A Timeline of Drake Bell's Career and Controversies

The actor rose to fame with his role on Drake & Josh but has recently made headlines for his legal troubles

Drake Bell is best known for his role on the hit Nickelodeon series Drake & Josh, but in recent years, the actor has made headlines for his multiple controversies.

The actor first got his start in the entertainment industry in the early 1990s with roles on Home Improvement and Seinfeld, before eventually booking his breakout role on The Amanda Show alongside star Amanda Bynes.

Shortly after the series ended, Bell and his costar Josh Peck landed the lead roles in Drake & Josh, in which they played teenage stepsiblings who were complete opposites.

Following the show's finale in 2007, Bell has faced various legal trouble in recent years, including abuse allegations and criminal charges involving a minor.

Recently, he was reported as "missing and endangered" by Daytona Beach Police, before eventually being found a few hours later.

Read ahead for a timeline of his ups and downs through the years.

1994: Drake Bell makes his first television appearance on Home Improvement

Bell made his first television appearance at age 5 when he appeared on the Tim Allen series Home Improvement. Throughout the '90s he landed a number of film and TV roles, including Jerry Maguire and Seinfeld, as well as various TV commercials.

1999-2002: Drake Bell stars on The Amanda Show

In 1999, Bell joined the cast of The Amanda Show, starring All That alum Amanda Bynes, as a featured performer. He was on the series until its cancellation in 2002, but stayed in the Nickelodeon family.

2004-2007: Drake Bell stars on Drake & Josh

Shortly after The Amanda Show, Bell was cast in a brand-new series titled Drake & Josh alongside his former costar Josh Peck. The series, which centered around Bell and Peck as teenage stepbrothers, ran for four seasons until 2007 and received numerous Kids' Choice Awards during its run. In addition to starring on the show, Bell also wrote and performed the show's opening theme song "I Found a Way."

2011: Drake Bell stars in A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!

Bell continued to appear in Nickelodeon series throughout the 2010s, including Zoey 101, Victorious and iCarly, the latter of which starred his former Drake & Josh costar Miranda Cosgrove.

In 2011, he played Timmy Turner in a live-action TV movie of The Fairly OddParents titled A Fairly Odd Movie: Grow Up, Timmy Turner!. Bell later reprised his role as Timmy Turner for two sequels, Fairly Odd Christmas in 2012 and A Fairly Odd Summer in 2014.

February 2014: Drake Bells files for bankruptcy

In 2014, Bell filed for bankruptcy; according to documents obtained by PEOPLE, he reportedly was $1.597 million in debt. According to the filing, he listed the value of his home at $1.575 million and claimed that his monthly expenses were $18,771, while his income was $2,820 a month.

June 2017: Drake Bell calls out former costar Josh Peck for not inviting him to his wedding

In June 2017, Peck tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend Paige O'Brien during a ceremony in Malibu, California. Though Peck was joined by friends, family, and a few celebrity guests — including John Stamos, who costarred with Peck on the 2015 FOX sitcom Grandfathered — Bell wasn't in attendance.

That same month, Bell went on a Twitter rant in response to not being invited. "When you're not invited to the wedding the message is clear…." he wrote in a series of since-deleted tweets. "Loyalty is key… ALWAYS remember where you came from … True colors have come out today. Message is loud and clear. Ties are officially cut. I'll miss you brotha."

Bell later told PEOPLE he had "no hard feelings" against Peck, adding that he was just "caught off guard" by not being invited to the wedding. That September, the two seemed to bury the hatchet as Bell posted a photo of him hugging it out with Peck, writing, "I freakin love this guy!!" The two later reunited at the 2017 Video Music Awards.

In March 2022, Peck opened up about his rift with Bell, saying that the VMAs was the last time they spoke. Though he said he wishes him the best, he added that they are "not really" friends.

"Drake & Josh is something I'll be synonymous with forever and I'm proud of it," he continued. "I want to like the guy that my name is attached to forever but unfortunately, it just sort of worked out the way that it did."

July 2017: Drake Bell releases new music

In 2017, Bell began to focus more heavily on his music career, releasing a new song titled "Run Away," from his EP Honest.

"The last record I did was a pet project. For this record, it was time to get back in and give the fans some stuff," he told PEOPLE at the time of the new project.

March 2019: Drake Bell teases a Drake & Josh revival

In March 2019, Bell teased the possibility of a Drake & Josh revival. "We're working on something," Bell told PEOPLE at the iHeartRadio Music Awards. "I'm excited. I think we have a great idea."

In August 2019, he further teased the revival as he stopped by People Now. "Josh [Peck] has come up with a really cool idea — we've been talking," he said. "So many things have to come together and actually happen to make that a reality."

"At least it's on the table," he said. "Now we've at least discussed the possibility of something happening."

August 2020: Drake Bell is accused of abuse by his ex-girlfriend

In August 2020, Melissa Lingafelt, who goes by her stage name Jimi Ono on social media, spoke out against the actor in a TikTok video, accusing Bell of both verbal and physical abuse during their relationship, which lasted from August 2006 to February 2009.

In a statement to PEOPLE, Bell denied the claims, saying that he "never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video."

June 2021: Drake Bell pleads guilty to attempted child endangerment

In June 2021, Bell was charged with attempted endangering children and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles, according to court documents obtained by PEOPLE. At the time, he pleaded not guilty.

According to local NBC affiliate KXAN, the alleged incident occurred on Dec. 1, 2017, the same day the actor was scheduled to perform at a venue in Cleveland, according to a since-deleted tweet.

Later that month, he virtually appeared in court, where he agreed to a plea deal and said he was guilty of both charges. In July 2021, he was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service. He was also prohibited from contacting the victim.

During the hearing, Bell's victim, 19 at the time, spoke publicly for the first time to read a statement in which she called the Drake & Josh alum "the epitome of evil." She accused Bell of grooming her from the age of 12 before allegedly sexually abusing her when she was 15.

July 2021: Drake Bell reveals he's married and has a son

Amid his legal troubles, Bell revealed that he was married to his longtime girlfriend Janet Von Schmeling and the two share a son, after they were photographed with a baby stroller and matching golden bands on their ring fingers during a visit to Disneyland.

In a statement written in Spanish translated to English, the actor wrote, "In response to various rumors that are incorrect, I have been married for almost 3 years, 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."

January 2023: Drake Bell and Janet Von Schmeling separate

In January 2023, a source confirmed to PEOPLE that Bell and Von Schmeling were no longer together. "Janet is devoted to raising their son," the source said. "Drake and Janet are committed to maintaining a peaceful co-parenting relationship and giving their son the best life possible."

News of their split came weeks after photos and video of Bell seemingly inhaling balloons in his car while parked at a California vape shop were published by The Daily Mail in December 2022. In one set of photographs, his young son was visible in the backset.

According to the source, Bell was getting outpatient help for substance abuse. "Drake needed to take time to get help and focus on his health," the insider said.

April 2023: Drake Bell briefly goes missing in Florida

On April 13, 2023, Bell was reported missing; the Daytona Beach Police Department shared a post on Facebook indicating that "officers are looking" for Bell.

"He should be traveling in a 2022 grey BMW and his last known location is potentially the area of Mainland High School on 4/12/2023 just before 9 p.m.," the post read. "He is considered missing and endangered."

A few hours after Bell was declared missing, Daytona Beach Police Department Public Information Officer Carrie McCallister confirmed to PEOPLE that the actor had been located. "At this time, we can confirm law enforcement officials are in contact and Mr. Bell is safe," the statement read.

Following the incident, a 911 call surfaced that seemingly shed more light on the former child actor's mental state amid his disappearance.

"I have a possible attempted suicide," said the officer, who introduced himself as Steve, over crackly audio. "Basically there is a celebrity who had a falling out with this wife ... and we got involved because we've [been in touch with] the family in California saying that he's going to get drunk and hang himself, and he's in a hotel somewhere in Orlando."

The officer added of how they located Bell: "And then we finally got permission to ping the phone, and that's what the ping came back to."

April 2023: Drake Bell's wife Janet Von Schmeling files for divorce

Citing "irreconcilable differences" (according to the dissolution of marriage petition filed in Los Angeles County's Superior Court on April 20th), Von Schmeling filed for divorce from Bell.

Von Schmeling also requested legal and physical custody of the couple's baby as well as spousal support, according to the document. A rep for Bell did not immediately respond to PEOPLE's request for comment.

If you suspect child abuse, call the Childhelp National Child Abuse Hotline at 1-800-4-A-Child or 1-800-422-4453, or go to www.childhelp.org. All calls are toll-free and confidential. The hotline is available 24/7 in more than 170 languages.

If you or someone you know has been a victim of sexual abuse, text "STRENGTH" to the Crisis Text Line at 741-741 connected to a certified crisis counselor.

If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.

For more People news, make sure to sign up for our newsletter!

Read the original article on People.