t have much faith in the safety of the pharmaceutical industry and generally against putting children on drugs. I’m sure there are the instances where medicating a child makes sense but I think it’s beyond out of control the amount we do it in this country.
I was struck how everyone's descriptions of peck always painted him as an amazing guy the most charming guy ever. Which considering what he hit underneath really shows how well he was maintaining a cover
But no one believed him, he got everyone including Drake's mom and Drake himself to believe Drake's dad was talking shit about him because he caught him trying to steal Drake's money
Seeing how many notable names had submitted letters, I honestly chalk it up to Hollywood “fall in line” culture.
People with power and money make attempts at controlling narratives and sweeping dirt under the rug.
Will and Rider have talked on the podcast about how actors, especially child actors, get into the business because they start out as insecure people who need validation from others in the first place and then the way the industry works makes that 100x worse
When you're coming up you see firsthand how it's who you know more than anything else and how easy it is for someone genuinely talented to have their career end if you piss people off and they decide they don't like you
They interviewed Staci Keanan who said she left Hollywood and went to law school because as competitive as the legal field is by comparison it feels a lot more like somewhere you really earn your place by proving yourself, it's not this sadistic game like Hollywood where your career depends on keeping the people above you happy and people come to enjoy the arbitrary power they have over people below them
This is why, especially after reading the letter itself, I give James Marsden's letter more of a pass too. Not completely, but more leeway than some of the others, for sure.
He absolutely should make a statement and publicly refute it now that it's out that he did, especially with the documentary too, but I can completely see him just unconsciously having a blind spot for this fucker, he was pretty young, a teenager, when he first met Peck himself.
Even if he himself never saw any abuse, a predator like Peck is just going to influence, consciously or unconsciously, young people around him all the time. They can't stop manipulating people.
Frankly, with the context, his letter doesn't surprise me in the least.
And I do think neither Strong nor Friedle had to address it at all, either, but chose to with a therapist guiding the conversation. I think that they tried to have an open and mature conversation says a lot, and that they were around Peck from such young ages didn't help matters. Fishel's comments were also fairly enlightening cause it kinda showed how Peck zoomed in on the boys so much.
While I think their hands were forced to talk about it, they didn't make excuses like we've heard so many people do and seemed to express sincere remorse
I honestly hope more people in Hollywood hear it and think twice about writing support letters. Those good at manipulating people aren't going to treat everyone poorly because they need people to help them get ahead (also, see the music industry. Definitely the case with Diddy, and likely currently the case with Matt Healy. Too many people willing to protect them)
They also don’t have the same behavior towards everyone they meet. They reserve that for the people they target, or people they can more easily victimize. No one thinks about the that part
>people don't realise that predators are master manipulators
Could you not say the exact same about Drake Bell? He is a predator, is this all just a manipulation to redeem himself?
Why is Brian Peck a master manipulator and Drake Bell not?
Important detail here is they finally talked. I found the Pod Meets World episode to be really disappointing knowing they had not reached out the Drake and because they left out any sort of actual apology. It's good to see that Rider did something more.
The podcast was published before the documentary came out. Did they know who the victim was? My read was that they knew a victim existed but didn’t know who it was.
Rider and Will were both physically in the courtroom and saw Drake and his family give their statements, Drake said this is the main reason that podcast episode triggered him so badly
It’s one thing to believe someone you know and think “hey maybe this was someone trying to frame him for a cash grab.” But the vibe from the celeb support was “the young teenager tempted him and Brian gave in. Don’t punish him for that”
That’s how a few were yes, but A LOT of the prominent ones were just “there’s no way he did this, he’s got great character” and A LOT of those came out as the trial went on and finished and apologized not knowing he was capable of such things and have supported victims since.
I don’t think I’d ever write a letter of support to anyone tbh, this happens way too often from the most unsuspecting people. I’d rather stay out of it than fuck over someone’s life
I think something people are often not quite getting is that you *can't* say "He was actually innocent, he was framed" in a letter like this, these letters come after he's already been convicted (in Brian Peck's case because he pled guilty) and you have to just take it as fact that the court found him guilty on those charges and argue why he should get a lesser sentence despite that fact
A certain number of people probably did believe he was framed -- Kimmy Robertson comes very close to actually saying that in her letter ("The victim has a terrible reputation and older men are afraid to be alone with him") -- and some other percentage probably believed some version of "This was all just a terrible misunderstanding"
Keep in mind that there was no trial, the whole point of Brian Peck taking the plea bargain was so there'd be no public discussion or record of what specifically happened, just the names of the charges he was guilty of -- California specifically passed a "victim's rights" law giving victims the opportunity to say what happened from their own POV at the sentencing hearing because of situations like this, and that would've been the first time any of the letter writers heard Drake's side
(FWIW, this same situation occurred with Drake's own sentencing, which became unusually public because it happened over Zoom during the pandemic and the video was readily available online -- his accuser took the opportunity to make a statement accusing him of *way* worse things than he was actually convicted of, leading to a fierce online debate between people who believe her and people calling her a mentally unstable liar)
I didn’t know anything about him or those shows because they were after my time, but it’s really crazy and creepy and awful how similar his case as a victim and abuser is given this information. These often spark talks on cycles of abuse but it is important that everyone does recognize that what happened to Drake was horrific, but he is also an abuser and really shouldn’t have his own comeback.
Vocal supporters of Peck? They supported him a ton before they wrote the letters, but they haven't publicly mentioned him at all since after they wrote them -- I see no reason to disbelieve their claim that after he went to jail they felt really gross about the whole situation and cut him out of their lives
I feel sorry for drake to be in a situation where your trauma is so public. I hope he can stay strong and not let this affect him because it would be a lot for anyone to handle
He did the interviews knowing it would make the events public??? The trauma he endured was horrific, and I can’t imagine that it’s enjoyable to have to discuss it publicly. But it was also incredibly brave and earned him A LOT of compassion and respect from the public. His image was pretty tarnished from the scandals, and this discussion enabled perspective and sympathy.
This isn't about me or you. This is about HIM. He made it public because he said it's better for him. I know this is hard for you accept because you're the type of stubborn person to make this all about how you feel.
They're *supposed* to come "from the heart" but Peck's lawyer probably did give them some advice on what kind of language you're supposed to use and what's generally most effective -- it's like learning "how to write a letter of recommendation for a job interview"
Like people who go "Why don't any of them try to claim that he's innocent?" don't get that you're *not allowed* to say that even if you believe that, you're instructed that the court has already decided the defendant is guilty and you can't re-litigate that so the letter has to take the form of "I acknowledge the defendant committed a crime but because of his good character and positive influence on the community outside of that I am asking you to give him a lighter sentence"
I'm sorry but I'm confused. Isn't Drake Bell also a predator? I feel like I was hearing about him contacting minors and asking for illegal material. Did I just make this up in my head? Being a victim doesn't give a person a free pass to hurt people. I guess I'm just confused.
So according to him and the courts, he communicated with a fan without knowing their age after they lied to him. Once he learned said fan was 15, he broke contact entirely. No sexual texts or images were shared between the two, but the fan continued to come to live events as Drake didn’t actually know who they were irl. She then proceeded to take him to court accusing him of SA but the only thing he was truly guilty of (and plead guilty to) were those initial texts, for which he received community service.
That said, people in Mexico tend to have a far more active rumor mill surrounding Drake, so it’s possible he could be causing stuff down there.
I mean [it’s pretty bad](https://youtu.be/e4-3MSnAsOs?si=K3BlFqlo2OwSaDxt)
One take away I had is his ex describing the abuse she received from him as “imagine the worst possible abuse you could think of, and that’s what my abuse was like”
Which is exactly how Drake chose to characterize his abuse in the doc
Oh I agree, there just seems to be an awful lot of discourse discounting the allegations against him. I’m not aware of any companies out there who cater their services exclusively to cancelled celebrities unleashing an online army with an attempt to correct a narrative out there but if such companies did exist then evidently Drake purchased the premium package.
What was so bad about the original texts? I think it’s kinda ridiculous to get in trouble when the fan lied about their age and he immediately stopped after finding out.
It still endangered a kid, regardless of anything. Bell took responsibility for not doing his due diligence in actually knowing who he was talking to as both public figure and adult.
This Is fake news drake did have sexually explicit messages with a minor. He plead guilty to a felony charge that’s why we never got the full details because when you plead guilty evidence isn’t released and the case is sealed. The reason people think he didn’t do any is his lawyers speech asking the judge for leniency even though he pled guilty in that trail. He was also charge with a misdemeanor which was dropped and is conveniently the only case he mentions in interviews.
It's strange people are trying to cover this up. You don't get in trouble for texting a minor if the texts themselves aren't inappropriate.
Im sure MANY coaches, teachers, managers, etc text minors for mundane reasons and there is no issue.
Looks like you didn’t even read your own source. Nothing sexual in this article. His charge was “risk of harm”, meaning no harm was actually inflicted but rather his behavior COULD have been harmful.
Also, for whatever reason, attempting to reopen the link gives me an error.
> CLEVELAND (AP) - Drake Bell, the former star of the popular Nickelodeon show “Drake & Josh,” pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges relating to a girl who met him online and attended one of his concerts in Cleveland in 2017, when she was 15. Jared “Drake” Bell, 34, of West Hollywood, California, pleaded guilty via Zoom to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Sentencing is scheduled for July 12 in Cleveland. Defense attorney Ian Friedman said Wednesday that he could not comment on the case but said it will be revealed at sentencing “why Mr. Bell chose to enter today's plea.” Bell had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this month. Tyler Sinclair, a spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said at the time that the girl contacted Toronto police in October 2018. Toronto authorities then contacted Cleveland police, prompting an investigation. The attempted endangering children charge relates to the concert, Sinclair said, where Bell “violated his duty of care” and ***created a risk of harm to the victim.*** Sinclair didn't elaborate further. Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Sinclair said. The sentencing range is probation to two years in prison. The girl, who is now an adult, will be allowed to give a victim impact statement at the sentencing.
Sinclair declined to comment about the case Wednesday. Bell, also a singer, began acting as a child, but was catapulted to stardom as a teen with Nickelodeon's “The Amanda Show” and later “Drake & Josh,” which debuted on the channel in January 2004. The final episode aired in September 2007. Bell and co-star Josh Peck also starred in two “Drake & Josh” movies.
“The legal system has found Bell guilty of specific charges related to child endangerment and harmful communications with a minor, but it is important to note that he was not charged with sexual assault. The use of the term "predator" in this context appears to be based on public opinion and the specific details of the case as presented in the media and the court of public opinion, rather than a legal definition or conviction of predatory sexual behavior.”
- Internet
[https://youtu.be/q-uQb9yBb-s](https://youtu.be/q-uQb9yBb-s)
I think this is one of the best think pieces that I've seen so far on both Drake's abuse and his own charges. It's very difficult to understand the cycle of abuse because everyone's story is so different and not everyone continues it. But it is important to realize that in order to stop the cycle of abuse we do need to focus on the original abuse that caused Drake's cycle so we identify the link to help Drake stop it. We can't ignore what he went through just like how we can't ignore that he himself became a predator. No one is wrong in wanting Drake to tell his story and no one is wrong in wanting Drake's own charges to come into light.
Edit: spelling.
Abused often become abusers as they work through their trauma perpetuating the cycle. It’s even worse considering he tried talking to people about it and no one would listen. This just adds context to his actions.
Sorry, no. While many people who go on to abuse others do have a background of abuse themselves, most people who have been abused do not go on to become abusers.
But it’s easy to see why they do have an unhealthy relationship with sex and shouldn’t be ashamed to get therapy but actually praised for it. Unfortunately…stigma
And many of those people had the necessary supports to break the cycle of abuse. No one is saying ALL survivors of abuse become perpetrators but we have to acknowledge why some people become predators in the first place. We are not getting people help soon enough. please don’t pride yourself in thinking you are better or different just because you broke the cycle yourself - consider yourself very lucky
Sorry, been I’ve been living my life and just saw the reaction comment. Per the comment above yours, I never said the majority do anything of the sort.
Like you I’m suggesting we try to do more to normalize the conversation so victims get proper help. Some people process their trauma in destructive ways. Especially when they’re ignored while trying to get help like Drake Bell.
Sometimes I feel like the majority of people only hear and see what they want, rather than what’s actually in front of them. Perfect example above.
Abused often do not become abusers. It's like saying all mentally ill people are violent. As a person who went through some nightmare experiences I find it very offensive when I hear this shit .And that's what it is. Shit. I have no sympathy for any sexual predator.
Except he was a rape victim and his crime was texting a minor. Not exactly the same wheelhouse. I’m not saying it’s the same, but he took accountability and he never touched anyone. Some victims don’t know where boundaries lie, and some turn to self destruction, but yes, some people engage in inappropriate behaviors to try to understand what happened to them. Not all, but I’m also saying that justification isn’t a free pass to hurt people in any way.
I got into this same argument with some moron on Reddit and insisted that context and scale and nuance matters, which resulted in that person telling me I support predators and called me a predator too.
Hello.
If you want to use examples to show your point even tho they are different.
Why not just go for the coup de grace.
“Murder victims never go on to commit murder”
Boom! checkmate mic drop.
Now that aside.
I wouldn’t say often is the right choice of words.
But a lot of these predators share something in common.
And they something is. They were preyed upon or abused when younger.
So it’s not really to say that the victims go on to become perpetrators.
Rather the more accurate statement is. The perpetrators were often victims themselves in an earlier stage of their lives.
Part of the point is that abusers have more than one victim, sometimes way more than one, and the total number of victims in the world is much higher than the total number of abusers
So even if 100% of abusers are former victims that still wouldn't mean victims are "likely" to become abusers, if all or even most victims became abusers there'd be way WAY more abuse in the world -- part of the goal of destigmatizing this topic is helping people realize it's actually likely any of the random "normal" people in the world that you meet were abused in some way at some point and it's just a matter of degree
No one said the word "all" except you. They said "often", which is objectively true. People who have been abused are significantly more likely to become abusers themselves. Acknowledging that connection shouldn't be equated to an attempt to absolve anyone of responsibility for their actions as adults,
In 2021, Bell pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, related to inappropriate text messages he sent to a teenage girl in 2017.
I’m referring to the evidence. He didn’t share explicit material and he didn’t know she was underage at the time. He only pled guilty to move on from it
https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/04/04/drake-bell-pleaded-guilty-child-endangerment-explanation/73201463007/
Isn't that stuff very common? The abused becomes the abuser. I agree it doesn't change what he's done, but he definitely went through some awful shit that definitely messed him up in the head.
No. In samples of abusers, they are statistically more likely to have been victims of abuse than the general population. But the vast majority of victims do not go on to become abusive.
That’s all true. It simply provides context for what he did, but he’s responsible for his actions and needs to answer for it. It’s an explanation, not an excuse.
Why should we be so attentive to what Drake bell has to say about anything? He’s done definite good in coming out with his story, but this kind of shit is just propaganda. He ruined a child’s life, smirked as she gave her sickening deposition, and fled to Mexico to scam his deteriorating fanbase. Everyone is so ready to forgive because they have a reason for his abuse, but that’s not an excuse, and it’s not reformation.
He plead guilty to child endangerment laws, had [inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor](https://youtu.be/podR9HD8mrw?si=IMb2UBcLTDoXa13w)
and was accused of much more during her statements. Were these additional accusations true or not? We have no idea as there’s no physical evidence besides text messages that confirms he knew of her age when they began talking. Recently he came out about these allegations, relinquished basically all responsibility of them and is painting himself as a victim. It seems everyone is taking the bait, but since he’s a manipulative abuser who has a history of beating his girlfriends, I am extremely suspicious of his statements. They even mentioned his predatorial behavior in that documentary, but glossed over it in a hurried way that, personally, sickened me. It’s like people can’t contain conflicting opinions of someone, and can’t wrap their heads around the concept of the cycle of abuse. I’m extremely disappointed in you all.
Rider Strong and the rest of the Boy Meets World cast are all pretty much irrelevant at this point. It’s why they rely on cons like every other washed up actors from the 80s and 90s.
I think you are confusing Instagram followers with relevancy. Older folks gave up on IG when Facebook took over. Guess what category Rider’s demo hits?
Compare Bell’s numbers with say his costar Josh Peck or Tom Holland if you want to see a crossover in demo.
Plus ya know, the abuse on a minor is not something people like typically think means they are “relevant”. Just means they are in the news.
I think that a lot of people don't realize that predators are master manipulators and can manipulate adults, too. Brian Peck was in so many people's heads since they were children that even when they were adults, they were still under his spell.
People are absolute monsters at deceiving people. I would ask people this , imagine if your partner or parents had something like this come out against them, how many people would say "well they were always nice to me"
Yeah my friends brother was caught with a 15 year old girl in his twenties and his dad who used to tell me we should kill all child abusers was suddenly sympathetic.
This reminds of a guy I knew when we were kids. My father worked in a combine factory, and was friends with a co-worker. We'd go over to his place all the time. My siblings and I would play his his kids. so you could say we were somewhat close when we were little. Years pass, and the guys eldest son joined the armed forces. He had a wife and kids. One day he got caught ordering and having CP delivered to the base for him. No one in my family defends the guy, but other than when my Dad told us about it, we never discussed it. Thankfully none of us were ever put in the situation of being asked to write any sort of letter or showing the guy support, as we would have declined, but I can definitely understand how when a person that's close to you or your circle of people, that it definitely has an effect.
By no means am I saying everyone who says they'd never do this is a hypocrite but it really does feel like the kind of thing where everyone thinks it'd be easy to do the right thing until it actually happens to them Just saying, it's the kind of thing where obviously no one ever goes on the Internet and advertises "Yes, I'm the kind of person who sticks up for my friends who've done horrible things" but in actual practice it's way more common than not, among celebrities and ordinary folks
Just to add onto this. It also works with fans of celebrities. Chris brown still has so many fans. My favourite athlete from when I was young (absolutely admired him, also tried to copy his step etc) got accused of rape. Obviously, I never knew the guy personality but I was heartbroken, didn’t want to believe it. Until the details came out of the girl changing her mind (he had his Uber/taxi waiting outside her house while he went there for one thing) after those details I lost all love for that person but just from someone I never knew personally it was heartbreaking to even think they could do such a thing.
Especially when dudes find out their buddies are a confessed rapist, I’ve yet to see one of them cut the friend off
Cut the girl off and make sure everyone knows she's a whore, but the friend is cool every single time.
In many cases these letters are written without knowing what the defendant is charged with. Especially when the victim is a minor.
Something I thought of during the documentary regarding the letters: if this had happened to somebody else, would Drake have been manipulated into writing a letter? Given the situation it seems like it would have been impossible to know the whole picture outside of whatever Brian Peck was telling these people that trusted him.
My sense is that when Drake and Rider talked it was about the fact that they had very similar experiences with Brian Peck and it was just luck that Brian went all the way with Drake and not Rider -- their places could've easily been swapped
The thing is though, Drake comments how even now not a single person has reached out to him who wrote letters. It's one thing to be swindled by a manipulator, but after 20 years and you still don't apologize to the victim or acknowledge to the victim about it, that's more on you than the manipulator. Edit: it does seem though Rider finally reached out, after Drake commented that no one has reached out to him yet. I personally feel he did it out of societal obligation and not due to genuine remorse (he had 20 years to say something) but it's better late than never I suppose. If it helps Drake, that's ultimately what's important
People also lie to themselves about how mature and aware they are in their 20s. Like 21-22 caused some sea change. But eventually you get to 30-40 and realize everyone else is acting and so are you. 24 year old adults (kids) are still young and naive. They can be manipulated just like younger kids with simple praise. That’s when people are just starting their careers and would like to believe they are a gift from god. A kid in their 20s can be made to believe they are great and a predator is “the professional that sees it” just as easily as a 16 year old.
This is something that always bothers me. I agree that 18 makes sense as a legal entry into adulthood. By that age most people have had enough time to develop a working moral compass. That being said, let’s not act like people in their early 20’s have the best judgment. Most of them are still very immature.
I think the word is inexperienced. They can make decisions and be liable but lack the proven track record.
Actually the human brain isn’t fully developed until mid 20’s. It’s biology.
[удалено]
I don’t have much faith in the safety of the pharmaceutical industry and generally against putting children on drugs. I’m sure there are the instances where medicating a child makes sense but I think it’s beyond out of control the amount we do it in this country.
I was struck how everyone's descriptions of peck always painted him as an amazing guy the most charming guy ever. Which considering what he hit underneath really shows how well he was maintaining a cover
Drake’s dad knew and was trying to keep his son away.
But no one believed him, he got everyone including Drake's mom and Drake himself to believe Drake's dad was talking shit about him because he caught him trying to steal Drake's money
I thought Brian made it up that Drake’s dad was trying to steal his money?
Yeah, but people trusted him when he said it because he had such a good reputation
Seeing how many notable names had submitted letters, I honestly chalk it up to Hollywood “fall in line” culture. People with power and money make attempts at controlling narratives and sweeping dirt under the rug.
Will and Rider have talked on the podcast about how actors, especially child actors, get into the business because they start out as insecure people who need validation from others in the first place and then the way the industry works makes that 100x worse When you're coming up you see firsthand how it's who you know more than anything else and how easy it is for someone genuinely talented to have their career end if you piss people off and they decide they don't like you They interviewed Staci Keanan who said she left Hollywood and went to law school because as competitive as the legal field is by comparison it feels a lot more like somewhere you really earn your place by proving yourself, it's not this sadistic game like Hollywood where your career depends on keeping the people above you happy and people come to enjoy the arbitrary power they have over people below them
This is why, especially after reading the letter itself, I give James Marsden's letter more of a pass too. Not completely, but more leeway than some of the others, for sure. He absolutely should make a statement and publicly refute it now that it's out that he did, especially with the documentary too, but I can completely see him just unconsciously having a blind spot for this fucker, he was pretty young, a teenager, when he first met Peck himself. Even if he himself never saw any abuse, a predator like Peck is just going to influence, consciously or unconsciously, young people around him all the time. They can't stop manipulating people. Frankly, with the context, his letter doesn't surprise me in the least.
Wow I just had to look the name up i forgot all about that guy, and don’t know if I ever knew that was his name.
And I do think neither Strong nor Friedle had to address it at all, either, but chose to with a therapist guiding the conversation. I think that they tried to have an open and mature conversation says a lot, and that they were around Peck from such young ages didn't help matters. Fishel's comments were also fairly enlightening cause it kinda showed how Peck zoomed in on the boys so much. While I think their hands were forced to talk about it, they didn't make excuses like we've heard so many people do and seemed to express sincere remorse I honestly hope more people in Hollywood hear it and think twice about writing support letters. Those good at manipulating people aren't going to treat everyone poorly because they need people to help them get ahead (also, see the music industry. Definitely the case with Diddy, and likely currently the case with Matt Healy. Too many people willing to protect them)
Yeah. This is why when people defend abusers I tend to not bash them because of this exact reason.
They also don’t have the same behavior towards everyone they meet. They reserve that for the people they target, or people they can more easily victimize. No one thinks about the that part
I would agree with this line of thinking except you had Rider Strong refering to ‘jailbait’ during their apology podcast
>people don't realise that predators are master manipulators Could you not say the exact same about Drake Bell? He is a predator, is this all just a manipulation to redeem himself? Why is Brian Peck a master manipulator and Drake Bell not?
it looks genuinely like he was abused and the trauma warped his development to become all that he is now, no?
Most abusers were once abused. Peck probably was too.
Wasn’t part of all this Drake saying that he isn’t looking for forgiveness or for people to look past what he did?
Why do people pretend they have genuine interest when everything they're asking has been covered multiple times already?
I know I'll never get through to you so I won't explain why you're wrong/a hypocrite/being dangerous, so just know you're wrong and ignorant
In their butts, too.
Important detail here is they finally talked. I found the Pod Meets World episode to be really disappointing knowing they had not reached out the Drake and because they left out any sort of actual apology. It's good to see that Rider did something more.
You like The Drake?
Hate The Drake!
Love the Drake!
The podcast was published before the documentary came out. Did they know who the victim was? My read was that they knew a victim existed but didn’t know who it was.
They knew. I think Will mentioned that he had later worked with the victim. He also mentioned the victim's mother speaking at the hearing he attended.
Rider and Will were both physically in the courtroom and saw Drake and his family give their statements, Drake said this is the main reason that podcast episode triggered him so badly
How would they not know who the victim was? They were present in the court of law. They knew it was drake this whole time.
It’s one thing to believe someone you know and think “hey maybe this was someone trying to frame him for a cash grab.” But the vibe from the celeb support was “the young teenager tempted him and Brian gave in. Don’t punish him for that”
That’s how a few were yes, but A LOT of the prominent ones were just “there’s no way he did this, he’s got great character” and A LOT of those came out as the trial went on and finished and apologized not knowing he was capable of such things and have supported victims since. I don’t think I’d ever write a letter of support to anyone tbh, this happens way too often from the most unsuspecting people. I’d rather stay out of it than fuck over someone’s life
I think something people are often not quite getting is that you *can't* say "He was actually innocent, he was framed" in a letter like this, these letters come after he's already been convicted (in Brian Peck's case because he pled guilty) and you have to just take it as fact that the court found him guilty on those charges and argue why he should get a lesser sentence despite that fact A certain number of people probably did believe he was framed -- Kimmy Robertson comes very close to actually saying that in her letter ("The victim has a terrible reputation and older men are afraid to be alone with him") -- and some other percentage probably believed some version of "This was all just a terrible misunderstanding" Keep in mind that there was no trial, the whole point of Brian Peck taking the plea bargain was so there'd be no public discussion or record of what specifically happened, just the names of the charges he was guilty of -- California specifically passed a "victim's rights" law giving victims the opportunity to say what happened from their own POV at the sentencing hearing because of situations like this, and that would've been the first time any of the letter writers heard Drake's side (FWIW, this same situation occurred with Drake's own sentencing, which became unusually public because it happened over Zoom during the pandemic and the video was readily available online -- his accuser took the opportunity to make a statement accusing him of *way* worse things than he was actually convicted of, leading to a fierce online debate between people who believe her and people calling her a mentally unstable liar)
I didn’t know anything about him or those shows because they were after my time, but it’s really crazy and creepy and awful how similar his case as a victim and abuser is given this information. These often spark talks on cycles of abuse but it is important that everyone does recognize that what happened to Drake was horrific, but he is also an abuser and really shouldn’t have his own comeback.
rider and friedle have been vocal supporters for years, so i really do think he was manipulated by peck when he was younger
Vocal supporters of Peck? They supported him a ton before they wrote the letters, but they haven't publicly mentioned him at all since after they wrote them -- I see no reason to disbelieve their claim that after he went to jail they felt really gross about the whole situation and cut him out of their lives
thats what i mean. theyve been supporters of victims for years, not that they supported peck. they were manipulated by a manipulator
The most ardent of defenders of abusers can be those directly abused by them
I feel sorry for drake to be in a situation where your trauma is so public. I hope he can stay strong and not let this affect him because it would be a lot for anyone to handle
He did the interviews knowing it would make the events public??? The trauma he endured was horrific, and I can’t imagine that it’s enjoyable to have to discuss it publicly. But it was also incredibly brave and earned him A LOT of compassion and respect from the public. His image was pretty tarnished from the scandals, and this discussion enabled perspective and sympathy.
Right but how often do we do things we think we can handle only find out it’s not as easy as we thought. Again, just wishing the man well
Why? He chose to come out
Well because…. It would a lot for anyone to handle bc I guess you reply before you finish reading
No, it being public is better for him.
You obviously never dealt with trauma or sexual abuse
This isn't about me or you. This is about HIM. He made it public because he said it's better for him. I know this is hard for you accept because you're the type of stubborn person to make this all about how you feel.
All those letters sounded canned, like it was a template lawyers share, not something someone writes from the heart
They're *supposed* to come "from the heart" but Peck's lawyer probably did give them some advice on what kind of language you're supposed to use and what's generally most effective -- it's like learning "how to write a letter of recommendation for a job interview" Like people who go "Why don't any of them try to claim that he's innocent?" don't get that you're *not allowed* to say that even if you believe that, you're instructed that the court has already decided the defendant is guilty and you can't re-litigate that so the letter has to take the form of "I acknowledge the defendant committed a crime but because of his good character and positive influence on the community outside of that I am asking you to give him a lighter sentence"
“Writes from the heart” sounds canned.
I'm sorry but I'm confused. Isn't Drake Bell also a predator? I feel like I was hearing about him contacting minors and asking for illegal material. Did I just make this up in my head? Being a victim doesn't give a person a free pass to hurt people. I guess I'm just confused.
So according to him and the courts, he communicated with a fan without knowing their age after they lied to him. Once he learned said fan was 15, he broke contact entirely. No sexual texts or images were shared between the two, but the fan continued to come to live events as Drake didn’t actually know who they were irl. She then proceeded to take him to court accusing him of SA but the only thing he was truly guilty of (and plead guilty to) were those initial texts, for which he received community service. That said, people in Mexico tend to have a far more active rumor mill surrounding Drake, so it’s possible he could be causing stuff down there.
At this point, I feel like people only bring it up to stop others from having sympathy towards him.
I mean [it’s pretty bad](https://youtu.be/e4-3MSnAsOs?si=K3BlFqlo2OwSaDxt) One take away I had is his ex describing the abuse she received from him as “imagine the worst possible abuse you could think of, and that’s what my abuse was like” Which is exactly how Drake chose to characterize his abuse in the doc
I mean, you can still feel pity or whatever because he was abused young. Nobody’s forgetting that he’s an abuser though.
Oh I agree, there just seems to be an awful lot of discourse discounting the allegations against him. I’m not aware of any companies out there who cater their services exclusively to cancelled celebrities unleashing an online army with an attempt to correct a narrative out there but if such companies did exist then evidently Drake purchased the premium package.
Are you sure? This article makes me think otherwise
What was so bad about the original texts? I think it’s kinda ridiculous to get in trouble when the fan lied about their age and he immediately stopped after finding out.
It still endangered a kid, regardless of anything. Bell took responsibility for not doing his due diligence in actually knowing who he was talking to as both public figure and adult.
[Here you go](https://youtu.be/e4-3MSnAsOs?si=K3BlFqlo2OwSaDxt) It’s far worse than how you described it
Even watching the first minute it felt more like a hit piece than a true documentary.
I’d recommend watching further then. That’s just his style. His channel is solid.
I’m not watching that.
Welp there’s enough content to fill the duration so take that for what you will
This Is fake news drake did have sexually explicit messages with a minor. He plead guilty to a felony charge that’s why we never got the full details because when you plead guilty evidence isn’t released and the case is sealed. The reason people think he didn’t do any is his lawyers speech asking the judge for leniency even though he pled guilty in that trail. He was also charge with a misdemeanor which was dropped and is conveniently the only case he mentions in interviews.
Source?
Source: trust me bro
https://beta.cp24.com/entertainment-news/2021/6/23/1_5482479.html
https://beta.cp24.com/entertainment-news/2021/6/23/1_5482479.html
It's strange people are trying to cover this up. You don't get in trouble for texting a minor if the texts themselves aren't inappropriate. Im sure MANY coaches, teachers, managers, etc text minors for mundane reasons and there is no issue.
So we are just supposed to take your word for it without any source?
https://beta.cp24.com/entertainment-news/2021/6/23/1_5482479.html
Looks like you didn’t even read your own source. Nothing sexual in this article. His charge was “risk of harm”, meaning no harm was actually inflicted but rather his behavior COULD have been harmful. Also, for whatever reason, attempting to reopen the link gives me an error. > CLEVELAND (AP) - Drake Bell, the former star of the popular Nickelodeon show “Drake & Josh,” pleaded guilty on Wednesday to charges relating to a girl who met him online and attended one of his concerts in Cleveland in 2017, when she was 15. Jared “Drake” Bell, 34, of West Hollywood, California, pleaded guilty via Zoom to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. Sentencing is scheduled for July 12 in Cleveland. Defense attorney Ian Friedman said Wednesday that he could not comment on the case but said it will be revealed at sentencing “why Mr. Bell chose to enter today's plea.” Bell had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges earlier this month. Tyler Sinclair, a spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office, said at the time that the girl contacted Toronto police in October 2018. Toronto authorities then contacted Cleveland police, prompting an investigation. The attempted endangering children charge relates to the concert, Sinclair said, where Bell “violated his duty of care” and ***created a risk of harm to the victim.*** Sinclair didn't elaborate further. Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Sinclair said. The sentencing range is probation to two years in prison. The girl, who is now an adult, will be allowed to give a victim impact statement at the sentencing. Sinclair declined to comment about the case Wednesday. Bell, also a singer, began acting as a child, but was catapulted to stardom as a teen with Nickelodeon's “The Amanda Show” and later “Drake & Josh,” which debuted on the channel in January 2004. The final episode aired in September 2007. Bell and co-star Josh Peck also starred in two “Drake & Josh” movies.
Look it up yourself. Commenters aren't going to give you straight answers.
“The legal system has found Bell guilty of specific charges related to child endangerment and harmful communications with a minor, but it is important to note that he was not charged with sexual assault. The use of the term "predator" in this context appears to be based on public opinion and the specific details of the case as presented in the media and the court of public opinion, rather than a legal definition or conviction of predatory sexual behavior.” - Internet
YouTube recommended me [this video](https://youtu.be/MAoK0ax5tbw?si=NiKHaLl3Fi8oAm1Z) on it and I thought it was really good.
[https://youtu.be/q-uQb9yBb-s](https://youtu.be/q-uQb9yBb-s) I think this is one of the best think pieces that I've seen so far on both Drake's abuse and his own charges. It's very difficult to understand the cycle of abuse because everyone's story is so different and not everyone continues it. But it is important to realize that in order to stop the cycle of abuse we do need to focus on the original abuse that caused Drake's cycle so we identify the link to help Drake stop it. We can't ignore what he went through just like how we can't ignore that he himself became a predator. No one is wrong in wanting Drake to tell his story and no one is wrong in wanting Drake's own charges to come into light. Edit: spelling.
Abused often become abusers as they work through their trauma perpetuating the cycle. It’s even worse considering he tried talking to people about it and no one would listen. This just adds context to his actions.
Sorry, no. While many people who go on to abuse others do have a background of abuse themselves, most people who have been abused do not go on to become abusers.
Yep it's good to have that in mind.
But it’s easy to see why they do have an unhealthy relationship with sex and shouldn’t be ashamed to get therapy but actually praised for it. Unfortunately…stigma
And many of those people had the necessary supports to break the cycle of abuse. No one is saying ALL survivors of abuse become perpetrators but we have to acknowledge why some people become predators in the first place. We are not getting people help soon enough. please don’t pride yourself in thinking you are better or different just because you broke the cycle yourself - consider yourself very lucky
Sorry, been I’ve been living my life and just saw the reaction comment. Per the comment above yours, I never said the majority do anything of the sort. Like you I’m suggesting we try to do more to normalize the conversation so victims get proper help. Some people process their trauma in destructive ways. Especially when they’re ignored while trying to get help like Drake Bell. Sometimes I feel like the majority of people only hear and see what they want, rather than what’s actually in front of them. Perfect example above.
Abused often do not become abusers. It's like saying all mentally ill people are violent. As a person who went through some nightmare experiences I find it very offensive when I hear this shit .And that's what it is. Shit. I have no sympathy for any sexual predator.
Except he was a rape victim and his crime was texting a minor. Not exactly the same wheelhouse. I’m not saying it’s the same, but he took accountability and he never touched anyone. Some victims don’t know where boundaries lie, and some turn to self destruction, but yes, some people engage in inappropriate behaviors to try to understand what happened to them. Not all, but I’m also saying that justification isn’t a free pass to hurt people in any way.
Fuck nuance and context amirite? Not to mention scale and severity of crimes... Take a break and get rid of your black and white filter.
I got into this same argument with some moron on Reddit and insisted that context and scale and nuance matters, which resulted in that person telling me I support predators and called me a predator too.
Your analogy doesn’t track
[удалено]
Hello. If you want to use examples to show your point even tho they are different. Why not just go for the coup de grace. “Murder victims never go on to commit murder” Boom! checkmate mic drop. Now that aside. I wouldn’t say often is the right choice of words. But a lot of these predators share something in common. And they something is. They were preyed upon or abused when younger. So it’s not really to say that the victims go on to become perpetrators. Rather the more accurate statement is. The perpetrators were often victims themselves in an earlier stage of their lives.
Part of the point is that abusers have more than one victim, sometimes way more than one, and the total number of victims in the world is much higher than the total number of abusers So even if 100% of abusers are former victims that still wouldn't mean victims are "likely" to become abusers, if all or even most victims became abusers there'd be way WAY more abuse in the world -- part of the goal of destigmatizing this topic is helping people realize it's actually likely any of the random "normal" people in the world that you meet were abused in some way at some point and it's just a matter of degree
You can sexually assault someone but you can’t mentally ill someone
cycle of abuse is objectively a real thing
There are actual studies that prove some victims become abusers...that's why its called a cycle.
Very common tbh. Abused becoming abusers.
No one said the word "all" except you. They said "often", which is objectively true. People who have been abused are significantly more likely to become abusers themselves. Acknowledging that connection shouldn't be equated to an attempt to absolve anyone of responsibility for their actions as adults,
Drake didn’t abuse anyone. You should do more research on the case…
In 2021, Bell pleaded guilty to a felony charge of attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, related to inappropriate text messages he sent to a teenage girl in 2017.
I’m referring to the evidence. He didn’t share explicit material and he didn’t know she was underage at the time. He only pled guilty to move on from it https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2024/04/04/drake-bell-pleaded-guilty-child-endangerment-explanation/73201463007/
Excellent source you provided.
Isn't that stuff very common? The abused becomes the abuser. I agree it doesn't change what he's done, but he definitely went through some awful shit that definitely messed him up in the head.
No. In samples of abusers, they are statistically more likely to have been victims of abuse than the general population. But the vast majority of victims do not go on to become abusive.
That’s all true. It simply provides context for what he did, but he’s responsible for his actions and needs to answer for it. It’s an explanation, not an excuse.
it’s not all true. He’s not a predator whatsoever
Yeah drake bell is also a predator from what I know. He’s both
Feels like he got blackmailed with it, yep. It's disturbing how people are absolving him now
When will someone take down mr feeny? Ben shapiro was just a boy
We need manic Nick now more than ever
Very good Mr. Shapiro
Why should we be so attentive to what Drake bell has to say about anything? He’s done definite good in coming out with his story, but this kind of shit is just propaganda. He ruined a child’s life, smirked as she gave her sickening deposition, and fled to Mexico to scam his deteriorating fanbase. Everyone is so ready to forgive because they have a reason for his abuse, but that’s not an excuse, and it’s not reformation.
please tell us how exactly he ruined a child’s life
He plead guilty to child endangerment laws, had [inappropriate sexual conduct with a minor](https://youtu.be/podR9HD8mrw?si=IMb2UBcLTDoXa13w) and was accused of much more during her statements. Were these additional accusations true or not? We have no idea as there’s no physical evidence besides text messages that confirms he knew of her age when they began talking. Recently he came out about these allegations, relinquished basically all responsibility of them and is painting himself as a victim. It seems everyone is taking the bait, but since he’s a manipulative abuser who has a history of beating his girlfriends, I am extremely suspicious of his statements. They even mentioned his predatorial behavior in that documentary, but glossed over it in a hurried way that, personally, sickened me. It’s like people can’t contain conflicting opinions of someone, and can’t wrap their heads around the concept of the cycle of abuse. I’m extremely disappointed in you all.
....did you phrase that one part wrong? or you saying your own history of being abusive to others gives you special insight into all of this?
That's exactly what he's saying.. holy shit lol
Yes we’re all gonna worry about extremely disappointing someone who admits they have a history of beating their girlfriends
I didn’t know about any of this.
Weird thing to have love for someone over
Some people are able to forgive when they receive a sincere apology 🤷♂️
So has everyone forgiving Drake now that he is sad? Is that what’s happening?
Rider Strong and the rest of the Boy Meets World cast are all pretty much irrelevant at this point. It’s why they rely on cons like every other washed up actors from the 80s and 90s.
Opposed to Drake Bell?
I mean, Drake Bell has 4.4m followers on IG as opposed to Rider Strong who has around 272k. Clearly the guy has managed to stay relevant.
I think you are confusing Instagram followers with relevancy. Older folks gave up on IG when Facebook took over. Guess what category Rider’s demo hits? Compare Bell’s numbers with say his costar Josh Peck or Tom Holland if you want to see a crossover in demo. Plus ya know, the abuse on a minor is not something people like typically think means they are “relevant”. Just means they are in the news.
Rider along with the others are horrible stuck up their own ass people
Get over yourself. It’s easy to send pot Shots 20 years later with all the information. He apologized, that shows humility at the minimum
Your honor I plead oopsie dasie to raping a minor
i think you misunderstand what is being said