Who is Drake Bell? What to know about the former Nickelodeon star's career and allegations

Drake Bell is telling his story.

The former "Drake & Josh" star, 37, has been making headlines after revealing in the documentary series "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV" that he was allegedly sexually assaulted by a former Nickelodeon dialogue coach.

Born Jared Drake Bell, the actor started working in Hollywood at a young age and has numerous credits outside of Nickelodeon, as well as a career in music. "Quiet on Set" was the first time Bell opened up about being the victim of sexual assault after previously being in the news for his own legal issues.

Look back at Bell's career on Nickelodeon and learn more about the former child actor below.

Drake Bell's career, from 'Drake & Josh' to 'The Amanda Show'

Bell began acting when he was 5 years old. His father, who was going through a divorce from Bell's mother at the time, "was looking for something to do with his son," the actor described in the Investigation Discovery docuseries "Quiet on Set." Bell's dad began taking him to auditions, and his first major television role was in an episode of "Home Improvement" in 1994.

During the following years, Bell continued to make one-off appearances in episodes of shows like "Seinfeld" and "The Drew Carey Show." In the 1996 film "Jerry Maguire," he played a child who memorably cursed out Tom Cruise's character and gave him a middle finger.

Why 'Quiet on Set' documentary on Nickelodeon scandal exposes the high price of kids TV

But Bell's big break came when he was cast as a performer on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy "The Amanda Show," where he appeared in numerous sketches opposite star Amanda Bynes.

Bell's appearances with Josh Peck on "The Amanda Show" led Nickelodeon to cast the two as stepbrothers in their own show, the sitcom "Drake & Josh," which aired from 2004 to 2007. In addition to "Drake & Josh," Bell has appeared in numerous other Nickelodeon shows, including:

• "Rugrats"

• "Zoey 101"

• "iCarly"

• "Victorious"

• "The Adventures of Kid Danger"

He additionally played Timmy Turner in several live-action, made-for-TV films based on "The Fairly OddParents."

Bell has also starred in several comedy films, including 2005's "Yours, Mine & Ours" and 2008's "Superhero Movie" and "College." Beginning in 2012, he voiced Peter Parker in the animated series "Ultimate Spider-Man." His more recent acting credits include voice roles in "Robot Chicken" and the video game "Kingdom Hearts III."

Does Drake Bell have children?

Bell shares one child, a son, with his estranged wife, Janet Von Schmeling. Schmeling filed for divorce from Bell in 2023 after they married in 2018, according to People.

What are Drake Bell's accusations against Brian Peck?

In the Investigation Discovery documentary series "Quiet on Set," Bell came forward to allege former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck sexually assaulted him when he was 15.

Bell described meeting Peck when he came in as a dialogue coach on Season 2 of "The Amanda Show" and spending more and more time with him after Peck allegedly drove a wedge between him and his father. Bell alleged Peck's sexual abuse was "extensive" and "brutal," and he recalled waking up on a couch to find Peck sexually assaulting him.

Drake Bell alleges 'extensive,' 'brutal' sexual abuse by Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck

Bell said he ultimately told his mother about the abuse and participated in a police investigation, leading Peck to be arrested in 2003 and charged with child sexual abuse. Although Peck's case has been public knowledge for years, it wasn't previously known that Bell was the alleged victim.

Drake Bell says 2005 song was about sexual abuse he endured

Outside of acting, Bell has released several albums and performed the theme song for "Drake & Josh."

After "Quiet on Set" aired, Bell shared on TikTok that he wrote his song "In the End," from his 2005 album "Telegraph," about the alleged abuse. "Wrote this song when I was 15 about what happened before I said anything to anyone," he said.

What has Drake Bell been accused of?

In 2016, Bell was sentenced to four days in jail after he pleaded no contest to driving under the influence, according to the Los Angeles Times. He was also previously convicted of DUI in 2010.

In 2020, Bell's ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him of verbal and physical abuse in a TikTok video. He denied the allegations, telling People at the time he "never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video."

In 2021, Bell pleaded guilty to attempted child endangerment and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, according to the Associated Press. The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office alleged Bell sent "inappropriate social media messages" to a 15-year-old and "created a risk of harm to the victim" when she attended his concert in 2017, per NBC News.

In a statement delivered in court during his sentencing in 2021, Bell's alleged victim accused him of grooming her beginning when she was 12 years old and of sexually assaulting her. Bell was not charged with sexual assault and denied these allegations.

Drake Bell speaks out against child endangerment conviction: 'I owe you an explanation'

In a 2021 Instagram video, Bell said he "made mistakes" by responding to "a fan whose age I didn't know," and he admitted to sending "reckless and irresponsible text messages." But he maintained that when he "became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped." He also denied sending "sexual images" and said that nothing "physical" ever happened. Bell was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

In April 2023, the Daytona Beach Police Department said that Bell was "considered missing and endangered." They later said law enforcement officials were in contact with Bell and that he was safe.

In "Quiet on Set," Bell described experiencing a "slow decline" in his mental health and sobriety and said he was "absolutely destroyed" by "misinformation" that was spread about his child endangerment case. "I started to spin out of control," he said. "If I had continued down that path, that could very likely be the end of my story."

Bell also said he was devastated when he filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and lost his house.

Are Drake Bell and Josh Peck still friends?

Ever since "Drake & Josh" ended, fans have been curious about Bell's current relationship with his former co-star Josh Peck (no relation to Brian Peck).

In 2017, Bell tweeted that "ties are officially cut" between him and Peck after he was not invited to his former co-star's wedding. "I'll miss you brotha," he wrote. The two later reunited at the MTV Video Music Awards, and Peck shared a photo of them hugging. In 2022, Peck said on the "BFFs" podcast that he didn't invite Bell to his wedding because they're "not really" friends and hadn't stayed in touch after "Drake & Josh" ended.

After "Quiet on Set" aired, Peck faced some heat from fans who called on him to speak out in support of Bell. Bell quickly chimed in to say that Peck had privately reached out to him and that fans should "take it a little easy on him." In a statement on Instagram, Peck expressed support "for the survivors who were brave enough to share their stories of emotional and physical abuse on Nickelodeon sets with the world."

How to watch 'Quiet on Set'

A fifth episode of "Quiet on Set" titled "Breaking the Silence," which will again feature Bell, is set to air on Investigation Discovery on April 7. The first four episodes are now streaming on Max.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Who is Drake Bell? Brian Peck allegations made by Nickelodeon star