Drake Bell Says People Assume Everyone on TV Is Rich, but ‘No One' on Nickelodeon Got Paid Residuals

Drake Bell Says He Doesn't Get Residuals from Nickelodeon

Drake Bell vented about not receiving residuals from his time on Nickelodeon during the July 2 episode of ‘The Unplanned Podcast.’ He starred in the network’s ‘Drake & Josh’ alongside Josh Peck for four seasons.

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Drake Bell’s popping off about how everyone assumes TV kids are rolling in cash, but in reality Nickelodeon stars like him never saw a dime past their initial paychecks. On The Unplanned Podcast he explained that while folks bank huge residuals every time Friends or Seinfeld rerun, he and his Drake & Josh crew got zilch—no syndication checks, no streaming royalties, just one lump sum and that’s it.

He calls the system “flawed” and “corrupt,” saying execs are basically “getting high on child labor” as they rake in millions while former child stars juggle rent, taxes and agent fees with zero back-end income.