Another actor has found himself at the receiving end of scathing accusations from an ex-girlfriend. Drake Bell, known for his role on Nickelodeon's hit series Drake & Josh, became a trending topic on Wednesday (August 12) evening after his ex, Melissa Lingafelt, who goes by the stage name Jimi Ono, shared a TikTok video where she accused the actor of being a predator and physical abuser. "First off I'd like to start out by saying, I don't really care if anyone believes me, as this is my story and my life, and something that I went through," she began.
The now-30-year-old stated that she was a 16-year-old homeschool student when she began dating a then-20-year-old Drake Bell. She claimed she moved in with him and "it wasn't until about a year when the verbal abuse started. And when I say verbal abuse, imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine and that was what I got."
Melissa said it shifted to "hitting, throwing, everything. At the pinnacle of it, he drug me down the stairs of our house in Los Feliz." She added that her face hit every step and she has photo evidence of her injuries. "I don't even want to get into the underage girls thing," said Melissa. "I mean I will, but I'm scared."
Melissa then posted screenshots of conversations with people who claimed that they have knowledge of Bell's reportedly nefarious acts or said they were his alleged victims. In a statement to Variety, Bell denied the accusations against him:
“I never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video. As our relationship ended — more than a decade ago — we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it. Clearly, Melissa still felt close enough to me just last year that she was comfortable reaching out to ask me to provide her with financial support during a tough time (which I did). I do not know if today’s behavior is some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention. But I cannot and will not allow these offensive and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options.”
This is my truth. I hope this message reaches young girls, and that no one has to go through what I did. ##2020survivor
Do you believe us now? So proud of Paydin, drakes ex of 5 after me for being this brave. ##westandtogether ##endabusetowomen
Reposting with name blurred. My bad. May the victims of drake bell get justice tho. ##endabuseagainstwomen
Reposting with blurred name. This is what I was hoping for. There are several stories just like this out there. ##endabuseagainstwomen
ladies! Come forward, let’s unite and show we mean business and this will NOT be tolerated!! ##endabuseagainstwomen
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