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.

“You know, anytime I had an audition, or anytime I needed to work on dialogue or anything, I somehow ended up back at Brian’s house,” Bell explained in the docuseries. “I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep, and I woke up to him, I opened my eyes, I woke up, and he was sexually assaulting me.”

The actor admitted he was left paralyzed in shock. “And I froze and in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react, and I had no idea how to get out of the situation,” he added.

In the wake of the shocking "Quiet On Set" docuseries, Nickelodeon issued a statement addressing the disturbing claims made by Drake Bell and others about their time at the network.

“Though we cannot corroborate or negate allegations of behaviors from productions decades ago, Nickelodeon as a matter of policy investigates all formal complaints as part of our commitment to fostering a safe and professional workplace environment free of harassment or other kinds of inappropriate conduct,” the company said.

The network emphasized its responsibility to safeguard those who work with them, adding, “Our highest priorities are the well-being and best interests not just of our employees, casts, and crew, but of all children, and we have adopted numerous safeguards over the years to help ensure we are living up to our own high standards and the expectations of our audience.”

After the docuseries aired, Bell didn’t hold back on how he felt about Nickelodeon’s carefully worded statement.

Speaking on "The Sarah Fraser Show" podcast, the former child star suggested the response was drafted by Hollywood attorneys to minimize accountability. He admitted that while the network’s words were polished, they rang hollow to him.

“I find it pretty empty, their responses, because, I mean, they still show our shows, they still put our shows on,” Bell said, pointing out that he continues to shoulder the burden of his trauma without support.

Bell added that if the network truly cared, their actions would go beyond issuing a legal statement. Instead, he noted, he’s left to pay for his own therapy and navigate the long-lasting impact of abuse alone.