Drake Bell claims Nickelodeon doesn't pay residuals to former child stars
The 39-year-old actor and musician - who appeared on shows like The Amanda Show and spinoff sitcom Drake and Josh for the network - has claimed that unlike of the deals reached with most adults performers, his early contacts involved one-off payments, which means he doesn't get any money from streaming or syndication.
He told The Unplanned Podcast: "That's the perception of the world, it's always been this way.
"It's like, you know, 'Oh, you made a Folgers Coffee commercial. You must live in a mansion in Hollywood. Like, I saw you on TV. You're rich.'
'That's far from the case. And especially, which is the bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon, we don't get residuals for our shows.'
The star - who previously opened up about his childhood trauma and struggles in 2024 docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV - pointed out how he doesn't get any money despite Drake and Josh's recent move to Netflix.
He claimed: "It's a lot of evil, corrupt people. That's the only thing, that is the answer. There's no other answer.
'Do everything that they do to us mentally and emotionally, and then throw us to the wolves. And we're like, okay, cool. I got rent this month.
"There are three channels doing marathons. Netflix just bought it, it's top 10 on Netflix, and I gotta figure out how to pay my rent this month."
He pointed out how the cast of Friends are still able to earn huge amounts of money from re-runs of the classic sitcom.
He said: 'The Friends cast at the peak was making a million dollars an episode. You make 13 episodes that year, you make $13,000,000. You make 20 episodes that year, you make $20,000,000, right?
'But right now, each cast member of Friends just in syndication alone is making over $20,000,000 a year, and they're not filming a show every week.
"They're not going to work, but they're playing their show and they're using their likeness and they're doing all this, so they get paid for it.'
He compared the studio's approach to the situation to "child labour", while addressing the lack of control young performers have.
He added: 'People don't understand how the business works, the business side of this. They just see what the perception is on Instagram and social media and all the glitz and the glamour of Hollywood.
'We're putting in all of this work. This corporation is making billions with a 'B' off of us, and we're being compensated for the week of work, cool, but that's it.
'And forever, in perpetuity, it literally says in the contract, across universes and galaxies and planets.'
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