Drake Bell Says He Doesn’t Get Paid for ‘Drake & Josh’ Reruns

Drake Bell Opens Up About the Reality of Child Stardom and Life After Nickelodeon

When people think of child stars, they often imagine fancy houses, expensive cars, and financial security for life. But according to Drake & Josh actor Drake Bell, that image is far from the truth—especially for those who worked on Nickelodeon.

In a July 2 episode of The Unplanned Podcast, Bell shared that despite being a familiar face on television for years, he doesn’t receive residual payments for his work on the hit series.

“That’s the perception of the world…‘Oh, you made a Folgers Coffee commercial. You must live in a mansion in Hollywood,’” Bell said. “That’s far from the case.”

Residuals are payments actors receive when shows or films they’ve worked on are replayed or streamed. Bell explained that many television actors make most of their income from these repeat airings—but not those who starred on Nickelodeon.

“Especially, which is the bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon, we don't get residuals for our shows,” he said.

Instead, Bell says most child actors at the network were paid only once for their episodes. He compared his situation to the cast of Friends, who made millions per episode and continue to earn tens of millions each year just from syndication.

“They’re not going to work, but they’re playing their show and using their likeness, and they get paid for it,” Bell explained. “They’re making over $20,000,000 in a year just because other networks are buying the rights for syndication.”

When asked if the lack of residuals was due to actors being underage at the time, Bell was blunt in his response.

“It’s a lot of evil, corrupt people. That is the answer,” he said.

He added that very few guest stars from that time still receive checks, and most main cast members from Nickelodeon shows do not. Meanwhile, networks air reruns and sell streaming rights that bring in millions.

“Netflix just bought it, it’s top 10 on Netflix, and I gotta figure out how to pay my rent this month,” Bell said. “And some fat cat with a cigar is just sitting up at the top of Viacom…getting high on child labor.”

(Viacom, now part of Paramount Global, owns Nickelodeon.)

Bell also criticized the contracts actors were required to sign, which included language that allows studios to use their work indefinitely—and beyond.

“We’re being compensated for the week of work, cool, but that’s it,” he said. “It literally says in the contract, across universes and galaxies and planets.”

He even joked that if Drake & Josh aired on Mars, he still wouldn’t be paid:

“If Elon [Musk] gets us to Mars and they show Drake & Josh, it’s impossible for me to get paid for it.”

According to Bell, most fans don’t realize how expensive life can be for working actors—especially in Los Angeles. Paying agents, publicists, and managers, plus high taxes and costs to attend auditions, add up quickly. Without residuals, many performers struggle financially even if they once starred in popular shows.

“People don’t understand how the business works,” Bell said. “They just see the perception on Instagram and social media and all the glitz and the glamour.”

Bell believes the system needs serious reform to ensure that young performers are paid fairly—especially when their shows are still making money decades later. Until then, he says, the people who helped create Nickelodeon’s most iconic content are being left behind.

You can watch the full conversation here.