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- Drake Bell is an actor famous for his Nickelodeon show ‘Drake & Josh’
- The former child star shares a son with his estranged wife Janet Von Schmeling
- He was reported missing by Daytona Beach Police on April 13, 2023
- Drake’s wife, Janet Von Schmeling, reportedly filed for divorce from the actor one week after his disappearance on Apr. 20, 2023.
(UPDATE: 4/13/23 AT 1:45 P.M. ET): At 1:26 p.m. ET, the Daytona Beach Police Department updated its original Facebook post about Drake’s missing status to confirm that the actor had been found. “At this time we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe,” the post read.
(ORIGINAL POST: 4/13/23 AT 1:10 P.M. ET): Drake Bell was reported missing on April 13, 2023. According to the Daytona Beach Police report on Facebook, Drake, whose real name is Jared Drake Bell, was seen traveling in a 2022 gray BMW and “his last known location is potentially the area of Mainland High School on 4/12/2023 just before 9 p.m.” The police added that Drake is “considered missing and endangered.”
The former child actor’s last social media post before he went missing was a video on his YouTube channel as recently as March 23. As for his most recent Instagram post, he shared a video of his toddler son on March 6.
Drake was best known for starring on the Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh with Josh Peck. The popular kids’ show ran from 2004 to 2007. Drake even sat down with HollywoodLife to discuss a possible reunion for the show a few years ago. “There were our ups and downs about it, but man, I’d go back in a second,” he said on the HollywoodLife podcast.
The news follows a string of legal problems for the actor over the last few years. In 2021, Drake was arrested for child endangerment following an alleged incident at one of Drake’s concerts in 2017 when he was 31. The victim, then 15, later accused him of sexual assault during the trial. After initially pleading not guilty, Drake wound up pleading guilty and was sentenced to 200 hours community service and two years of probation.
In 2015, the “The Amanda Show” vet was arrested for a DUI with bail set at $20,00. Drake ended up spending four days in jail.
The actor’s last Instagram post of his son didn’t include the baby boy’s mother, Janet Von Schmeling, whom Drake married in 2018. In January, the former couple reportedly split, per People. Most recently, it was revealed that Janet reportedly filed for divorce from Drake one week after he was reported missing. Let’s learn more about Janet, below.
Janet Is An Actress
While very little is publicly known about Janet, her Instagram gives a bit of a peek into the life of the young beauty. She happens to be an actor, which is not too surprising, as Hollywood types like to run in packs. The young beauty has posted about some of her roles, including the TV procedurals “SWAT” and “Criminal Minds.” She’s even shared snaps with her costar Shemar Moore (above)!
She Secretly Wed Drake
Again, there is little known about her prior romance with Drake, as they are both very private. However, Drake took to Twitter in 2021 to reveal he had married Janet! “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,” Drake tweeted in Spanish at the time. “Thank you very much to all my fans around the world for your good wishes.”
According to the insider, Drake and Janet had been dating for five years before they said “I do.”
Janet & Drake Also Had A Secret Baby
As mentioned above, Drake revealed he and Janet had welcomed their first child, a son, together when he dropped the news about their marriage. The couple have yet to officially reveal his name.
They Reportedly Separated In 2022
The couple reportedly split towards the end of 2022. In January, People said they had separated “a few months prior.” The outlet’s source added, “Janet is devoted to raising their son. Drake and Janet are committed to maintaining a peaceful co-parenting relationship and giving their son the best life possible.” Janet previously claimed via Instagram in November 2022 that the twosome had “separated,” but later deleted the post, per US Weekly.
Most recently, Janet re-confirmed they separated in Sept. 2022 in her divorce filing originally obtained by TMZ on Apr. 20, 2023. The proud mom allegedly cited “irreconcilable differences” as her reason to divorce the singer after he was reported missing one week prior. HollywoodLife reached out to reps for the actor but did not receive an immediate response.
She’s Making Florida Her ‘Forever Home’
One month after the reported split, Janet was keeping her head up by focusing on her and her son’s well-being. “I’m HEALING and trying to find peace,” she wrote on Instagram, per Us Weekly. “This will be a process. My son is with me and will stay with me, We are in Florida with family and we are safe. We are finding our forever home here.”
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