Drake Bell Says He’s Broke While Nickelodeon Rakes In Millions On “Drake & Josh”
Drake Bell is setting the record straight about what life is really like after child stardom and it’s far from the Hollywood dream many imagine. During a July 2 appearance on The Unplanned Podcast, the Drake & Josh actor opened up about the financial reality of growing up on Nickelodeon. Despite starring in one of the most iconic shows of the 2000s, the 39-year-old revealed he doesn’t get any residuals from the show that made him famous.
“That’s the perception of the world, it’s always been this way,” Drake told podcast hosts Abby and Matt Howard. “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.’ That’s far from the case. And especially, which is the bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon, we don’t get residuals for our shows.”
Drake first appeared on the network in The Amanda Show before becoming a household name in Drake & Josh, which ran for four seasons from 2004 to 2007. While many would assume the show’s stars are still collecting checks, Drake says that’s a fantasy.
“For example, the Friends cast at the peak was making a million dollars an episode. You make 13 episodes that year, you make $13,000,000. You make 20 episodes that year, you make $20,000,000, right?” he explained, adding, “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. They’re not going to work, but they’re playing their show and they’re using their likeness and they’re doing all this, so they get paid for it. And they’re making over $20,000,000 in a year just because other networks are buying the rights for syndication.”
“There are three channels doing Drake & Josh marathons. Netflix just bought it, it’s top 10 on Netflix, and I gotta figure out how to pay my rent this month,” he said further.
Drake called out the entertainment industry’s profit system as being both “flawed” and “corrupt,” especially for child actors. “We’re putting in all this work. This corporation is making billions with a ‘B’ off of us, and we’re being compensated for the week of work, cool, but that’s it.”
Even more shocking, the contracts reportedly include language like “across universes and galaxies and planets,” which means if Drake & Josh ever airs on Mars, he still wouldn’t be paid. “If Elon [Musk] gets us to Mars and they show Drake & Josh, it’s impossible for me to get paid for it,” he joked though the frustration behind his words was real.
Drake explained that working actors carry enormous financial pressure that fans don’t see. “People don’t understand how the business works, the business side of this,” he stated. “They just see what the perception is on Instagram and social media and all the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood.”
The actor shared that some guest stars from the show do still receive residual checks, but those who carried the show like himself don’t. Reflecting on the emotional and financial toll, he added, “Do everything 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.”
