The dark truth about Drake Bell’s downfall: As Nickelodeon star exposes ‘brutal, unspeakable’ abuse in shocking documentary Quiet on Set, inside the sordid scandals that blew apart his once-bright career

When Drake Bell first burst onto screens as a Nickelodeon’s newest child star, he had all the makings of a Hollywood leading man: charm, quick wit, and a dazzling smile that quickly earned him a legion of young admirers.

At first, it seemed as though the actor was set to achieve the impossible by skirting the curse of the doomed Hollywood child actor and making a smooth transition into larger, more serious roles.

But within a few years of Drake & Josh’s finale in 2007, a crack began to show in the actor’s once-innocent image as he desperately struggled to tread the murky waters of the film and TV industry – both professionally and personally. 

The first hammer blow to his reputation came within 10 years of his exit from Nickelodeon, when it was revealed that Drake, now 37, had filed for bankruptcy after racking up more than $1.5 million in debt.

His financial woes marked the beginning of a downward spiral for the star – that saw face numerous run-ins with the law, public feuds with his fellow stars, bizarre and erratic behavior, and social media outburst.

In the years following his Nick days, he was arrested twice for drinking under the influence, accused of physical and verbal abuse by two of his ex-girlfriends, and charged for sending ‘inappropriate’ messages to a 15-year-old girl when he was 31.

The actor was also put in the hot seat last year when police issued a frantic message asking for people to contact them if they knew anything about his whereabouts after declaring him ‘missing.’

It was said at the time that he had threatened to hurt himself in a series of worrisome messages that he sent to his family, but he was thankfully found safe soon after.

He has been blighted by scandal after scandal over the years, with his controversies and legal problems now completely overshadowing what once looked like a very bright future. 

The latest in a long list of horrific blows to plague Drake’s once-soaring career was his admission that he was sexually abused by a vocal instructor named Brian Peck at age 15.

The actor laid bare the ‘unspeakable’ and ‘brutal’ trauma that he endured at the hands of the Nickelodeon dialogue coach as part of an explosive new ID docuseries called Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV.

The shocking revelation only adds to Drake’s tragic story. But the former Nickelodeon star has not given up – and despite his many controversies, he has continued to try to reignite his career. 

As the Drake & Josh alum opens up about the horrific trauma that he endured as a child star, FEMAIL has recapped his wild journey from start to finish – from his early days as a wide-eyed kid actor who was being abused behind the scenes to the downward spiral that ensued afterwards.

His quick rise to the top: Drake started acting at age five and was propelled into the spotlight practically overnight after landing his role in Drake & Josh

Drake was born on June 27, 1986, in Newport Beach, California. He started acting when he was only five years old, thanks to his dad, who noticed he was great at doing impersonations and started bringing him to auditions.

His first job was a commercial for Whirlpool Appliances, and after that, his career began to take off.

He appeared in a series of other advertisements before he landed his first on-screen role in 1994 – a guest appearance in an episode of Home Improvement when he was only eight.

His other early acting credits include a small part in the 1996 movie Jerry Maguire, an episode of Seinfeld, and the TV movie The Jack Bull.

His breakthrough role came in 1999, when she joined the cast of the popular Nickelodeon sketch comedy show The Amanda Show, which he starred in alongside Amanda Bynes, Josh Peck, and Nancy Sullivan for three years until it was canceled in 2002.

After that, he and Josh were cast in Drake & Josh. The series, which was created by Dan Schneider and ran from 2004 to 2007, was wildly popular and propelled the two actors into the spotlight practically overnight. 

The show went on to become the top-rated live-action series among children aged two to 11, and was consistently among the 10 most-watched cable shows each week that it aired.

And while it seemed as though its success would have launched a massive career for Drake, he struggled to land acting gigs afterwards.

He starred in the comedy flick Superhero Movie in 2008, but after that, things significantly slowed down for him.

During the 2010s, he acted sporadically, appearing in a few movies and shows like the live-action TV movie adaptation of The Fairly Odd Parents, the animated TV series Ultimate Spider-Man, the Nickelodeon flick Rags, the horror film LA Slasher, and the 2017 action comedy Bad Kids of Crestview Academy.

His downward spiral: Drake struggled to land acting jobs after the Nickelodeon show ended he eventually filed for bankruptcy after racking up more than $1.5 million in debt 

As Drake’s working life crumbled, so did his personal life. The trouble for him first began in 2012, when he was sued by music producer John Fields, who claimed that he had worked on numerous songs on one of Drake’s albums, but wasn’t paid the right amount for his work.

According to TMZ, John alleged that Drake had commissioned nine of his songs, but only gave him enough money for five, which meant he owed him $36,000.

A judge ultimately ruled in John’s favor, and ordered Drake to pay him the money along with interest and attorneys’ fees.

Between that and his lack of work, Drake’s struggled to make ends meet and ultimately blew through all the money he had made as a teen star.

In 2014, news hit the web that he had filed for bankruptcy after reportedly racking up debts equating to more than $1.5 million.

According to court documents obtained by People, he confessed to spending about $18,000 per month at the time – despite only bringing in about $2,820. As a result of the filing, his $1.5 million mansion came under foreclosure.

On top of losing the fortune that he earned on Nickelodeon, Drake also seemed to push away the friends that he made during his Drake & Josh years.

In 2017, he had a very public falling out with his former co-star Josh after the actor got married to Paige O’Brien Peck and failed to invite Drake to the wedding.

At the time, Drake went on a fierce tirade against Josh on his Twitter account, writing, ‘True colors have come out today. Message is loud and clear. Ties are officially cut. I’ll miss you brotha.’

However, the two did reunite at the MTV Video Music Awards a few months later, where they hugged it out, so it seemed as though they had put the drama behind them – but the damage was already done.

Legal woes: Drake was accused of physical and verbal abuse by his ex-girlfriend, and was charged with attempted child endangerment over ‘inappropriate’ messages he sent to a teen when he was 31 

While one would have thought that was the worst of his problems, Drake’s money issues and online feud with his former costar were soon overshadowed. 

Over the next few years, he began to face a slew of run-ins with the law, further tarnishing his reputation. 

In December 2015, the actor was arrested for driving under the influence after someone saw him swerving and speeding in Glendale, California.

He pleaded guilty and was sentenced to four days in jail and four years probation, and was required to attend an alcohol education program. He ultimately served only one day behind bars and was released on good behavior.

At the time, it was brought to light that he had actually been arrested once before that – for another DUI in San Diego in 2009, but there is very little known about the incident.

In August 2020, the former Nickelodeon star was thrown into the hot seat again when his ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt accused him of verbal and physical abuse.

She claimed in a video shared to her TikTok account that they started dating in 2006, when she was only 16 and he was 20, and that they were together for two years before going their separate ways in early 2009.

‘It wasn’t until about a year [into the relationship] when the verbal abuse started,’ she said.

‘And when I say verbal abuse, imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine, and that was what I got.

‘It then turned to physical – hitting, throwing, everything. At the pinnacle of it, he [threw] me down the stairs of our house. My face hit every step on the way down. I have photos of this.’

In a statement to People, Drake responded and said he ‘never abused his ex-girlfriend or did’ any of ‘the other things she falsely claimed in her TikTok video.’

‘As our relationship ended – more than a decade ago – we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up,’ he added.

‘Clearly, Melissa still felt close enough to me just last year that she was comfortable reaching out to ask me to provide her with financial support during a tough time (which I did).

‘I do not know if today’s behavior is some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention.

‘But I cannot and will not allow these offensive and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options.’

In response to his denial, Melissa shared an alleged police report, as well as several of her journal entries detailing the abuse, which were seemingly written by her during their relationship.

She posted photos of herself with bruises and scars that she said came from Drake, as well as a message she claimed she had received from another one of his exes, actress Paydin Layne.

Paydin, who dated him from 2011 to 2016, allegedly told Melissa: ‘I will stand by your side and back you up as I went through the same horrific verbal, physical and mental abuse.’

In 2021, Drake was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, and charged with ‘attempted endangerment of a child’ as well as one count of ‘disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.’

At the time, law enforcement officials claimed he had sent a 15-year-old minor ‘inappropriate social media messages’ in 2017 when he was 31 years old.

The victim claimed that he performed oral sex on her while she was backstage at one of his concerts in December of that year, which he later denied.

‘He was calculating. He preyed on me and sexually abused me,’ his victim, who kept her identity hidden for privacy reasons, said during the trial. ‘He is a monster and a danger to children.’

Drake eventually plead guilty to both charges and was sentenced to two years of probation and 200 hours of community service.

At the sentencing hearing, a judge told the Drake & Josh alum that he ‘took advantage’ of the young girl because she did not have ‘the emotional or mental maturity to properly engage’ with him.

‘Your position and celebrity status enabled you to nurture this relationship,’ the judge stated.

‘You were able to gain access to this child and you were able to gain the trust of the child. So it’s a two-edged sword, your position. I hope you truly are remorseful.’

In a video shared to Instagram afterwards, Drake spoke out about the incident in detail, calling his messages to the teen ‘reckless and irresponsible,’ and admitting, ‘I’m not perfect and I make mistakes.’

However, he said that ‘most of the news you’ve heard about him recently was entirely false and wrong,’ and insisted that he stopped communicating with her after he learned her age.

‘I want to make clear that there were no sexual images, nothing physical between me and this individual,’ he claimed.

‘I was not charged with anything physical, I was not charged with disseminating of photographs or images or anything like that.

‘This is strictly over text messages. And when I was presented with a plea deal, because of the messages, I felt that it was the best way to get this over quickly, and for everyone involved to be able to move on, and for me to get back to doing what I love and that’s making music for you.’

His recent erratic behavior: Drake was seen inhaling inflated balloons and was reported ‘missing’ by his family after they reportedly claimed he had threatened to hurt himself

Drake tied the knot with a woman named Janet Von Schmeling in 2018, and together, they welcomed a baby boy together in June 2021, and it seemed like things were looking up for the star.

But things went downhill for him again in December 2022, when he was seen inhaling inflated balloons in the front seat of his parked car outside of his Los Angeles home, while his son was asleep in the back seat. It is not clear what, if anything, was inside the balloon.

Following the incident, news hit the web that Drake and Janet had ‘separated,’ and that the actor had entered into a treatment program. 

Sources told Page Six in January 2023 that Janet ‘had enough’ and moved to Florida with their son, while he stayed in LA to receive professional help.

‘They had some incredible beautiful times before. He needs to focus on being healthy, and they’ll be great co-parents in the future,’ an insider dished.

‘It’s a bad moment in time for Drake. But he is a great dad when he is healthy and sober.’

Then, in April 2023, the Daytona Beach Police Department asked the public to provide any information on Drake’s whereabouts after they said he had gone ‘missing.’

Hours later, they confirmed that they were ‘in contact’ with him and that he was ‘safe.’

Days later, TMZ obtained 911 call logs that alleged Drake had threatened to kill himself before vanishing.

In the audio, an officer was heard stating that Drake had ‘texted hi family’ saying that he was ‘going to get drunk and hang himself.’

It was also said that the incident had stemmed from ‘a falling out’ with his wife.

Soon after, Janet filed for divorce from the star, stating in court documents that they had been separated since September 2022.

She requested primary legal and physical custody of their son, and said she was open to Drake receiving visitation.

After the news hit the web, Drake went on a dramatic social media rant in which he claimed he had found out about Janet filing for divorce through TMZ.

He also addressed some of the online hate he was getting, writing that it was ‘going to kill him’ and that the online trolls would have his ‘blood on their hands.’

‘Do a second of research. This is what I have to live with everyday. They are literally going to kill me. Blood [is] on their hands,’ he replied to someone who had called him a ‘pedophile.’

He added that it blew his ‘mind how mean people’ could be, despite him ‘clearly dealing with mental health issues.’ 

He was spotted inhaling from a balloon once again later that month. 

His attempts at a comeback: Despite his numerous controversies and failed acting career, Drake is still trying to make it as a singer – changing his name and releasing an all-Spanish album

Drake’s numerous controversies has not stopped him from trying to bring back his mega-stardom. 

After his acting career came to a halt, he decided to focus on making music instead. 

He released six studio albums over the years, and after seeing his songs do well on the charts in Mexico, Drake made the shocking announcement in 2020 that he was relocating to the country, changing his last name to Campana, and releasing an all-Spanish album.

And while it seemed as though he never actually made the move, he did drop a Spanish album called Sesiones en Casa in 2020.

In early 2023, he began teasing his seventh studio album, Non-Stop Flight, on Instagram, but has yet to share an official release date.

He also revealed last year that he had began working on an autobiography so that his fans could ‘finally know his true story.’ 

In addition, the actor participated in The Masked Singer Mexico in November. 

His shocking admission: Drake recently revealed that he was sexually abused by a Nickelodeon coach when he was 15 – which he described as ‘unspeakable and brutal’

In an upcoming four-part ID docuseries, entitled Quiet On Set: The Dark Side Of Kids TV, Drake claimed he was sexually abused by Nickelodeon coach Brian when he was 15 years old.

He explained that his father had hired Brian, now 63, who was the vocal coach on The Amanda Show and previously worked with Leonardo DiCaprio, to work with his young son after his career began to take off.

Drake claimed the sexual abuse began during a casting trip that he was on with Brian at age 15, and only got ‘worse and worse and worse’ after that.

He described it as ‘unspeakable’ and ‘brutal’ and recalled feeling ‘trapped’ – admitting that he now ‘often looks back at that time and wonders how in the world he survived.’ 

‘Brian and I became really close because we had a lot of the same interests, which looking back I think was probably a little calculated,’ he shared in the upcoming doc, which will premiere in full on March 17. 

Drake’s father, Joe, told viewers that he felt like something was amiss pretty early on, but that Brian dove a wedge between him and his son. 

‘I was always within eye distance of them… I was very attentive,’ he told the camera. 

‘Unfortunately, I started seeing Brian start to just hang around Drake too much and it didn’t sit well with me.’ 

Joe said that Brian would walk into Drake’s dressing room and ‘put his arm around his waist, put his hand up on his shoulder, or kind of run it down his arm.’ 

‘This would happen routinely,’ he added. 

But Drake was unaware of what was happening. He explained, ‘Everything was fine. I didn’t think anything of anything that was happening.

‘In hindsight, I should have been able to see but as a kid you have no clue. But my dad saw it a mile away.’

While at first Drake just thought Brian was ‘his friend,’ he said ‘everything changed’ one day during a casting trip.

Drake, who was 15 years old at the time, explained that he was sleeping on a couch when he suddenly awoke to Brian ‘sexually assaulting him.’

‘I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react,’ he recalled in the doc.

‘I had no idea how to get out of this situation. What am I going to do, call my mom and be like, “Hey, this just happened can you come pick me up? I’ll just sit here and wait…” It just became this secret that I had held onto.’

He said that Brian was overly apologetic but the abuse did not stop there. Instead, Drake said it ‘just got worse, and worse, and worse, and worse.’

‘I was just trapped and I had no way out,’ shared the former Drake & Josh star. ‘The abuse was extensive and it got pretty brutal.

‘I really don’t know how to elaborate about that on camera. Think of the worst stuff that someone can do to somebody as a sexual assault and that will answer your question. I don’t know how else to put it.’

Drake said that at the time, he brushed the ‘unspeakable acts’ under the carpet but eventually ‘exploded’ and told his mom everything.

‘I have no idea what provoked it. I have no idea what happened but I just screamed into the phone everything that had been happening to me,’ he continued.

Brian was described in the new documentary as ‘very much one of the cogs in the Dan Schneider machine.’

In August of 2003, the vocal coach was arrested and charged with nearly a dozen counts related allegations that he had sexually abused a then-unnamed minor.

He eventually pleaded no contest to performing a lewd act with a 14- or 15-year-old and to oral copulation with a minor under 16.

He received a 16-month prison sentence after his conviction, and in October 2004, he was ordered to register as a sex offender.