Drake Bell’s Wife Janet Von Schmeling Files for Divorce After His Disappearance
Content warning: This story discusses suicide.
Drake Bell's wife Janet Von Schmeling is taking steps to officially end their four-year marriage, according to court documents filed April 20 in Los Angeles Superior Court and obtained by E! News.
Revealing they've been separated since September 2022, Janet listed the reason for her divorce from the Drake & Josh alum as irreconcilable differences. She is seeking primary legal and physical custody for their 2-year-old son, as well as spousal support.
E! News has reached out to Drake's rep for comment but hasn't heard back.
The filing comes one week after the 36-year-old briefly went missing in Florida, leading authorities to issue a message that he was "missing and endangered."
On April 20, Drake shared that he was "finally" back in Mexico, tweeting in Spanish, "I need to make it my home. It's so much better than the US!"
The singer went on to address hatred he said he's received online. "It truly blows my mind how mean people are on here to people clearly dealing with mental health issues. It's unreal how cruel you all can be," Drake wrote in separate tweets. "There's literally obviously zero reason to keep doing this!! All I get is attacked. Hopefully you like the new song I put out its literally all I have left in me."
On April 12, Drake's brother Robert Bell contacted Florida police, saying he was concerned for Drake because the Nickelodeon alum allegedly made suicidal comments in texts sent to their mother, according to the police report obtained by E! News.
Robert told authorities that Drake was feeling "distraught" due to alleged custody disputes with Janet over their son. At the time, Drake was visiting his estranged wife in Winter Park, Fla., to talk about child custody plans, according to Robert.
Police then issued a missing persons alert on Facebook on April 13, saying the actor had last been seen near Mainland High School in Daytona Beach, Fla. around 9 p.m. the night prior. Drake was found safe hours later on April 13, per police.
The actor seemingly offered an explanation for his mystery disappearance later in the evening, tweeting out, "You leave your phone in the car and don't answer for the night and this?" along with a laughing emoji.
Just four days later, Janet celebrated their son's 2nd birthday with a "Baby Shark"-themed party that Drake did not appear to attend, according to Instagram photos published by Page Six.
The couple tied the knot in 2018, and Drake announced the birth of their son in 2021, tweeting in Spanish at the time, "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."
If you or someone you know needs help, call 988 to reach the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline. You can also call the network, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline, at 800-273-8255, text HOME to 741741 or visit SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources for additional resources.
