Drake Bell denies allegations of physical abuse made in viral TikTok video

Nickelodeon’s teenage heartthrob Drake Bell left the rumor mill churning over TikTok this week. With reports of alleged physical abuse being hurled his way, the star kid denied any and all abusive involvement with ex-girlfriend Jimi Ono.

According to the allegations, Melissa Lingafelt, better known for her stage name Jimi Ono, claimed that Drake physically and verbally abused her during their relationship which ended nearly a decade ago.

In her one-minute clip, Melissa began by saying, “First, I would like to start out with saying I don’t really care if anyone believes me as this is my story and my life and something I went through.”

“It wasn’t until recently that I actually realized that abuse is something that all women have to go through. When I started dating Drake, I was 16. I was home-schooled, I moved in with him, I was singing. It wasn’t until about a year when the verbal abuse started.”

Showcasing her stash of old photos, the singer went on to say, “And when I say verbal abuse, imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine, and that was what I got. It then turned into physical — hitting, throwing, everything.”

“At the pinnacle of it, he drug me down the stairs of our house in Los Feliz. My face hit every step on the way down. I have photos of this. I don’t even want to get into the underage girls thing. I mean I will, but I’m scared.”(sic)

However, Drake refused to sit idle and clapped back with a statement of his own which he made to Variety.  In his statement, Drake claimed, “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.”

He also noted how Melissa got in contact with him late last year for financial support. “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.”