James Marsden among celebs revealed to have backed Brian Peck in court
James Marsden, Taran Killam, others supported sexual child abuser Brian Peck | Images: Instagram/@james_marsden, @tarzannoz/IMDB
Convicted sex offender Brian Peck had numerous powerful celebrities including James Marsden and other Hollywood executives who stood by him and wrote letters to the judge on his behalf when he was charged with sexual misconduct in 2003.
Following Drake Bell’s recent revelation that he was the victim of Peck’s long-hidden sexual abuse when he was 15 years old, it was also uncovered that around 41 celebrities, executives, family members, and friends supported the former Nickelodeon voice coach and actor before he was sentenced.
The letters sent to the judge were originally sealed before the crew of the newly-released documentary “Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV” petitioned to have them unsealed as part of the narrative to expose the terrors that Nickelodeon child actors faced at the time.
Celebrities’ letters
James Marsden, who’s known for his role as Cyclops in the X-Men film series, said in his letter that the acting coach is “not capable” of doing what was accused of him at the time, reasoning that Peck never made him feel “uncomfortable” ever.
“I’ve known Brian for 14 years and never once did I ever see any sign of him being capable of something like this,” he wrote. “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.”
Taran Killam, a former Nickelodeon child star appearing on “All That” and “The Amanda Show” before he rose to fame for his current work at Saturday Night Live, remarked in his letter that Peck “regretted” his actions and shall not impose them again.
“I have seen the [effects] 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,” he wrote.
Television sitcom “Growing Pains,” actors Joanna Kerns and Alan Thicke also affirmed at the time that the dialogue coach is a “highly professional, nurturing mentor,” and his inappropriate actions might have been only fueled by “temptation.”
“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,” wrote Kerns.
Other celebrities and executives who showed support for Peck include “Boy Meets World” actors Rider Strong and Will Friedle; “American Horror Story” stars Ron Melendez, James Marshall, and Kimmy Robertson, known for their roles in “Twin Peaks”; and “Suite Life” directors Rich and Beth Correll, among others.
Aside from Peck, former Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider is also facing sexual allegations he made towards female child stars Amanda Bynes and Ariana Grande, which were shed light on in the new documentary series as well.
