“Full House” star Candace Cameron Bure says “Quiet on Set” disturbed her: 'Horrific and disgusting'
“I just felt like the fact that Drake was able to share his story was so brave, but my heart breaks for him," she said on "The View."
Former Full House child star Candace Cameron Bure has voiced support for Nickelodeon actor Drake Bell after the Drake & Josh performer opened up on the docuseries Quiet on Set about being sexually abused as a minor by convicted sex offender and voice coach Brian Peck.
Bure returned to The View — on which she worked as a cohost between 2015-16 — Friday for a wide-ranging interview about her life and career, with current panelist Alyssa Farah Griffin asking the 48-year-old for her opinion on the TV exposé centered on the Nickelodeon network.
"I watched the first few episodes of it. It absolutely tore me apart. It broke my heart," Bure said. "It's so tragic, it's horrific and disgusting."
The actress, who played teenager D.J. Tanner across eight seasons of beloved sitcom Full House, praised Bell for revealing his story on the Investigation Discovery project, calling him "so brave," but reiterating that her "heart breaks for him."
"My heart broke for his parents in trying to protect and not always seeing the signs," she continued. "It’s a weird thing, the industry, growing up as a kid. I didn’t have that experience, I know the other girls from our show didn’t have that experience ... but there are plenty that have. I think it was good, it’s more awareness that we can protect the next generation from that happening."
Bell discussed the abuse for the first time as part of the series, recounting that Peck — with whom he first worked on the set of The Amanda Show, and is now registered as a sex offender — manipulated him into distancing himself from his father-manager at the time. He eventually convinced Bell's mother to allow Bell to stay at Peck's home between auditions, where the abuse repeatedly occurred.
Peck was later convicted of child molestation in 2004, though Bell's identity was not revealed until two decades later.
Nickelodeon reacted to Bell's story in a statement to Entertainment Weekly: “Now that Drake Bell has disclosed his identity as the plaintiff in the 2004 case, we are dismayed and saddened to learn of the trauma he has endured, and we commend and support the strength required to come forward."
The View airs weekdays at 11 a.m. ET on ABC.
If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 to be connected to a certified crisis counselor.
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