Drake Bell‘s time on The Masked Singer was relatively short-lived, but the former child star said it was still a “freeing” experience after the “roller coaster” of a year he’s had since revealing he was sexually abused by a Nickelodeon employee when he was a teenager.
Bell, who spoke about his abuse in the bombshell ID documentary series Quiet on Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV earlier this year, has since returned to touring and recently competed on The Masked Singer, where he was unmasked as the Ice King.
Bell spoke highly about appearing on the hit show, saying it was a “really freeing experience” to perform in costume, per People.
“It was the first time that I’d shared some really personal and traumatic experiences and some unfortunate events that I had endured in my past as a young actor,” he told the outlet. “But being able to work through those things and come out on the other side and still be able to get up and perform — I’m on tour right now — is a great experience.”
He added, “It’s a roller coaster. I don’t want anybody to take away like, ‘Oh, it’s so easy. Just get back up and dust yourself off and you’ll be fine.’ It’ll always be in your past. It’s something that stays with you for the rest of your life.”
Before he was ultimately disqualified from the series on the Nov. 20 episode, the Ice King teased his secret identity by speaking rather candidly about the “firestorm of press” he experienced this year.
“I finally felt ready to tell my truth to the world, and so I did. And then instantly regretted it,” he said, per E! News. “I imagined my words all over the news and internet and totally freaked. I begged them to pull my story. I didn’t want it to run, but that power was out of my reach.”
“The night it was released, I was a total disaster. Frozen,” he continued. “But once I saw how many people could relate, I felt the weight lift off my shoulders. My story is out there.”
The former child actor said, “I’ve worked hard to put that chapter behind me, which is what I wanted most.”
The Masked Singer host Nick Cannon, who also came up as a young actor on Nickelodeon, voiced his support for Bell after he was unmasked. He said, “Nickelodeon family right here. We are just truly supportive of that journey, man.”
Bell came forward for the very first time about the “traumatic” experience working with Nickelodeon in Quiet on Set. In the series, Bell detailed his accusations against Brian Peck, a dialogue coach who worked on All That and The Amanda Show who was sentenced to 16 months in prison after he pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a minor and to oral copulation with a minor in 2004; he was additionally ordered to register as a sex offender.
Bell himself made headlines in 2021 after being convicted of child endangerment following an alleged relationship he had with an underage fan.
The Masked Singer airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on Fox.
If you or someone you know needs to reach out about sexual abuse or assault, RAINN is available 24/7 at 800-656-HOPE (4673), or online at RAINN.org.