Drake Bell says grooming allegations over messages to 15-year-old were 'not true' - as star claims he pleaded guilty to child endangerment charge in 2021  because he was 'financially devastated'

Drake Bell has discussed his conviction for child endangerment in 2021 which related to a girl who met him online and attended one of his concerts in Ohio when she was just 15.

Bell, now 37, was sentenced to two years probation on child endangerment charges and also received 200 hours of community service after a 19-year-old woman accused him of grooming her from ages 12-15 and sexually assaulting her at his 2017 Cleveland concert.

At the time, Bell claimed he didn't know her age and denied ever sending her sexual photos or engaging in sexual activity.

In a new chat, the former Nickelodeon star says allegations he groomed the teenager are 'not true' and claims he pleaded guilty due to being 'financially devastated.'

Speaking on Tuesday's episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, he said: 'I responded on some DMs and was incredibly irresponsible and got myself into conversations that I shouldn’t have had.

Drake Bell has discussed his conviction for child endangerment in 2021 which related to a girl who met him online and attended one of his concerts in Ohio when she was just 15

Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids docuseries saw Bell detail his childhood sexual abuse. Bell identified himself as the minor who dialogue coach Brian Peck molested , on the Investigation Discovery series

'I ended up finding out that I was talking to someone that I shouldn’t have been talking to, and it snowballed into these allegations that were not true, and it just turned into this big thing.'

In an emotional impact statement read prior to sentencing, the then 19-year-old victim claimed that Bell 'sexually abused' her and called him a 'monster'. Bell was not charged with the more serious crimes of sexual assault and pedophilia that the victim alleged in her impact statement.

Bell - who opened up about his sexual abuse in recent documentary Quiet On Set, said: '[I] ended up pleading guilty, because financially I was just devastated, and I had just had a son and I didn’t want to put my family through all of this anymore.

'I ended up going through the process the way that I did. Very regretful.'

He said he was not aware the girl was 15 but when he found out he 'cut communication off' with her.

The teenager would attend some of his concerts but Bell said 'I was doing everything I could to kind of keep my distance.'

'A lot of the things she said about sending inappropriate pictures and things like this, it was able to be investigated and show that none of that existed./

He admitted that he did 'have those conversations' with the teenager and 'took responsibility for that.'

In June 2021 , after initially pleading not guilty, Bell instead pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles - (Pictured in his June mugshot)

He said: 'There’s just so much that I’ve had to deal with, and through that, like I said, not having the tools or not knowing how to process things, I made a lot of decisions in my life that I shouldn’t have made and hurt a lot of people.

'But now, where I am in my life now, I think that I’m finally at a place where I can process and deal with this through therapy that I’ve been through and actively going through, unearthing all of these things and being able to face them head on for really the first time in my life.'

In July 2021 things got heated during the virtual hearing when Bell's victim read her impact statement via Zoom and claimed that she performed oral sex on the star when she was 15-years-old.

Bell appeared virtually for his sentencing at the Cuyahoga County Common Pleas courtroom with Judge Timothy McCormick.

He seemed visibly shocked at the accusation and in response, the victim addressed him directly saying: 'Don't look at me like that!'    

'These are crimes that are unforgivable and inexcusable,' she said. 'They cannot be taken back. He was calculating, he preyed on me and sexually abused me. He is a monster and a danger to children.

'I'm kindly asking you to send a powerful message that these crimes are never okay, no matter who a person is,' the victim continued.

Speaking on Tuesday's episode of the Not Skinny But Not Fat podcast, he said: 'I responded on some DMs and was incredibly irresponsible and got myself into conversations that I shouldn’t have had' (pictured 2019)

She went on: 'And he can give me that look all he wants but he knows exactly what I'm talking about.'

'He is the epitome of evil,' she said. 'I deserve better than to be used for his sick desires, and for my suffering to be used for his amusement. Jared Drake Bell is a pedophile and that is his legacy.'  

Bell later addressed the court: 'I just want to say today I accept this plea because my conduct was wrong.'

'I have taken this matter very, very seriously,' he added. 'I just want to apologize to her and anyone else who may have been affected by my actions.' 

In June, after initially pleading not guilty, Bell instead pleaded guilty to felony attempted child endangerment and a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

During Monday's hearing his attorney made sure to note that he had not been charged with the more serious crimes of sexual assault and pedophilia that the victim alleged in her impact statement. 

Authorities have said the girl, who attended a 2017 concert in Cleveland, contacted Toronto police in October 2018 over the incident. Toronto authorities then forwarded its findings to Cleveland police, prompting an investigation.

The attempted endangering children charge relates to the concert where Bell 'violated his duty of care' and created a risk of harm to the victim, Cuyahoga County Prosecutor's Office spokesperson Tyler Sinclair said previously.

Bell and the girl had 'developed a relationship' online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. 

The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl 'inappropriate social media messages,' Sinclair said. 

The former child star has run into trouble with the law before, after being sentenced to four days jail time in 2015 for driving while intoxicated, which was his second DUI conviction in a six-year time period.

Bell, also a singer, began acting as a child, but was catapulted to stardom as a teen with Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show and later Drake & Josh, which debuted on the channel in January 2004.

In addition to his acting career, Bell is a musician and formed a band named Drake 24/7, and has released several albums to middling success. In 2006, he reached No. 81 on the Billboard 200 with his second album, It's Only Time, selling 23,000 copies in the first week. 

Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids docuseries saw Bell detail his childhood sexual abuse.

Bell's wife of four years - Janet Von Schmeling (pictured Tuesday) - filed for divorce from him on April 20, and she appears to have primary custody of their toddler son Jeremy Drake Bell

 Bell identified himself as the minor who dialogue coach Brian Peck molested, on the Investigation Discovery series. 

Registered sex offender Peck, 63,  served 16 months in prison in 2004-2005 after being arrested on 11 charges — including sodomy, lewd act upon a child 14 or 15 by a person 10 years older, and oral copulation by anesthesia or controlled substance.

Drake's wife of four years - Janet Von Schmeling - filed for divorce from him on April 20, and she appears to have primary custody of their toddler son Jeremy Drake Bell.

On July 16, Bell announced via X that he started writing a book called I Found A Way, adding: 'You will finally know my true story.'