Not long after Devon Werkheiser mocked Drake Bell over the recent sexual assault allegations made in the ID docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, the former Nickelodeon star quickly walked back his inappropriate remarks.
The comments were made during a TikTok Live earlier this week. Werkheiser and his Ned’s Declassified co-stars Lindsey Shaw and Daniel Curtis joked about the four-part docuseries.
“Daniel, we told you never to speak about that,” Werkheiser was heard saying. “Get back in your hole, Daniel, and give me your holes!”
Werkheiser did attempt to redirect the situation by stating, “Sorry, we shouldn’t joke about this. We really shouldn’t. Our set was not like that.”
Devon Werkheiser continued to acknowledge Drake Bell’s situation. “No, it’s f—ing awful. The Drake Bell s—, that’s crazy to hear. That is f—ed. And that never came out, which is really wild. Really wild.”
Drake Bell was not having any of the jokes that Devon Werkheiser and his co-stars made. He quickly spoke out on X (formerly Twitter). “Ned’s Declassless… this is wild,” he tweeted. “Laugh it up guys… laugh it up… ‘Give me your h*les?!!’ Really?!” He also shared a recording of the TikTok live.
Werkheiser publicly issued an apology to Bell about his comments. “So sorry to Drake,” he wrote on X. “Gutted I hurt you.”
He continued to write that he was being an idiot during the TikTok Live. “I feel horrible that my dumba— was even speaking about this without seeing it. I watched Quiet on Set tonight 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.”
Social Media Reacts to Devon Werkheiser’s Apology to Drake Bell
Unfortunately for Devon Werkheiser, social media wasn’t having any of his apology to Drake Bell.
“The whole live was disgusting,” one X user wrote. “You didn’t just hurt and offend people from Nickelodeon who were affected by the abuse, it’s a slap in the fact to anyone who has ever been sexually assaulted.”
Another X user then wrote, “Your behavior on your podcast is a major reason why not only victims don’t come forward but why so few victims speak out about their abuse. You are a grown man cracking jokes about something you shouldn’t be. Do better and be better.”
Others also accused Devon Werkheiser of faking his apology because he didn’t tag Drake Bell in the post. “Couldn’t even tag [Drake Bell] which tells us you’re not sorry at all. At least try to fake your fake apology better.”