Drake Bell claims he found out his wife filed for divorce online

Drake Bell has been the target of several news articles in the past two weeks after it was reported that the former Nickelodeon star was missing and endangered in Florida but later found safe. Now the actor is claiming he was made aware of his wife filing for divorce from news reports.

Bell’s wife Janet Von Schmeling filed for divorce on Thursday, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split. The couple was married for four years and share a two-year-old son together.

Bell claims that his soon-to-be ex-wife did not inform him of the decision. “I found out my wife filed for divorce from TMZ,” he tweeted Friday, along with a link to his new song.

Details of the documents

Von Schmeling is also requesting legal and physical custody of the couple’s son as well as spousal support according to the documents. The divorce filing comes a week after Bell was reported missing in Daytona Beach, Florida.

Bell was found later in the afternoon on April 13, only hours after the initial announcement by Daytona Beach Police Department. According to reports from Bells’ brother Robert, the former actor was “distraught and made suicidal statements” just before his disappearance.

Prior to his disappearance, Bell was reportedly visiting his wife, who he is separated from, to discuss custody arrangements for their son, Jeremy. According to Page Six, the couple initially separated back in January, after the ‘Drake & Josh’ star was spotted huffing balloons in his car in the parking lot of a California vape shop while his son sat in the back seat.

Why did the couple split?

Sources at the time claimed Von Schmeling moved to Florida with their son after the incident and the couple was estranged. The source told Page Six that Bell needs to focus on his health before he can continue to be a parent.

“They had some incredible beautiful times before. He needs to focus on being healthy, and they’ll be great co-parents in the future,” the source claims.

“It’s a bad moment in time for Drake. But he is a great dad when he is healthy and sober.”

The couple began dating in 2013 and were married in 2018. The couple kept their marriage a secret from the public until 2021.