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Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has revealed the sobering reality behind his fame, he’s still struggling to pay his rent despite starring in some of the most popular kids’ shows of the 2000s.
The 39-year-old actor and musician, who rose to prominence on The Amanda Show and became a household name with Drake & Josh, opened up about his financial struggles during a candid appearance on The Unplanned Podcast.
Bell explained that the public perception of his wealth is wildly different from reality.
“That’s the perception of the world, it’s always been this way,” he said. “It’s like, you know, ‘Oh, you made a Folgers Coffee commercial. You must live in a mansion in Hollywood. Like, I saw you on TV. You’re rich.’”
But the reality, he says, is far from glamorous, and the structure of his Nickelodeon contracts is a big part of the reason.
Bell revealed that he doesn’t receive residuals for his shows, even though Drake & Josh remains a favourite on streaming platforms and in syndication today.
Josh Peck and Drake Bell on the set of Merry Christmas, Drake & Josh - Credit: Nickelodeon
“That’s the bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon,” he said. “We don’t get residuals for our shows. If I had a fair contract, I’d be seeing money from that work now.”
He compared his experience to the cast of Friends, who famously earned $1 million per episode at the peak of the show and now reportedly make over $20 million a year each just from reruns.
“The Friends cast at the peak was making a million dollars an episode,” Bell said. “You make 13 episodes that year, you make $13,000,000. You make 20 episodes that year, you make $20,000,000, right? But right now, each cast member of Friends just in syndication alone is making over $20,000,000 a year, and they’re not filming a show every week.”
For Bell, the contrast highlights what he sees as an unfair system that has left many of his Nickelodeon peers without the financial stability people assume they have.
The actor’s honest comments have struck a chord with fans, many of whom grew up watching him and are surprised to learn about his ongoing struggles.
On social media, reactions have been mixed, with some expressing sympathy and others questioning how the network’s young stars were treated at the time.
Still, Bell remains committed to his craft, continuing to release music and appear in independent projects. But his story is a stark reminder that fame doesn’t always equal fortune, and that even household names can struggle to make ends meet.
