Former Nickelodeon Star's Drake Bell Apology Backfires

Devon Werkheiser is facing further backlash following his apology to former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell.

The actor came under fire on social media earlier this week, after making jokes about Bell's confession in All Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

Released on Sunday, the Investigation Discovery docuseries focuses on Dan Schneider—the creator behind several beloved 1990s and 2000s' TV shows—and claimed to show the disturbing truth behind some of Nickelodeon's most biggest hits.

Directors gathered together former child stars Drake Bell, Giovonnie Samuels, Kyle Sullivan and others who appeared in Schneider's projects between 1994 and 2018, such as All That, Zoey 101, Victorious and iCarly.

Nickelodeon ended its association with Schneider in 2018, after an investigation revealed the director had been verbally abusive to employees.

Schneider has since been accused of abuse and inappropriate behavior on set during his time with the children's channel, including "hyper-sexual practices"—such as revealing clothes for and suggestive scenes for teen actresses—sexism, racism and creating a hostile work environment.

Bell, who starred in The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh, detailed the abuse he experienced on set from his dialogue coach Brian Peck.

Peck was sentenced to 16 months in prison in 2004, after pleading guilty to oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old. However, Bell was not publicly identified as the victim at the time.

Werkheiser, along with his Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide co-stars and Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee, appeared in a TikTok live on Tuesday, in which they appeared to mock Bell's revelations.

"Daniel, we told you to never speak about that," Werkheiser yells to Lee off-camera, feigning anger.

"Get back in your hole, Daniel, and give me your holes," he continues, while laughter can be heard in the background.

"Sorry, we shouldn't joke about this. We really shouldn't," he adds, still giggling, before a chuckling Lee chimes in with "This is awful, we shouldn't be doing this."

Werkheiser claimed that the set of Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide "wasn't like that."

"It's f****** awful. The Drake Bell s*** is crazy to hear," he continued. "That is f***** man. That never came out, which is really wild, really wild."

Replying to a viewer's comment asking if "y'all were in on it?" Werkheiser said: "I'm not talking about this anymore. I'm not talking about this anymore.

"We can't joke like this, Jesus. Guys, we're—sometimes humor helps us move through things, you know."

Newsweek reached out to representatives for Werkhesier, Shaw, Bell and Nickelodeon for comment.

After the clip went viral, Werkheiser received significant backlash for his remarks. Bell reposted a recording of the TikTok Live to X, formerly Twitter, writing: "Laugh it up guys...laugh it up...'Give me your h*les?!!' Really?!"

In a statement sent by email on behalf of himself and his fellow Ned's Declassified Podcast Survival Guide podcast hosts, Lee told Newsweek: "We love Drake Bell and we stand in solidarity with Drake and all other people, especially minors who have been violated and are victims of sex crimes."

The 33-year-old apologized to Bell on Wednesday, saying he's "gutted" to have upset the actor.

"I was being an idiot today. No way around it," he wrote on X.

"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 about what my fellow actors went through. I can't believe they weren't protected. I'm sorry for compounding any hurt."

Since being shared, Werkheiser's post has received 1.3 million views. However, the statement caused further uproar.

"You're a 33 year old man laughing at another man's childhood sexual abuse. You're disgusting," commented Tortoise.

"You didn't just hurt and offend people from Nickelodeon who were affected by the abuse, it's a slap in the face to anyone who has ever been sexually assaulted," said Tori.

"Your behavior on your podcast is a major reason why not only victims don't come forward but why so few me victims speak out about their abuse," wrote Tee.

"You aren't sorry, you're just trying to save your lame ass career," commented Andrea Quinn, while @92camrellin said: "You're only sorry you got caught."

However, other users defended Werkheiser, with Mathew V. Liberto writing: "Everybody makes mistakes."

"At least you took time to learn about all of this rather than just avoid and pretend nothing happened," he said.

"Bro acknowledged his wrongful actions, expressed his regret and sincerely apologized, yet it's still not enough for any of y'all," agreed Erik Shaw. "This is the problem with the world today. Everyone is so full of spite they refuse to forgive."

Update 03/21/24, 12:16 p.m. ET: This article has been updated to include comment from Daniel Curtis Lee.