Drake Bell defends his mom after 'Quiet on Set' viewers blame her for allowing acting coach Brian Peck to get close to him

• Drake Bell was sexually abused by acting and dialogue coach Brian Peck as a teenager while working at Nickelodeon.
• The abuse happened after Peck caused a rift between Bell and his dad, leading to Bell's mom becoming his manager.

Drake Bell is coming to his mom Robin Dodson's defense after "Quiet on Set" viewers criticized her for allowing acting and dialogue coach Brian Peck to get close to her son.

"My mom and I have an incredible relationship," Bell said during an interview with journalist Soledad O'Brien for a bonus fifth episode of Investigation Discovery's docuseries "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," released on Sunday night.

"I do feel there's a lot of people after the doc going after my mom a bit," Bell continued. "But if you were in that situation at that time, Brian was so good at what he was doing. He was so calculated. He knew exactly what to say, how to say it, what to do, the image to portray, everything. I completely understand how he just pulled the wool over everyone's eyes. It's tragic."

In 'Quiet on Set,' Drake and his father Joe Bell recalled Brian Peck causing rifts in their family so he could get closer to the actor

Bell began acting at age 5, as his parents, Dodson and Joe Bell, were going through a divorce. Bell's big break came when he landed a job as a cast member on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series "The Amanda Show," which starred Amanda Bynes. He met Peck during season two of the show.

As the doc outlines, Bell's father said he noticed Peck hanging around his son too much and being touchy-feely while working with him as his acting coach. When he voiced his discomfort to people on set, he said he was brushed off and "ostracized."

"I think Brian got a sense that my dad was on the watch and so he started to really drive a wedge between my dad and me," Bell said, explaining that Peck accused his father of stealing the actor's money and claimed that he was an impediment to Bell's career.

"My mom and my dad had a very tumultuous relationship," Bell said. "They did not get along and I think Brian saw that."

After Bell decided that he didn't want his dad to be his manager anymore, Joe Bell reluctantly agreed and turned over ownership of the bank account and other important paperwork to Dodson to manage their son's career.

"But I did say to her, and I said this to her in person, I said, 'But you never, ever leave Drake alone with Brian Peck and you never let him be around him unsupervised, period, whatsoever. And Brian just absolutely tricked her," Joe Bell recalled.

Peck convinced Dodson that he was helpful to Bell's career

In the docuseries, Bell said that Peck inserted himself into a parental role in his life during a chunk of free time between "The Amanda Show" and "Drake & Josh."

In addition to going to Disneyland with Bell, the acting coach also transported him to and from auditions in LA because his mom didn't like driving. Bell said that because he lived in Orange County, he stayed overnight at Peck's home after auditions.

Bell revealed in "Quiet on Set" that when he was 15 years old, he was sexually assaulted by Peck while sleeping on the dialogue coach's couch. Bell said Peck claimed it wouldn't happen again, but the sexual abuse continued.

"He figured out how to convince my mom and everyone around to, anytime I would have an audition or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian's house," Bell said, adding that he the abuse was "extensive" and he felt "trapped."

Bell said that he kept his sexual abuse a secret in the hopes that it would eventually stop. His then-girlfriend's mom quickly picked up on the inappropriate dynamic and tried to get Bell to open up during therapy, but the actor was unable to discuss his experience.

Eventually, he "exploded" during a phone call with his mom and confided in her about everything that happened. Dodson immediately called the police and an investigation began.

Bell filed his case as a John Doe to remain anonymous. Peck, then 43 years old, was arrested in August 2003 on 11 charges of child sexual abuse, related to a child actor. Per the doc, Peck pleaded no contest to two charges of child sexual abuse. In October 2004, he was sentenced to 16 months in jail and ordered to register as a sex offender.

Bell said that he now has good relationships with his parents

Bell's parents are still divorced, but the actor maintains close relationships with both of them.

However, fans who watched "Quiet on Set" blamed Dodson for what happened to Bell, accusing her of being negligent. Some said that Dodson "failed" her son and others accused her of purposely turning a blind eye.

In addition to defending his mom, Bell said that he and his dad have "a fantastic relationship,"

"And I'm so grateful for that because, like it shows in the doc, we went through many years of separation and it was really hard on both of us," Bell said. "And right now we have an amazing, amazing relationship."