Key points
Drake Bell is proceeding with his divorce from Janet Von Schmeling.
The actor’s wife first filed for divorce in 2023, noting that the couple separated in 2022.
A representative for Bell says that the couple is “closing a beautiful chapter of their lives.”
Drake Bell is moving forward with divorce proceedings.
The Drake & Josh star, 39, filed documents to move forward in his divorce from Janet Von Schmeling in Seminole County, Fla., on Thursday, according to court records reviewed by Entertainment Weekly.
Von Schmeling previously filed for divorce from Bell in Los Angeles in April 2023, one week after the former child star was reported missing and subsequently located. According to court documents reviewed by EW at the time, Von Schmeling cited irreconcilable differences in her petition and said that she separated from Bell in September 2022. She also requested legal and physical custody of their child in addition to spousal support.
A representative for Bell explains the development in a statement to Entertainment Weekly.
“The process began back in 2023 when his wife filed citing irreconcilable differences,” Bell’s manager, Juan José Rovirosa, said. “At this stage, both of them are simply concluding that legal process. Their priority remains the safety and wellbeing of their son, and they are doing so from a place of love and respect — closing a beautiful chapter of their lives that now evolves into a different form of love and complicity, always centered on their child’s best interests.”
Bell married Von Schmeling in 2018, but he didn’t confirm their marriage until 2021, when he also revealed that they share a son together.
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Drake Bell
In March, Bell revealed that he has a new girlfriend in an interview with Parade. “I have a girlfriend right now, but it’s hard to be in a relationship when you’re on the road so much,” he told the outlet. “But it’s nice. You know, she’s a very, very sweet and awesome girl, but I’ve got a lot on my plate right now.”
Bell made waves last year when he accused former Nickelodeon dialogue coach Brian Peck of sexually abusing him as a teenager. He discussed his experience with Peck, who was convicted of child molestation in 2004 before Bell was revealed as his victim, on the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
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Last fall, Bell competed on The Masked Singer disguised as the Ice King. He also recently made headlines when he alleged that he and other former Nickelodeon stars “don’t get residuals” for their work despite their shows’ massive popularity.
“It’s a lot of evil, corrupt people…that is the answer,” Bell said on The Unplanned Podcast. “There’s no other answer. Do everything that they do to us mentally and emotionally, and then throw us to the wolves. And we’re like, ‘Okay, cool. I got rent this month.'”
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