Drake Bell and Josh Peck Reveal the Last Time They Spoke to Amanda Bynes, Compare Her 2000s Fame to ‘Rachel on Friends’

Bell admits that he was surprised Bynes responded when he reached out in 2017

Drake Bell and Josh Peck are continuing to open up about their past, plus their relationship with costar Amanda Bynes, whom they both met on The Amanda Show as teens.

The two-part episode of Peck’s Good Guys podcast, which concluded March 27, marked the first time the actors have reunited since the 2024 Quiet on Set documentary premiered; in the documentary, Bell shared publicly for the first time that he had been abused by Brian Peck (no relation to Josh), who had worked with him as a dialogue coach on The Amanda Show.

Bell, Peck and Bynes, all 38, all worked on The Amanda Show, with Bynes and Bell starting in 1999 and Peck joining in 2000. On the podcast, Bell and Peck both took time to remark on Bynes’ talent, and how their relationships with her have changed.

Good Guys co-host Ben Soffer noted that the major absence from the Quiet on Set documentary was Bynes, and asked where that relationship stood. 

“When was the last time you were in touch? Are you in touch with her at all? Have you been in touch with her over the last 20 years?” he asked them.

Bell shared that this was information he’d already told Peck, but that he reached out to Bynes about eight years ago when he saw some headlines about her ups and downs.  

“I randomly talked to her, like, it was 2017, maybe. It’s around that time. I randomly messaged her. She was in the news or something, and I was just thinking about her. And I was like, ‘Oh, I’m just gonna message her. She’ll never see it. She’ll never respond,’ ” Bell shared. 

To his surprise, Bynes responded to Bell’s message, and they briefly reconnected, sharing messages back and forth. However, since that exchange, Bell confessed they haven’t communicated.

“Other than being on the show, and, you know, she was an idol to me. I mean, I grew up on All That. One of the most talented people on the label,” Bell said. “When I got to audition for The Amanda Show, she may as well have been Rachel on Friends. She was the biggest thing on the planet to me.”

Peck said that he’s bumped into her a few times. “I see her, like, every two to three years, we’ll run into each other, and she’s just the greatest.” 

“She was great then, she remains great, and such a good person,” he continued. “Obviously has had some public struggles, but I just think she’s got one of the great hearts and great skills, great talents of anyone there is.” 

“All I’ve ever experienced with Amanda was just like this dynamite force of nature when it comes to talent,” he added. “Watching her was like watching Carol Burnett, was like watching Tracey Ullman.”

The Amanda Show ran for three seasons, from 1999 to 2002. Drake & Josh ultimately ran for four seasons, from 2004 to 2007.

In 2004, Brian Peck pleaded no contest to a charge of oral copulation with a minor under 16 and performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old in connection with the case. He was sentenced to 16 months in prison and was mandated to register as a sex offender. After serving his sentence, he was released from prison in 2005.

If you or someone you know has been sexually assaulted, please contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-HOPE (4673) or go to rainn.org.