Drake Bell Addresses Disappearance in First Post Since He Was Reported “Missing and Endangered”

Drake Bell posted a cheeky message to his social media account addressing his disappearance on Thursday (April 13) evening. According to the actor, he simply didn’t have his phone on him.

In the tweet posted a few hours after police located the Nickelodeon alum, Bell wrote, “You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this? 😂”

On Thursday morning, the Daytona Beach Police Department reported the Drake & Josh star “missing and endangered.”

Using his legal name, Jared Bell, they said he was last seen driving a 2022 grey BMW with his last known location reported as the area near Mainland High School just the night prior.

Hours later, law enforcement sources told TMZ, “Cops are in touch with the actor, and we’re told he is safe. It’s still unclear where he was, or why exactly cops feared for his safety.”

You leave your phone in the car and don’t answer for the night and this? 😂

— DrakeBell.ethᵍᵐ (@DrakeBell) April 13, 2023

According to Page Six, deputies “took action” to ensure that Bell, who was also spotted visiting SeaWorld in Orlando with his son on Tuesday (April 11), received a “mental health evaluation.”

Bell rose to fame in the early aughts for his role on the Nickelodeon sitcom Drake & Josh, in which he starred alongside Josh Peck. He also made appearances in other Dan Schneider-led shows like The Amanda Show, All That and Zoey 101. His most recent acting credit is in 2021 for the animated sketch comedy series Robot Chicken.

However, his odd-ball disappearance isn’t the first controversy the musician has faced. In 2021, he plead guilty to child endangerment charges related to an inappropriate relationship he had with a 15-year-old when he was 31. He received two years of probation and 200 hours of community service as a result.

Bell has also been charged with driving under the influence twice — once in 2009 and again in 2015.