Entertainment
Who is Drake Bell? Former Nickelodeon star charged with ‘attempted child endangerment’
Drake Bell is at the centre of controversy after being charged with the attempted endangerment of children.
The 34-year-old is perhaps best known with American audiences after becoming a Nickelodeon child star in the series Drake & Josh.
He is now in legal trouble after appearing in court on Thursday faced with several charges.
What has Drake Bell been in?
Bell, real name Jared Drake Bell, was born on June 27, 1986 in Newport Beach, California.
He began acting at the age of five and landed his first TV appearance in an episode of Home Improvement in 1994.
Two years later, he made a small appearance in the Oscar-nominated blockbuster Jerry Magire alongside Tom Cruise, Cuba Gooding Jr and Renee Zellweger. In 1998, he also made a small appearance in an episode of Seinfeld.
Bell enjoyed more success in his own right in 1999, when he began starring in The Amanda Show on Nickelodeon. He remained a cast member until the series ended in 2002.
In 2004, Bell became a lead star in the network’s brand new show, Drake & Josh, alongside Josh Peck who he had worked with on The Amanda Show.
Drake & Josh ran for four seasons until 2007 and earned Bell three wins for favourite TV actor at the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards.
He recorded the song, Found A Way, which was used for the series’ soundtrack.
Bell is also a musician and was signed to Motown Universal in 2006.
He’s released five albums, including his debut Telegraph and the follow-up It’s Only Time. His fourth album, The Lost Album, was released earlier this year.
Why was Drake Bell arrested?
Bell is alleged to have been involved with an incident that reportedly took place on December 1, 2017. The singer was set to play a concert in Cleveland on the same day, according to WKBN 27.
However, he was not indicted until May 2021.
According to court records, Bell was charged with attempting to endanger children in Cleveland.
It is not immediately clear what prompted the charges, however, Fox8 News has reported that Bell allegedly engaged in an inappropriate chat with a victim ‘that, at times, was sexual in nature.’
He is also facing charges of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.
Bell appeared in Cuyahoga County Court on Thursday where he entered a not guilty plea to the charges, and posted a $2,500 (£1,765) bond. The actor has been ordered to have no contact with his alleged victim.
The actor is scheduled for a pretrial hearing on June 23.
What does disseminating mean?
Disseminating matter harmful to juveniles establishes that any material or performance is considered ‘obscene’ when considered as a whole.
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