Timing is, as they say, everything.
Drake Bell announced in one fell swoop that he has married and that he and his wife, Janet Von Schmeling, have welcomed a son — weeks after the actor pleaded guilty to crimes “against a minor.”
Bell made the announcement on Twitter (in Spanish, more on that later) on June 29, though it was understandably lost in the whole “felony” thing. E! reported the couple was photographed at Disneyland on June 28, Bell’s first public outing since, again, the whole “felony” thing.
“In response to various rumors that are incorrect, I have been married for almost 3 years,” Bell, 34, tweeted, “and we are blessed to be the parents of a wonderful son. Thank you very much to all my fans around the world for your good wishes.”
Bell and Von Schmeling have been linked since at least 2017.
Page Six has emailed Bell’s listed contact, though it appears to just be Von Schmeling, who works for a PR company — Decibel Media Group — that has Bell as its sole named client on its website.
Bell has been tweeting in Spanish since November 2020, when he announced he was rebranding as “Drake Campana” (which is Spanish for “bell”) and added a Mexican flag to his Twitter bio. He does have several Spanish-language songs released on Spotify — where the bulk of his streams are from Mexico — but his bio also has him listed as “CEO of Taco Bell in 2021.” (Decibel also has Taco Bell listed as one of its brand partners.)
Bell pleaded guilty June 23 to attempted child endangerment, a felony, and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, a misdemeanor, charges relating to an incident involving a teen girl.
Prosecutors claimed he met the girl, who is now an adult, online; she then attended a concert of his in Cleveland in 2017. Tyler Sinclair, a spokesperson for the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, said Bell had sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages.”
Attorney Ian Friedman promised that “why Mr. Bell chose to enter [a guilty] plea” would be revealed during a sentencing hearing in Cleveland on July 12.
It’s the latest in former Nickelodeon star Bell’s checkered personal life. He was charged with driving under the influence in 2015, and his ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt claimed in 2020 that he had been verbally and physically abusive to her, charges he denied.
Emails to Decibel Media Group and Taco Bell were not immediately returned.