Actor Drake Bell has admitted he’s still ‘figuring out how to pay rent’ despite Nickelodeon’s Drake & Josh being such a success, claiming he doesn’t get paid residual checks like other Hollywood stars.
If you were growing up in the early 2000s, then you will know all about Drake & Josh, an American sitcom created by Dan Schneider.
The 56-episode show ran from January 2004 to September 2007 and chronicled the mischief and moments of Drake Parker (played by Bell) and Josh Nichols (Josh Peck), teen stepbrothers with polar opposite personalities.
Despite ending almost a decade ago, Drake & Josh, which also starred iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove, remains popular.
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As per Rotten Tomatoes, the multi-award-winning project is currently available to watch in the USA on a Paramount+ and/or Netflix subscription. The show is also available to stream via Paramount+ in the UK.
Despite its continued legacy, it appears the show’s lead actors allegedly no longer make any money from it.
How much Drake Bell makes from Drake & Josh in 2025
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On 2 July, Bell used his appearance on The Unplanned Podcast with Matt and Abby Howard to discuss the 'lack of residual checks' he receives from the beloved children’s show.
“It’s a bummer for most of us on Nickelodeon; we don’t get residuals for our shows,” the father-of-one claimed.
When Bell was asked if the reason he didn’t receive residual checks was because he was a kid while working on Drake & Josh, the actor replied that it was allegedly because of ‘a lot of evil corrupt people’ who worked behind the scenes.
“There is no other answer,” he continued, claiming that nobody other than guest stars who appeared on the programme receives regular payments in the post.
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“There’s people who said two lines on one episode that still get cheques in the post. Josh and I? Not a dime.”
Bell went on to say that even though the programme remains popular, he is still struggling to ‘figure out how to pay [his] rent’.
Bell’s comments have shocked fans, with many asking why his parents allowed him to sign the contract in the first place
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“One factor that I never considered was the residuals,” typed one YouTube viewer.
“I never even registered the reality of the comparison between residuals given to adult series sitcom actors versus child actors specifically on Nickelodeon.
“I wonder if it is similar with other networks like Disney or anything else. Crazy that a guest star on an episode would get residuals, but not the lead on a show. Crazy!”
A second commented: “I’m so sorry for Drake Bell he went through hell as a kid and Drake and Josh was a great show and he and Josh deserve to get residuals.
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“This is so wrong and I agree Drake you should fight to get your residuals cause you and Josh definitely deserve them.”
Another replied: “Besides sounding like a complete victim and what a downer just remember, your parents sign the contract.”
Someone else remarked: “I’m glad he shared, and he should continue. He should get residuals, to thank him for contributing to entertainment.”
Josh Peck revealed how much he made from Drake & Josh
In April 2023, Peck appeared on Steven Bartlett’s The Diary of a CEO podcast.
Like Bell, he also said that he didn’t receive any residuals from the four-season show, telling the 32-year-old: “You know, while doing the show, we made about $100,000 a year.”
In his 2022 memoir Happy People Are Annoying, Peck got further into the nitty-gritty details of how much he was paid for co-starring on Drake & Josh.
Peck explained that he made $15,000 (£11,196) per episode, which amounts to a grand total of $900,000 (£688,652) for the whole show, as per LADbible.
However, after paying fees to his agent and managers, he was left with a total of $450,000 (£344,326).
Following his exit from the kids’ TV show, Peck has appeared in everything from The Big Bang Theory to How I Met Your Father.
Earlier this year, the father-of-three also appeared in an episode of The Last of Us.
Tyla has contacted Nickelodeon for comment.
Topics: Entertainment, TV And Film, Money, Celebrity
Ella Scott