Drake Bell's Wife Wants FULL Custody Of Their Son Days After He Was Reported 'Missing'
By Favour Adegoke on April 21, 2023 at 7:45 AM EDT
Actor and singer Drake Bell's wife, Janet Von Schmeling, has filed for divorce from the former Nickelodeon child star and is requesting legal and physical custody of their son, The Blast confirms. She is also requesting for spousal support and wants her last name, Von Schmeling, restored.
This comes after the actor was reported "missing and endangered" by police due to failed attempts to reach him on his phone and a claim by his family members that he had threatened suicide.
Read on for more information.
Drake Bell's Wife Files For Divorce, Wants Full Custody Of Son
Von Schmeling has officially filed to divorce her husband, Drake Bell days after he was reported "missing" and eventually found. In the divorce petition obtained by The Blast, Von Schmeling is requesting for full custody of their son and also wants spousal support. She is also asking that the court restores her last name.
The 28-year-old who got married to the Nickelodeon star in a low-profile ceremony in 2018, claims she has separated from Bell since September, 2022.
Von Schmeling's divorce filling, comes in the wake of the actor's personal troubles getting the better of him, with the latest issue being his disappearance and alleged suicide threat.
Drake Bell And His Wife Have Had Issues Leading Up To Divorce
Early this year, The Blast reported that Bell had separated from his wife in the wake of his personal troubles getting the better of him. A source for Page Six claimed that he had checked into treatment to help confront his issues.
This came after Bell was photographed inhaling the gas from balloons while sitting in a California vape shop's parking lot, with his young son in the back seat of his car.
At the time, the "Drake & Josh" star was still serving his two-year probation for a child endangerment charge. Bell has also had other run-ins with the law, including two DUI convictions.
Bell pleaded guilty to the child endangerment charge and prior to his sentence being read, he said, per People, "I accept this plea because my conduct was wrong. I’m sorry that the victim was harmed in any way, but that was obviously not my intention.” The actor continued, stating, “I have taken this matter very, very seriously. And again, I just want to apologize to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions."
Drake Bell Was Reported Missing
Just a few days ago, a Facebook post by the Daytona Police Department, had released a statement saying that Bell was "missing and endangered" after failed attempts to reach him by his loved ones.
The police report mentioned that the actor was seen driving a 2022 gray BMW, and that his last known location was believed to be near Mainland High School just before 9 p.m. Their report also pleaded with the public to help provide any information on Bell’s possible whereabouts.
Hours after the missing report, the Police Department’s spokesperson Carrie McCallister shared in a statement that Bell had been found safe. It read, “At this time, we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe."
The actor later came out to clear the air on the "missing and endangered" report about him. Taking to Twitter he revealed that he had forgotten his mobile phone in his car. Bell joked, in the now-deleted tweet, "You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?"
He Allegedly Threatened Suicide
According to The Blast, the 911 call that reported on Bell being missing also revealed that he had threatened to get drunk and hang himself after a fall-out with his now estranged wife Von Schmeling. The police reportedly got involved in the situation when they were told that the actor was in an Orlando hotel room, texting his family members about committing suicide.
A report by Us Weekly, also revealed that Bell's family was on high alert prior to the report by the Daytona police department confirming he had been found safe. A source for the news outlet said, "There was some communication with family members that caused concern so they are worried about him and looking for him."
This shows why the police took on the report very seriously, despite Bell's tweet making light of the situation.