Drake Bell relives his trauma in new music video, "I Kind of Relate," where he recreates some of the most scarring experiences he's faced.
The video begins with a young boy portraying Bell, who's on set, before being taken into a trailer by an older man and the vehicle's curtains being shut. In another scene, Bell reenacts his 2008 car accident, which left him with a fractured jaw and severe cuts, according to Today. The video then follows Bell attending group therapy before facing his demons once again, concluding the video in what appears to be a recreated Drake & Josh set.
The surprise song and video come shortly after Bell, 37, spoke out for the first time about being a victim of sexual abuse as a teenager, when he was exploited by dialogue coach Brian Peck. The abuse reportedly began when Bell was 15 and lasted over a six month period, leading to Peck being sentenced to 16 months and ordered to register as a sex offender. At the time, it wasn't publicly known that the victim was Bell, with reports instead referring to Peck's charges as lewd acts with a teenager and oral copulation of a person under 16.
Bell's revelation was recently publicized in the four-part Investigation Discovery docuseries, Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which explores on-set toxicity and abuse that allegedly occurred on child shows during the 1990s and 2000s.
“Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward," Nickelodeon said in a statement, per Deadline.
