Josh Peck has “no idea” how Drake & Josh producers got away with using Oprah Winfrey‘s likeness during the crazy car crash scene because he claims the Nickelodeon show didn’t get “permission.”
The actor, who starred opposite Drake Bell in the mid-2000s sitcom, made a recent appearance on the Syd & Olivia Talk Sh*t podcast, where he opened up about the memorable “Josh Runs Into Oprah” episode in season four.
When asked how the show got away with the scene, which sees Josh’s character (who is known as the biggest Winfrey fan throughout the series) seemingly hit the talk show host, Peck responded, “I don’t know. I know we don’t have her permission. 100 percent we don’t.”
The actor recalled using a “non-sanctioned Oprah double” to film the scene. “She was a stunt lady, because she had to do the roll over the car. I was like, ‘Oprah is going to come after you. She’s powerful,’” he added.
In the episode, stepbrothers Drake Parker (Bell) and Josh Nichols (Peck) try to attend a live taping of Oprah’s show; however, they start fighting over parking once they arrive at the studio, leading Josh to hit the TV host with his car. They later receive a restraining order from the fake talk show host due to the incident.
Peck also noted that if he ever gets to meet Winfrey, he definitely wants to apologize, telling her, “I’m so sorry I brutalized you with my vehicle, with my Honda Accord, or whatever it was.”
Drake & Josh ran from 2004 to 2007 on Nickelodeon.