Nickelodeon actor Drake Bell, who's known for the hit show Drake & Josh, is now facing allegations of abuse from ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt. The accusations were described in a TikTok video by the actress, whose stage name is Jimi Ono, and were shared in fairly explicit detail. Lingafelt described their relationship as toxic, stating, "When I started dating Drake I was 16, I was homeschooled, I moved in with him, I was singing. It wasn’t until about a year when the verbal abuse started. When I say 'verbal abuse', I mean imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine, and that was what I got."
She went on to discuss both verbal abuse and physical abuse, citing one instance, in particular, when Bell allegedly dragged her down the stairs. In response, Bell said, "I never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video. As our relationship ended – more than a decade ago – we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it," before questioning whether or not the TikTok video was an attempt for money.
Now, fans are sharing their own personal experiences with the actor and musician, many exposing a side that fans have rarely seen.
One Twitter user by the name Ricky Pinela shared their experience of going on tour with Bell, claiming that his verbal abuse was prevalent. Pinela tweeted "I did a tour with Drake Bell and can confirm he's an awful person!" Before going on to speak of how Bell treated others poorly, called him a "literal bully." Others took to calling Bell a "pedophile," bringing up the fact that Lingafelt was only 16 when she dated the actor, making him 20-years-old at the time.
Many are fighting for Lingafelt and applauding her for sharing her story on such a wide platform, defending her right to have kept silent for so long. Bell's past has also been brought up numerous times, with many saying he's been "unstable" in the past and that this accusation is a product of that, considering his track record.
