Drake Bell has weathered a number of arrests, abuse allegations and extra since his introduction into the highlight as a toddler star.
Bell rose to stardom after scoring a number of TV roles when he was youthful. He made a reputation for himself following his time at Nickelodeon, which included hit tasks equivalent to All That, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, iCarly, Victorious and the Pretty Odd Dad and mom movie trilogy.
The musician continued to lend his voice through the years to varied animated exhibits and video video games. Bell additionally appeared in lots of movies together with L.A. Slasher, American Devil and Cowl Variations.
In August 2020, Bell’s private life made headlines when his ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him of abuse.
“First off I’d like to start out out by saying I don’t actually care if anybody believes me, as that is my story and my life and one thing that I went by way of. It wasn’t till lately that I really realized that abuse isn’t one thing that every one ladies must undergo,” she stated in a sequence of TikTok movies.
Within the prolonged social media uploads, Lingafelt recalled courting Bell from 2006 to 2009. (She stated she was 16 and Bell was 20 once they started their romantic relationship.)
“I used to be homeschooled, I moved in with him, I used to be singing,” she continued. “It wasn’t till a few 12 months [into the relationship] when the verbal abuse began. And once I say verbal abuse, think about the worst sort of verbal abuse you could possibly ever think about, and that was what I acquired. It then changed into bodily — hitting, throwing, the whole lot. On the pinnacle of it, he drug [sic] me down the steps of our home in Los Feliz, [California]. My face hit each step on the best way down. I’ve pictures of this.”
The Splash contestant denied Lingafelt’s allegations, telling Selection that very same month, “I by no means abused my ex-girlfriend or did so most of the different issues Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video. As our relationship ended — greater than a decade in the past — we, sadly, each known as one another horrible names, as typically occurs when {couples} are breaking apart. However that’s it.”
He continued, “Clearly, Melissa nonetheless felt shut sufficient to me simply final 12 months that she was comfy reaching out to ask me to supply her with monetary help throughout a tricky time (which I did). I have no idea if right this moment’s conduct is a few type of misguided quest for more cash or consideration. However I can not and won’t permit these offensive and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I’m reviewing my authorized choices.”
Bell later pleaded responsible to 2 felony counts of tried youngster endangerment fees and disseminating matter dangerous to juveniles. In June 2021, the Sam & Cat alum was charged and he initially pleaded not responsible. He modified his plea to responsible for an alleged incident that occurred in December 2017 in Cleveland, Ohio, the place he had a efficiency.
“Bell violated his responsibility of care and, in doing so, created a threat of hurt to the sufferer,” Tyler Sinclair, spokesman for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Workplace, stated in a press release on the pretrial listening to. “The investigation additionally revealed that months main as much as the live performance, Bell despatched the sufferer inappropriate social media messages.”
The California native was sentenced to 2 years of probation one month later. “I simply need to say right this moment that I settle for this declare as a result of my conduct was unsuitable,” he stated on the time. “I’m sorry that the sufferer was harmed in any method, however that was clearly not my intention. I take this matter very significantly, and once more I simply need to apologize to her and anybody else who might have been affected by my actions.”
Us Weekly confirmed that Bell was ordered to 200 hours of neighborhood service along with probation. He can’t have any contact together with his sufferer and he in the end didn’t must register as a intercourse offender.
Amid his authorized points, Bell revealed that he beforehand married Janet Von Schmeling after 5 years of courting and that they secretly welcomed a toddler in 2021. Bell and Schmeling in the end parted methods in 2023 earlier than he was reported lacking.
In April 2023, the Daytona Seashore Police Division confirmed they had been looking for the “endangered” actor.
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Scroll by way of the gallery under to revisit Bell’s ups and downs by way of the years.
