In an episode of the “Man Enough” podcast, Drake Bell said sharing the long-kept secret of his abuse was “very scary” but “very freeing.”ID
Drake Bell said he’s feeling “like a big weight” has been lifted off of him after opening up about the sexual abuse he faced as a child star.
In a clip from Monday’s upcoming episode of the “Man Enough” podcast obtained by People, Bell, 37, said the experience of sharing the long-kept secret of his abuse was “very scary” but “very freeing” at the same time.
In March, the “Drake and Josh” actor appeared in Investigation Discovery’s “Quiet on Set” docuseries where he opened up about being sexually abused by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck when he was 15.
“Even though there’s so much happening and it is on such a public stage, it’s nothing compared to how I have felt in the past,” the “Drake and Josh” actor said.TikTok/@drakebell
Though, he notes that the trauma is something that will last the rest of his life.
“Even though there’s so much happening and it is on such a public stage, it’s nothing compared to how I have felt in the past,” Drake Bell said.
“The more that I’m able to talk about it, and the more that I’m able to articulate my thoughts just for myself, in my own mind, there is a big weight that feels lifted and is freeing,” he added.
But, he notes that the trauma sparked by his abuse is something that will last the rest of his life.
“There’s going to be a range of emotions,” he said.
“The more that I’m able to articulate my thoughts just for myself… there is a big weight that feels lifted,” Bell shared.©Nickelodeon Network/Courtesy Everett Co / Everett Collection