Drake Bell Divorce Gets Messy With Dueling Filings In L.A. And Florida

Drake Bell is officially making moves in his split from wife Janet Von Schmeling, years after she was the first to pull the plug on their marriage.

As The Blast previously reported, Janet filed for divorce in Los Angeles Superior Court back in 2023 after four years of marriage.

Drake Bell shares a young son, Wyatt Bell, with Janet Von Schmeling.

In her filing, Janet cited the standard “irreconcilable differences” and listed their official separation date as September 2023. She also requested primary legal and physical custody of Wyatt, with visitation rights for Drake, and asked the court for spousal support.

The case saw little progress until December 2024, when the court ordered both parties to meet and work toward expediting the matter. However, it’s unclear what, if anything, was resolved during those discussions.

Now, years later, the former "Drake & Josh" star filed his own divorce petition in Seminole County, Florida, according to TMZ.

The details of Drake Bell's filing have not yet been made public.

Drake Bell and Janet Von Schmeling dated for five years before tying the knot in 2018, but their marriage unraveled in 2023 when Janet filed for divorce.

Bell first confirmed he was married in July 2021, just days after pleading guilty to attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles. The charges stemmed from inappropriate text messages sent to a 15-year-old fan.

At the time, the "Drake & Josh" alum attempted to downplay the swirl of speculation, releasing a statement in Spanish on X (formerly Twitter).

“In response to various rumors that are incorrect, I have been married for almost 3 years, and we are blessed to be the parents of a wonderful son,” he wrote. “Thank you very much to all my fans around the world for your good wishes.”

Then, in March 2024, Bell resurfaced in headlines again when he participated in "Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV."

In the bombshell documentary, the former child star opened up about being sexually abused by his Nickelodeon dialogue coach, Brian Peck, when he was a minor, a revelation that shocked the world and added more complexity to his troubled past and public image.

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