Drake Bell Videos Shed Light on His Life Before Disappearance

Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has been found by police after being reported missing on Wednesday.

The "Drake and Josh" star, whose full name is Jared Drake Bell, was announced as missing and endangered by the Daytona Beach Police Department in a Facebook post. The post was later updated to say authorities had made contact with the actor and he was "safe."

Bell addressed concerns about his whereabouts on his official Twitter account on Thursday.

"You leave your phone in the car and don't answer for the night and this?" he wrote and added a laughing emoji.

drake bell on red carpet
Drake Bell attends the 2019 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on March 14, 2019. The actor was reported missing on Wednesday but has since been reported as found by police. Jeff Kravitz/Getty Images North America

Bell's other social media, including his TikTok and Instagram, sheds light on what was going on in his life prior to his disappearance.

The 36 year old had not posted anything on his Instagram grid since March 6, when he shared a video of his son, Jeremy, laying on his belly in their living room and laughing.

That same day he also shared a photo montage of the child with the song, "The Most Interesting Man in the World."

Many of Bell's most recent Instagram posts feature Jeremy, including a post on March 5. Bell posted a video montage of the toddler doing normal activities when the shot would freeze and turn the image into a fake album cover.

"Proof that anything can be an album cover," Bell wrote on the video, which he also posted to TikTok.

In addition he posted a video of him on March 5 posing on stage as he scanned the camera across the crowd cheering behind him.

Over on TikTok, Bell most recently posted on March 25, when he uploaded a comedy skit of him being ambushed at a public event.

Speaking in Spanish he was trying to convince fans he was not Drake Bell as security escorted him backstage.

"When you don't want them to recognize you," he wrote in Spanish on the video.

The video ended with him backstage and security getting annoyed at his insisting they walk through the public area even though they knew fans would try to get close to him.

Bell tells the guard to relax because he has a tube of Barmicil— a hydrocortizone anti-itch— that he takes out of his pocked and hands to security.

The video finishes with a shot of the tube and a caption in Spanish that reads, "don't get irritated, use Barmicil."

Bell rose to fame on the Nickelodeon television series Drake and Josh and has worked as a musician more recently.

In 2021 he revealed he'd married his girlfriend of five years, Janet Von Schmeling, in 2018 and they had welcomed Jeremy into the world.

He made the revelation at a time when he was facing charges for a crime relating to a juvenile victim.

Drake pleaded guilty to child endangerment charges and charges regarding dissemination of matter harmful to juveniles, and was sentenced to two years' probation.

He had reportedly sent inappropriate online messages to a 15-year-old girl whom he met online and had attended one of his concerts. She spoke at Bell's sentencing, and described him as a "monster."

Bell was sentenced to four days in jail and four years probation in 2015 for driving under the influence, but only served one day for good behavior.

Uncommon Knowledge

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.

About the writer


Shannon Power is a Greek-Australian reporter, but now calls London home. They have worked as across three continents in print, ... Read more

To read how Newsweek uses AI as a newsroom tool, Click here.

Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek magazine delivered to your door
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go
Newsweek cover
  • Newsweek Voices: Diverse audio opinions
  • Enjoy ad-free browsing on Newsweek.com
  • Comment on articles
  • Newsweek app updates on-the-go