“Ned’s Declassified School Survival Guide” star Devon Werkheiser spoke at length on Friday to Investigation Discovery’s “Quiet on Set” and Drake Bell’s response to him appearing to laugh off the allegations therein.
“I felt like a piece of s–t,” Werkheiser said, speaking on his podcast with costars Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis Lee, “Ned’s Declassified Podcast Survival Guide.” “Like, I know it looks like I’m laughing at this, and I f–king wasn’t. But I know what it looks like. And that Drake saw it. I just felt so f–king awful knowing Drake saw that.”
On Monday, Bell retweeted a clip of a TikTok video between the three “Declassified” stars discussing “Quiet on Set” where, through fits of laughter, Werkheiser exclaimed “our set was not like that” and that the “Drake Bell s–t is crazy to hear.”
“Oh god, I’m not talking about this anymore,” Werkheiser said, reading jokey comments off the livestream. “Guys, we can’t joke like this, Jesus. Sometimes humor helps us move through things, you know?”
In his response, Bell wrote, “Ned’s Declassless … this is wild … laugh it up guys … laugh it up.”
Ned’s Declassless…this is wild…laugh it up guys…laugh it up…”Give me your h*les?!!” Really?! https://t.co/pD2ZYdd2gG
— DrakeBell.ethᵍᵐ (@DrakeBell) March 19, 2024
“Quiet on Set,” the four-part, deep-dive exposé that premiered Sunday, details the culture of abuse of workplace toxicity instituted by once-beloved Nickelodeon writer and producer Dan Schneider. Part of the docuseries centered on Bell, who was sexually assaulted as a minor by another Nickelodeon employee, production assistant and dialogue coach Brian Peck.
The days since have seen more former Schneider employees coming out against the producer and the culture he fostered at the children’s entertainment network. Schneider himself also directly responded to the series’ fallout, where he discussed his relationships with Bell, Amanda Bynes and others.
In Friday’s “Ned’s Declassified” podcast, Werkheiser remembered an early-career interaction with Bell and expressed his own anger over Peck’s abuses.
“[Bell] came to our pilot wrap party, and I remember him kind of big-bro-ing me, like, in a cool way, putting me under his shoulder, like, welcome to the network and stuff,” Werkheiser said. “[The Peck trial] was at that time. I don’t know how to process most of this.”
That’s when he addressed the TikTok clip, which he said was taken out of context.
“I have to say, yeah, when I saw our little f–king TikTok clip and that Drake had retweeted it, I was just watching his interview and someone sent me that he had retweeted it, and then I saw the clip, and, like, I just, I put out a f–king apology immediately,” he said. “I felt like a piece of s–t. I felt like a piece of s–t. Like, I know it looks like I’m laughing at this, and I f–king wasn’t. But I know what it looks like. And that Drake saw it. I just felt so f–king awful knowing Drake saw that in that context.”
On Tuesday, Werkheiser issued an initial apology for the viral video on social media, posting to X, “So sorry to Drake. Gutted I hurt you.”
“I was being an idiot today. No way around it. I feel horrible that my dumbass was even speaking about this without seeing it,” he continued. “I watched ‘Quiet on Set’ 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.”
