Drake Bell Shares ‘Father Son Jam Sesh’ Amid Child Endangerment Case

Drake Bell made his first appearance on social media since he was sentenced to two years of probation in his child engagement case just minutes after the hearing. The former Drake & Josh star, 35, shared a video of himself singing at a piano with his son. Bell recorded the video from the same spot where he made his virtual court appearance on Monday.

In the now-deleted video, Bell, who performs under the name Drake Campana, is seen singing with his son on his lap. “Father son jam sesh,” he wrote in the caption. The five-minute video was first broadcast live. Although many of his Instagram followers made comments referencing the child endangerment case, Bell made no comment on it in the video.

Bell did not confirm he had a son or was married to longtime partner Janet Von Schmeling until he published a tweet on June 29 in Spanish. “In response to various rumors that are incorrect, I have been married for almost three years, and we are blessed to be the parents of a wonderful son,” he tweeted at the time. “Thank you very much to all my fans around the world for your good wishes.” He has not publicly revealed his son’s name yet.

The former Nickelodeon star was arrested in Cuyahoga County, Ohio early last month. He first pleaded not guilty but later changed his plea, pleading guilty to a felony charge of attempted endangerment of a child and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating harmful material to juveniles. “I accept this plea because my conduct was wrong,” Bell said during an appearance via Zoom, reports BuzzFeed News. “I’m sorry the victim was harmed. It was not my intention. I take this matter very seriously, and, again, I just want to apologize to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions.”

The victim in the case, now 19, said Bell began communicating with her when she was 12. She eventually met Bell in person at a Cleveland concert in December 2017. In her statement at Monday’s hearing, the woman called Bell a “pedophile” and said they sent each other explicit photos. The two also engaged in sexual activity at the concert venue and a hotel.

The woman said she was “definitely one of his biggest fans” when they started communicating and she often asked him for “boy advice.” He allegedly told her that “boys were stupid” and sent her a photo of herself at 12 years old, calling her a “cutie.” His messages became increasingly sexual, she said, and she was afraid to tell him she felt “disgusting” because of the messages. The woman said her parents have spent over $7,620 on therapy.

“He was calculating. He preyed on me and he sexually abused me,” the woman said Monday. “He is a monster and a danger to children. … And he can give me that look all he wants, but he knows exactly what I’m talking about.”

Bell will serve his probation in California, where he lives. He was also ordered to complete 200 hours of community service. Bell was also ordered not to contact the victim. The California probation department will also decide if Bell needs to register as a sex offender.

After the hearing, Bell’s attorneys, Ian Friedman and Madelyn Grant, disputed some of the allegations the victim made during her statement, alleging that there is contradictory evidence in the investigation. “As the court made clear, this plea was never about sexual misconduct or sexual relations with any person, let alone a minor. Sexual registration was not imposed as Mr. Bell did not plead guilty to any such offense,” the attorneys said. “Drake and his family are relieved and grateful to have this matter behind him. He looks forward to, once again, performing for all of his supportive fans around the world.”