Drake Bell laments unfair paycheck increasing mechanism in industry

Drake Bell has set the record straight on the financial reality of being a former Nickelodeon star.

As per the latest findings of PEOPLE Magazine, during a July 2 episode of The Unplanned Podcast, the Drake & Josh alum revealed that he has not ever received residuals for his time on the network, a fact that still stings years later.

“That’s the perception of the world,” Drake began.

He went on to mention, “‘Oh, you made a Folgers Coffee commercial. You must live in a mansion in Hollywood. Like, I saw you on TV. You're rich.’ That’s far from the case.”

The 39-year-old actor also explained that most child stars on Nickelodeon, including those on hit shows like Drake & Josh, were paid only once, with no long-term earnings for reruns or streaming.

“It’s a flawed system,” he said, calling out how other actors in the industry continue to earn money whenever their work airs.

He even pointed to the Seinfeld cast getting paid each time the show was streamed on Netflix.

“You wanna get to 100 episodes so that you can get into syndication. That’s where you make your money,” he continued before concluding with the declaration that while fans grew up watching him, his paychecks didn’t grow with the fame