In a chilling turn of events, "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV," a new docuseries has shed light on the abusive underbelly of Nickelodeon in the '90s and early 2000s, including a connection between a former Nickelodeon producer and notorious Chicago serial killer John Wayne Gacy. The series, which premiered on Investigation Discovery, features former child stars and writers from the network spilling details of a toxic and dysfunctional atmosphere, as reported by NBC Chicago. Particularly disturbing were allegations involving Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who used to work with these child stars.
Former "All That" star Kyle Sullivan shared his harrowing experience at Peck's house during a barbecue, where he discovered Peck owned a painting gifted to him by Gacy, known as "Killer Clown." According to Sullivan's recounting of the events, "I remember, at the time, I think it was about two-and-a-half years in, everyone went to Brian's house for a barbecue," Sullivan told Business Insider. "And his house was a little off." Sullivan described a garage converted into a shrine and a clown painting that stood out, which Peck had been excited to claim was from Gacy himself.
Peck, who was later convicted on 11 counts of sexually abusing a minor and served 16 months in prison, revealed to Sullivan that he had been corresponding with Gacy. As Sullivan described in the docuseries that aired on ID and is meant to stream on Max Monday, Peck kept "like, this pile of letters and photos from John Wayne Gacy in his nightstand next to his bed," and showed them off, indicating a failure of group psychology, per NBC Chicago.
More heartbreak surfaced when Drake Bell, a former star of Nickelodeon's "Drake & Josh," broke his silence about being Peck's victim. "I've never talked about this outside of therapy," Bell explained in the series, making a brave disclosure not previously known to the public. In the wake of Bell's revelation, Nickelodeon released a statement expressing dismay and sadness, while commending Bell's courage for coming forward. The statement was relayed by NBC Chicago.
Despite Peck's criminal record, he managed to still find work in the entertainment industry, having worked on the Disney Channel sitcom "The Suite Life of Zack & Cody" after his release. The ties and details surrounding Peck's activities have raised many concerns about the environment child stars are exposed to in the industry. For more insights, viewers can tune into the remaining segments of the documentary on ID and the Max streaming platform.
