Drake and Josh Find the Bright Side of Their Nickelodeon Past

In the wake of Drake Bell’s revelations about abuse during his time on The Amanda Show, many millennials have felt conflicted about their favorite Nickelodeon shows of the era. But when Drake and his former co-star Josh Peck reunited on Good Guys, they made it clear that despite the darkness, their time on screen together gave them plenty to be grateful for. 

That “iconic” theme song

When Good Guys co-host Ben Soffer asked Drake how it felt to have written an iconic TV theme song, he had the perfect reply. “It’s freaking rad. It’s such a trip,” he says. ”I travel all over the world and I play that song, and it’s an audience of 20,000 people who don’t speak English, but they’re singing every single lyric.”

Drake and Josh were both huge fans of classic TV when they were young, so having created something that’s now part of the “iconic theme song” canon feels like a huge accomplishment. “The theme song wouldn’t be the theme song if we didn’t have the show,” says Drake.

They’re hilariously big in Mexico

One of the best surprises that Drake found when he started touring with his band was that in Mexico, Drake & Josh wasn’t really considered “kid’s TV.” 

“We were on normal TV,” he says, “so everyone watched us. The teenagers watched us, the kids at college watched us, the parents, families at home. It was more like a Friends or a Seinfeld.” 

The popularity of the show south of the border is such that at the national chain VIPs, which Drake describes as “Mexican IHOP,” they’re a part of the scenery. “The children’s menu is us, bro,” says Drake. 

And that’s not all. “When you buy Doritos, you buy whatever, and you open ’em up, the little prizes inside? It’s us!” Though Josh and Drake joke that they never got residuals from this merch, they’re mostly touched by the love for the show. “The impact that the show has had, and still has, on a young generation, and on a younger generation, is amazing,” says Drake.

What about Amanda Bynes?

Drake and Josh say that they are still sporadically in touch with Amanda Bynes, who has stepped out of the entertainment industry and seems to be in a healthier place since. 

“When I got to audition for The Amanda Show,” says Drake, “She may as well have been Rachel on Friends. She was the biggest thing on the planet to me.”

Josh agreed, adding, “I see her like every two to three years. We’ll run into each other and, yeah. She’s just the greatest. She was great then, she remains such a good person. I just think she’s got one of the great hearts and great talents of anyone there is.”

A friendship—however complicated—that stands the test of time

Although their relationship has had its ups and downs over the years, the two co-stars are genuinely happy to be back in each other’s lives. “I feel like you’re the best I’ve ever seen you,” says Josh to Drake. “I’m just extremely excited about, you know, what you have next, and all the great things you’re doing.” 

Listen to both parts of Drake and Josh’s interview on Good Guys.