Drake Bell’s wife is filing to divorce the troubled actor, only a week after Bell was reported missing and in danger by police. According to TMZ, Janet Von Schmeling has filed to divorce her estranged husband, ending the nuptials after four years of marriage.
According to TMZ, new legal docs reveal the couple separated back in September and show that Von Schmeling is citing irreconcilable differences as the cause for the divorce. The couple shares one child, 1-year-old Wyatt Bell, and Von Schmeling is seeking primary legal and physical custody of the kid. She is also seeking to grant visitation rights to Bell and to get awarded spousal support.
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As the outlet notes, the divorce filing comes after Bell was reported missing in Florida, with a family member contacting police after Bell had reportedly threatened suicide. The Nickelodeon alum was reportedly upset over the child custody issues with his estranged wife.
The day before Bell was reported missing and “endangered,” he was photographed enjoying a day at Sea World with his son. He was eventually found safe and sound by deputies and they ensured Bell was going to receive a mental health evaluation. Bell did joke about the incident in a since-deleted post. “You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this?” he wrote with a crying-laughing emoji.
According to PEOPLE, Bell and Von Schmeling were “comitted to maintaining a peaceful co-parenting relationship and giving their son the best life possible” on the heels of their separation.
This is the latest bit of trouble for the former Nickelodeon star, with Bell grabbing headlines for the wrong reasons in recent years. As PEOPLE notes, he was accused by ex-Melissa Lingafelt of “verbal and physical abuse” in 2020. He denied those allegations.
He was also charged with a misdemeanor in 2016 and earned one day behind bars for a 2015 suspected DUI. In June 2021, Bell was arrested for attempted child endangerment and disseminating matters harmful to juveniles. The outlet notes that Bell’s victim was 15 at the time of the reported incidents.
He pleaded guilty in July 2021 to endangerment charges and ended up sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service. He also was barred from having any contact with the victim.
