Drake Bell is weighing in on the internet’s speculation regarding the relationship between Amanda Bynes and Dan Schneider. Following the March 2024 premiere of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, allegations were made by Nickelodeon staff that the actress and TV producer had been “very close physically” — however, Drake says he never witnessed it.
Keep reading to get a full breakdown on his story.
The Drake & Josh actor, now 37, made an appearance on the Discovery + documentary that discussed the inappropriate power dynamics that took place on Dan’s Nickelodeon shows. One of the center points in the series focused on the former producer’s relationship with the All That actress.
“There were many times that I saw Amanda sitting behind him hugging him, or like giving him a neck massage or whatever,” one editor from the network claimed in the doc series. “Dan and Amanda had a close relationship, and I didn’t think anything different than that.”
However, Drake, who worked alongside Amanda on multiple shows, says he wasn’t suspicious about their closeness at the time.
“This was in the throes of a lot that I was dealing with personally, but no, I mean, I just saw a really talented, amazing actress,” he explained on the “Not Skinny But Not Fat” podcast. “And no, I never saw anything.”
“I can only speak to my experience while I was working with Amanda and that was that she was, like you said, just an incredible talent,” he said of Amanda later in the episode. “She was so funny, she was so, she was like a rocket ship. She got on set and she was just, the talent that just oozed from her effortlessly was awe-inspiring.”
While working on The Amanda Show, Drake recalled how excited he was to book the gig. “She was a big star to me because I’d grown up watching All That … I just couldn’t believe it, and that I got to work with her.”
Despite having a close work relationship, the singer admitted that he hadn’t spoken to Amanda in a long time and “can’t speak to anything in her personal life.”
As for Dan, the former TV creator has since responded to the allegations made in the documentary. In a YouTube sit-down interview, the Drake & Josh producer spoke on his controversial relationship with Amanda, admitting that he supported her decision to pursue emancipation from her parents.
“We supported her, she tried to get emancipated and it ended up not working out and she didn’t.”
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