Brian Peck Court Documents Reveal Shocking Details In His Drake Bell Case

Brian Peck court documents

The unsealed Brian Peck court documents the 41 people who wrote letters of support for the voice actor and dialogue coach. After watching the docu-series, Nickelodeon creator Dan Schneider reflected on those who appeared to side with Peck at court, in a video interview with BooG!E, who played T-Bo on iCarly.

“A lot of them [were] pretty famous. Of course Drake was devastated that that happened. And even more disappointing, 41 of those people wrote letters for Peck’s character, letters praising him for who he was and asking for leniency,” Schneider said. “That was probably the darkest part of my career. And here’s the kicker that I really don’t get. After [Peck] got out of prison and was a registered sex offender, he was hired on a Disney Channel show. I don’t understand that.”

James Marsden’s letter of support

Per TMZ, James Marsden’s letter of support for Brian Peck reads as follows:

“Dear Judge Hoff,

My name is James Marsden and I am very proud to say that I’ve been a close friend of Brian Peck’s for about 14 years now. I am from Oklahoma originally and I met Brian through an actor friend I was visiting one summer while still living in Oklahoma. Brian believed in my talent as an actor and encouraged my decision to move to Los Angeles and pursue this dream I had.

I have been consistently working in Hollywood for all the 14 years I’ve lived here. And I can easily say that Brian is one of the reasons why I have been as successful as I have been in this industry. Brian has a love and passion for this industry unlike I have ever seen. He is also very intelligent and knows the way this business works. I was lucky enough to have been graced with Brian’s guidance, uncommissioned guidance I might add, and support in pursuing an acting career, Brian has helped me work on audition material and has been almost an assistant to me since I began working and never once did I pay him for any of it. He does these things because he enjoys it, and he likes helping people. No agenda. I owe a lot to Brian for his time and energy in being a mentor to me through not only figuring out how to fit into this business but also how to be a better person in life. I don’t mean to dramatize this but I am speaking wholeheartedly about a man who’s heart is pure and no matter what you’re talking about, his intentions are always good. He has such an amazing capacity to care about people. This, I find, is very rare. Especially in Hollywood. Brien genuinely cares about other human beings.

While on jobs, he works with tremendous responsibility and professionalism. Brian is one of those people who if he says he will meet you at 9:00, he is there at 9:00, I don’t care if it’s work or lunch on Saturday. Brian is the one who scolded me when I tried to park in a handicapped spot just to “run in real quick”. He MADE me move my car. I remember we actually got into an argument about it.

He is also one of the few people I would trust with anything. He has my utmost confidence. It was Brian who urged me to write thank you letters, who encouraged me to be thoughtful and give wrap gifts to not only cast members but the crew as well. Keep in mind, none of these suggestions from Brian were about “networking” or for my own self-gain within this career. They were simply about being kind, generous, thoughtful. Brian taught me how simple that could be and how rewarding as well. It was Brian who taught me why I should be interested in what is going on in the world. It angered him to no end when he found out that I had never voted before. Brian is a wonderful, loving, funny human being who has never, EVER, made me feel anything less than lucky to be in his company.

When I first heard the news of Brian’s arrest I couldn’t breathe. I could not believe what was happening. It was unimaginable. I’ve known Brian for 14 years and never once did I ever see any sign of him being capable of something like this. I have lived at his house for months and shared hotel rooms with him and never once did he ever make me feel compromised or uncomfortable in any way. I don’t know what it would take to have something like this occur, but whatever it is, it is extremely out of character for Brian.

I know Brian very well and I know how much he has suffered since August of 2003. Brian is a good person with a very healthy fear and respect for the law and, I assure you, what Brian has been through in the last year is the suffering of a hundred men. I don’t intend to victimize Brian, nor would he ever wish that, but I do feel compelled to shed light on the fact that has learned his lesson. I guarantee you, the earth would fall from the sky before Brian would even think about doing something like this again.

Sincerely, James Marsden” [sic]

Taran Killam’s letter of support

Killam worked on several Nickelodeon shows including All That and The Amanda Show before he appeared on SNL. He wrote in support of Peck at the time:

“To the Honorable Michael Hoff.

I first met Brian Peck four years ago while working together on a television show. We instantly became friends, which seems to a common response to meeting Brian. I have since worked with Brian on several other shows and theatre productions. He is consistently one of the hardest working and most professional people on set.

Over the years, Brian has become one of my dearest friends. I know him quite well on both a professional and personal level. Brian has to be one of the most well-liked people I have ever known. I think this has to do a great deal with his generosity, genuine concern for other’s well being, and especially his honesty. Brian has made a career out of helping others achieve a higher level of success in the entertainment industry. I can think of multiple times where Brian has gone out of his way to call in favors for someone else. Be it setting up a meeting with a manager, calling a casting director to get a friend an audition, or calling producers he knows to help someone get a job. Brian never hesitates to help others and asks nothing for himself.

When I found out about Brian being arrested I was shocked. Brian is the last person. I would expect to be charged of criminal activities. My first thought was, “this is a mistake.” I know many of our mutual friends had similar thoughts. It is too out of character. I have seen the affects this situation has had on Brian and I know for a fact that he regrets any mistakes made and that this is certainly not something that would ever happen again.

Brian is fully aware of his misjudgment and takes full responsibility. But Brian Richard Peck, my co-worker, my friend, is not someone who belongs in jail. I know Brian will do anything and every thing in his power to prove to the Court that he is an upstanding citizen. He has already taken actions of his own accord, such as counseling in an effort to rehabilitate himself.

I am a twenty two year old actor/writer and have been involved in the entertainment business since the age of five. In my seventeen years of experience there have been few people for whom I care for and love as much as I do Brian. There has yet to be a set that I work on, where someone doesn’t know Brian, and also doesn’t think the world of him. He honestly is one of the most well-liked, well respected people in this business.

Please let me know if I may be of any further assistance.

Sincerely

Taran Killam” [sic]

Will Friedle’s letter of support

Will Friedle is best known for his role as Eric Matthews on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World. At the time of Peck’s court appearance, he wrote:

“To the Honorable Michael Hoff:
Re: Brian Peck

My name is Will Friedle and I am writing to you on behalf of my good friend Brian Peck whom I have known on both a professional and social level for the past seven years. And, quite frankly sir, I never in my wildest imagination thought that I would find myself having to defend such an honest and ethical friend, like Brian.

I moved to Los Angeles in early 1993 to co-star on a family sit-com for ABC and was fortunate enough to have met Brian on the set a few years later. The show revolved around a young boy and his family. Needless to say sir, the entire set was full of children and throughout the seasons, I can honestly attest to the fact that at no time, in no way whatsoever, did I EVER witness Brian behaving inappropriately with anyone.

As a matter of fact, Brian was so professional and so good at his job that when the show wrapped after seven seasons, I asked him to join the crew of a new show that I was starring on. When that show failed, I asked Brian to come with me yet again to a new set and so on. I was given the opportunity to witness first hand the type of man Brian was and seldom have I met a person of such moral fiber.

Brian has always shown himself to be a man of integrity and honor. He has always held himself up to the highest standards and in recent visits with him I have never seen him more ashamed of himself or the charges against him. I can only stress and honestly state that Brian must have felt an overwhelming sense pressure and temporary loss of reason. It would be a case of a very good person slipping. There could be no malice in his heart. No attempt at corruption, just a horrible lapse in judgment, the ramifications of which Brian is fully willing to accept.

While I am a lamen when it comes to the law I do understand that it exists for essentially two reasons; punishment and the safety of our society. Sir, I can only emphatically state that, knowing Brian as I do, if he were granted probation, nothing like this would EVER happen again. I can only reiterate how devastated Brian is and how these past events have forever changed him.

If ever there is man who deserves another chance it is Brian Peck. Given the opportunity, I know that he would do everything in his power to show the world his true character. The man that I have come to know and respect.” [sic]

In February 2024, Friedle commented on the situation on their Boy Meets World podcast, Pod Meets World. “In telling me what happened and instantly spinning it to where it wasn’t his fault, it was clearly the fault of his victim, my initial instinct because of the years I’d been [working] with him was, ‘Well yeah, of course, it can’t be you,’” said Friedle.

“[Peck] turned us against the victim to now we’re on his team. That’s the thing where, to me, I look back at that as my shame,” he continued. “When there’s an actual victim involved and I’m now on the abuser’s side, that’s the thing I can’t get over.”

Rider Strong’s letter of support

Rider Strong is best known for starring as Shawn Hunter on the ABC sitcom Boy Meets World. He wrote at the time in support of Brian Peck:

“Dear Judge Hoff,

I first met Brian Peck when he came to work on the ABC situation comedy I had been starring in since I was 13, “Boy Meets World.” Brian joined our crew and instantly brightened up the set with his intelligence, wit, and good humor. Brian and I quickly developed a strong friendship outside of work, and merged our circle of friends.

Brian is undoubtedly one of the funniest people I have ever met. Unlike most funny people, however, Brian does not harbor any desperate or depressed feelings for which his humor compensates. He is intelligent, well informed, and very straightforward. I can engage in political debates with him just as easily as I can share jokes with him or listen to his limitless knowledge of film history. He is an educated and talented actor, director, and dialogue coach.

Brian has always maintained a family-like community of actors, artists, and people from all walks of life. Such a community is rare in this world, but exceptionally rare in the entertainment industry. He gives undying support to his friends, offering his advice and contacts, and helping many a career get started. Personally, he has showed up at every screening, theatrical play, or event of my career, and has given me free coachings for auditions. He is one of the most dependable people I have the pleasure of calling my friend.

Too often, particularly in entertainment, people befriend others for their personal gain or what connections they can make. There is something to be said for the fact that Brian has become very close with my good friends who are not “famous” or even “involved with the industry. It is sad but true that I cannot say the same for many of the other people I have befriended at the workplace.

It was extremely disturbing to learn of Brian’s arrest. Maliciousness is so antithetical to his nature, it is impossible for me to comprehend a situation that would lead him to do something illegal or even inappropriate. I immediately called him and offered whatever support I could. Of course, Brian being Brian, he had already received numerous such calls.

I am convinced that if granted probation, Brian would not disappoint the court. He is an outstanding human being with a great capacity to learn from this difficult experience. He will overcome because I know his true character is an optimistic and strong spirit.

For your information, I have been a professional actor for the last 15 years, more than half of my life. I have produced and starred in numerous films, stage and television projects. I have also taken time off from acting to pursue my education — last month I received a degree in English Literature from Columbia University. I have utilized my position as a famous person to be the best role model I can. I have produced and directed several educational videos which appear in schools throughout California, I have served as the National Ambassador for the Campaign for Tobacco Free Kids, and I give talks regularly: most recently regarding conflict resolution to 5th graders in Harlem, and last week I gave the commencement address at the public high school in my home town.

I am writing this letter because I believe in Brian as a person, not just as a friend. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or need more information.” [sic]

Joanna Kerns’ letter of support

Joanna Kerns is best known for her role as Maggie Seaver on the family situation comedy Growing Pains from 1985 to 1992. In 2004, she wrote a letter of support for Brian Peck:

“To the Honorable Michael Hoff,
I have known Brian Peck for almost eighteen years. He worked as a dialect coach and stand in on our television show, Growing Pains, in which I was one of the stars. We worked together for seven years and have remained dear friends since the show ended in 1992. He has been a guest in my home ou more occasions than I can count and I have been a guest at his.

Brian is both a good person and dear friend. He is gifted at his job. He helped our kids in the cast make it through each week by making it fun for them to learn. This was not easy to do as they had a very difficult work schedule to juggle with schoolwork. They trusted him and he was especially careful with that trust. He is a man of great integrity and I was very grateful that we had someone as kind as Brian to work with our kids on a daily basis. This business can be hard on children and he knew how to help them balance the pressure. In the seven years we worked together there was never a second of doubt about his appropriateness with the children he worked with.

When I heard that Brian was arrested, I was shocked and saddened. While 1 cannot fully comprehend the charges against him, it is not in Brian’s character to do anything unlawful or harmful to another person. I have never known Brian to engage in the type of illegal activity with which he is charged and can only believe that there must have been some extreme situation or temptation exerted upon him to influence his actions. Brian has talked to me about what happened and taken responsibility for his actions. It took courage to talk with me about his transgression and I have no doubt in my mind that he will take whatever steps necessary to make sure that something of this nature never happens again. To say that

Brian is sorry for what he did is an understatement. There are no words to express the pain he feels for the terrible lapse in judgment he made.

I am confident that if the Court grants Brian probation he will not let them down. He is a good man that made a mistake, not a bad man who got caught. Brian, on his own initiative, has spent many hours in counseling and I am sure that this is a much healthier and productive rehabilitation than jail time.
I have been an actress for thirty years although the past five years I have worked almost exclusively as a director.

In those years I have worked with hundreds of people, and I can say without hesitation that Brian is one of the most honest and trustworthy people I have ever met. I would hire him today to work with children and young adults in my projects because I know he is excellent at his job, he cares about the people he works with, and most importantly, he can be trusted.” [sic]