‘Drake & Josh’ star Josh Peck talks with podcast guest Ms. Pat about becoming a stereotypical child actor, falling into substance abuse at 17, as he celebrates 16 years of sobriety.
Josh Peck wasn’t abusing drugs constantly when he and Drake Bell were starring in their hit Nickelodeon series, Drake & Josh. But by the time the show wrapped, he said he was high all the time.
The “classic cliché child actor,” as he dubbed himself on the latest installment of his Good Guys podcast, joked that he “was on everything but skates,” as covered by Complex.
Peck’s guest Ms. Pat joked that he “broke” her heart. “You mean to tell me all this time my kids was watching your ‘lil chunky ass, you were high?” the comedian added. “We loved you! I got my kids watching a white crackhead.”
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Peck did clarify that it was really only bad during Season 3 and 4 of the show. Drake & Josh premiered in January 2004 and aired its series finale in September 2007, with a wrap-up movie in December 2008.
Ms. Pat then opened up about her own experiences with drugs, saying her “sister’s been on crack since they dropped crack in the Black community.” You can see Ms. Pat’s full interview in the video below (but be careful as it gets NSFW for language).
This isn’t the first time Peck has opened up about his struggles with substance abuse. While talking on Cancelled with Tana Mongeau last year, Peck said that things actually took a turn for the worse after he lost weight when he turned 17, the age he was when he started work on Drake & Josh.
“I lost all this weight but I was like the same head but in a different body. I thought, ‘I’m at the finish line. I did it. Now I just don’t have to worry about anything,'” he said. But that’s not how it worked out at all.
“Quickly, I was still plagued with the same thoughts and things that had plagued me my whole life,” he continued. “Dad issues, you name it.”
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He shared that with his newfound physique, he also felt this compulsion to “catch up” to his peers, which meant partying. He vividly recalled the first time he tried drugs at 17 years old, calling it “the most insidious or corrosive moment of my life.”
“I’m lying in bed that night and I realized what a great time I’d had that night. I felt charming, handsome, and I was having great conversations and talking to girls,” he recalled. “I remember thinking, ‘Why would anyone ever want to feel any other way but this?’ And I took that deep breath I’d been seeking my whole life. Suddenly, I felt free.”
Of course, he was anything but. Thankfully, his descent into abuse only lasted a few years, with Peck saying he committed to sobriety by the time he was 21. And despite a few “close calls” since then, the 37-year-old has stayed true to his commitment.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, get help. The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) National Helpline (1-800-662-4357) provides 24/7, free, confidential support for people in distress.
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