Brian Peck

Brian Richard Peck^[a] (born July 29, 1960) is an American convicted sex offender and former dialogue coach and actor. From the late 1990s to the mid-2000s, he worked on popular children's shows produced by Nickelodeon and Disney Channel, including The Amanda Show (1999–2002), All That (2000–2002) and The Suite Life of Zack & Cody (2005–2008). In 2004, Peck was convicted of sexually assaulting Drake Bell in 2001, when Bell was 15 years old.

As an actor, Peck is best known for his role as Scuz in The Return of the Living Dead^[4][5][6] as well as Pickle Boy on All That,^[7] the latter of which employed him as a dialogue coach.^[8] Peck also appeared on Boy Meets World,^[9] Good Burger, Growing Pains^[10] and The Amanda Show. He also directed comedy horror anthology film The Willies (1990).^[11] He was a body double for Kirk Cameron on Growing Pains.^[10][12]

After his release from prison, he was hired in 2005 to work on the Disney Channel teen sitcom The Suite Life of Zack & Cody. His crimes were overlooked in part due to character letters supporting him written by Richard and Beth Correll, directors of the show.^[13] He did voiceover work for three episodes but was later fired after Disney Channel executives learned of his conviction, and his voice lines and on-screen credits were replaced.^[1][14][15]

In 2012, Peck was a stand-in for Charlie Sheen on the FX sitcom Anger Management.^[16]

On August 19, 2003, Peck was arrested in California and charged with 11 counts of sexual misconduct with a minor and was held on a $400,000 bond.^[17][18] The charges included:

• Oral copulation by Anesthesia or Controlled Substance (PC 288a(i))
• Lewd Act upon a Child 14 or 15 by a Person 10 years older (PC 288(c)(1))
• Sodomy of a Person Under 16 (PC 288(b)(2))
• Attempt to commit Sodomy of a Person under 16 by a Person over 21 (PC 664-286(b)(2))
• Forcible Penetration with a Foreign Object (PC 289(i))
• 4 counts of Oral Copulation with a minor under 16 (PC 288a(b)(2))
• Harmful Matter sent: Seduction of a Minor (PC 288.2(a))
• Using Minor for Sex Acts (PC 311.4(c))^[19][20]

Peck entered a plea deal in May 2004^[21] and pleaded no contest to "lewd acts upon a child 14 or 15 years of age" and "oral copulation with a minor under 16 years of age", referred to in the California Penal Code as 288(c)(1) and 288a(b)(2).^[22] Following his arrest and plea, over 40 high-profile professionals from the film and television industry submitted letters of support for Peck. These individuals included James Marsden, Kimmy Robertson, Taran Killam, Alan Thicke, Joanna Kerns, Rider Strong, Will Friedle, Ron Melendez (American Horror Story), Rich and Beth Correll, and Tom DeSanto.^{[23][24][25][26]}

At the sentencing hearing on October 18, 2004, the court heard in-person statements regarding the abuse, which court records show occurred over a four-month period in 2001 and 2002 when the victim was 15 years old. The underage male victim, later identified as Drake Bell, testified about the severe nature of the offenses, stating that he did not "think anyone [...] could have ever possibly imagined" them. His mother, Robin Dodson, and his stepfather stated that Peck had manipulated them and exploited their trust under the guise of supporting their son's career, while systematically isolating the teenager from his family. Deputy District Attorney Andrea C. Thompson countered industry letters submitted in support of the defendant, emphasizing "the psychological and emotional damage the defendant has likely done is immense, long-standing". Speaking on his own behalf, Peck expressed remorse, and described the victim as "extremely talented" professional whom he had considered an "equal".^[27] Peck was sentenced to 16 months in state prison, which he served from 2004 to 2005, and was ordered to register as a sex offender for the rest of his life.^[1][15]

Peck's abusive conduct was discussed anonymously in the 2014 documentary An Open Secret, though the victim was not identified at the time.^[28][29] In March 2024, Investigation Discovery released Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, a docuseries addressing child sexual abuse in the entertainment industry. Bell appeared in the third episode, publicly revealing that he was the victim of Peck's sexual and psychological abuse during his time on The Amanda Show and Drake & Josh.^[a] Following the docuseries release, several individuals who had written support letters for Peck in 2004 publicly apologized, including the Corrells, Strong, Friedle, Kerns, and DeSanto.^[30][31][32]

Peck studied theater at the University of Southern California.^[33] He is openly gay.^[14][34][35] He lives in Los Angeles, California, as of 2025, and has not worked in the entertainment industry since 2019.^[36]

Kyle Sullivan, who performed with Peck in the Nickelodeon show All That, recounted in Quiet on Set that Peck had correspondence with the serial killer John Wayne Gacy. Sullivan, who visited Peck's residence at the age of 14, recalled observing a significant volume of written communication exchanged between Peck and Gacy. Sullivan asserts that Gacy, who pursued painting while on death row, purportedly sent Peck an autographed painting of a clown, which Peck reportedly displayed in his residence at the time.^[37]

• Brian Peck at IMDb