Drake Bell Accused of Physical and Verbal Abuse by Ex-Girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt

Drake Bell has been accused of verbally and physically abusing ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt 11 years after their split. Lingafelt, who also goes by the name Jimi Ono, shared her allegations in a series of TikTok videos Wednesday, laying out the details of their relationship, which started in August 2006 when she was 16 and he was 20 and ended in February 2009.

“First off I’d like to start out by saying I don’t really care if anyone believes me, as this is my story and my life and something that I went through,” she began. “It wasn’t until recently that I actually realized that abuse isn’t something that all women have to go through.” Lingafelt explained she was homeschooled when she met Bell, the star of Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh, and quickly moved in with him.

“It wasn’t until about a year [into the relationship] when the verbal abuse started,” she claimed. “When I say verbal abuse, imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine, and that was what I got. It then turned into physical — hitting, throwing, everything. At the pinnacle of it, he drug (sic) me down the stairs of our house in Los Feliz. My face hit every step on the way down. I have photos of this.” The singer added she was “scared” to get into the “underage girl thing,” but then shared screenshots of messages she received from other women after posting her initial TikTok, one of which alleged Bell had sex with a 15-year-old when he was 20.

On her Instagram Story, Lingafelt added, “Everyone that really knows me and has been a friend of mine for the past 15 years, knows all too well of the abuse that Drake Bell put me through. I have so many witnesses. I have photos, it was my life. If you don’t believe me, it is clear to me what type of person you are, and I don’t need that on my side. No body [sic] wants attention from abuse!!!!!!!”

Bell denied his ex’s accusations in a statement to Variety Wednesday: “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,” she said.

The Amanda Show alum then accused Lingafelt of reaching out to him for “financial support” during a “tough time” last year. “I do not know if today’s behavior is some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention,” he continued. “But I cannot and will not allow these offensive and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options.”