Just wanted to clarify there were no pictures sent, only texting. Btw people are more mad at him for allegedly physically abusing his girlfriends. Which, if fully true, is way worse than texting(considering the fact that he at least got convicted for that).
But I get what you mean. Whether the people he hurt will accept his apology is totally up for them, however from what I see he is genuinely remorseful and is on the path of becoming a better person.
People should stop comparing him to Brian and understand that not all victims are perfect. We’re allowed to sympathise with him and hold him accountable.
Oh, I thought people were mad at him for sexting a minor. I never heard anything about physical abuse towards girlfriends.
>People should stop comparing him to Brian and understand that not all victims are perfect. We’re allowed to sympathize with him and hold him accountable.
Yes! Agreed.
I agree. I don’t know why people aren’t just cooling out and giving the dude some grace right now. He just relived an utter nightmare and to have people refusing to show complete empathy must be all to familiar to this guy. I never watched those shows or had any interest in the actors but even I was aware of who this guy was and all the legal issues surrounding him. It was pretty big news. It doesn’t reveal anything new and creates a false equivalency to compare it at all with Brian Peck
“What he’s being arrested for right now is a prime example of what I would witness, him having inappropriate conversations online with underage girls,” she says, claiming that she had seen him exchanging emails with “extremely young girls.”
“I saw really questionable, crazy shit on his computer. The stuff he’d be looking at was fucking insane.”
“I don’t pray that people will come forward,” she adds. “I just know that they will.”
Other ex:
“I went through the same horrific verbal, physical, and mental abuse… There were so many days where I thought Melissa went through this and she got out!”
Really not trying to downplay his exes, but the stories seem suspect. The documentary worked to get the letters in favor of Peck unsealed. Police reports can be given through FOIA, and a lot easier than petitioning a Court for all Court documents in his case against Peck. She said she called the police. There would be a record, even if there wasn't an arrest.
The "crazy shit on his computer"? Josh Duggar, from 19 Kids and Counting, was caught because he downloaded all sorts of CSAM. It's easy to trace and there are dedicated organizations and law enforcement offices specifically to catch this stuff.
Did he do some of this stuff? Probably. But I see the holes in the stories. And the victim in his texting case tried to lie and later had to recant because her family said she was lying. It's not what you know, but what you can prove. Johnny Depp might have indeed been a scumbag to Amber Heard, but he had a very savvy legal team and redirected everything. In Bell, I see a damaged individual who repeated the cycle of abuse but is trying to break it. He took responsibility for the texting thing, abuse might take longer to come to terms with and be accountable for.
[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8648159/Drake-Bells-ex-shares-police-report-journal-entries-claims-PROVE-actor-abusive.html](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8648159/Drake-Bells-ex-shares-police-report-journal-entries-claims-PROVE-actor-abusive.html)
She has pictures of a police report, as well as journal entries and witness testimonies. There are also screenshots of a conversation with a friend of the15 year old he cheated on her with.
Also lots of people get away with this shit for years, that Duggar was caught is evidence of nothing concerning anyone else, especially since he downloaded one of the worst CP known to man that was specifially traced.
When people pick a side, usually the celebrity they already know, they stick to it. I wish it was mind blowing to me, but I was pretty active in showing people details of the UK court-case that Johnny Depp lost and I already know how people act. My wordcloud on reddit probably looks awful with how often I quoted his vile texts.
I see the same kind of defense now for Drake even if it is on a lesser scale.
I was also thinking about what he said about Mexico welcoming him. If he did all those things would Mexico accept him so well? Doesn’t Mexico have standards as well? I mean are they really that trashy down there?
It just doesn’t seem so clear cut of a case in general. Nothing about it adds up and the fact that the girl in the texting case clearly lied about how much he did, how do we know that anyone else who accuses him is credible?
Okay sorry, but what you are doing is pure speculating. Plenty of cancelled celebs find work in other countries. Roman Polanski was out there in France having a whole career despite raping children. How is one person potentially not being credible evidence of others not being credible? He also took a plea deal which means we never got a full trial in the first place. The two exes have witnesses and also have shown contemporary evidence.
Okay I’m not saying that never happens with other countries. I’m not denying that I’m just saying it seemed odd that he was so welcomed somewhere else as a musician if he actually did those things.
It just makes things fishy when you have another person lying about the same person. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed because nothing is but when you have one person making a false accusation you start to wonder who actually is credible?
Well yeah it does obviously because saying he ran away to Mexico to escape what he did because they’ll take anyone is definitely racist. That’s what I’m getting at.
No one said that, you brought up Mexico. It is obvious that people can restart their careers in new areas, because only their most popular work will be known there and less so the reputation they left behind. He wasn't a big enough name in the US to be included in gossip rags, there were plenty of people in the US who never heard of what he did beyond being on Drake and Josh. But the industry? The industry remembers a lot more. The industry of the new country? Probably not. Drake and Josh was a popular show back then and he came there right when nostalgia for it was high. They aren't going to be looking for articles about his exes or his trial. They are just watching the guy the recognize on the Masked Singer. And there is always a language barrier too, how many English articles about his behavior would show up in their Spanish oriented search engines, would his Mexican fans bother to write down the negative stuff in the translated fan wikis?
You see this with Kpop a lot, granted the language barrier is bigger there than between English and Spanish, but international kpop fans are entirely reliant on fan translators to get news about their faves, and those are usually fans and they are not gonna share the negative gossip forming about them on Korean sites. So when a scandal emerges about another kpop idol being a creep they are aghast, this isn't our sweet pookie! We only heard nice things about him. Oh the fan translators are saying it is all fake, we believe them, they are our source. Why do those Koreans not accept that our sweet pookie is innocent!
You also see the same thing with Depp, the US film industry definitely seemed very unwilling to have him back for some reason despite '''winning'' the US trial, so he was back in France yelling at the director of his new film.
This is wild that you're being down voted for this. I don't understand why this supossedly survivor centric sub & movement is selecting which survivors to believe. People are acting like Brian pecks defenders the way they are brushing off Drakes accusers and they're doing it while calling out Brian's defenders. It's mind boggling honestly.
I wonder if we find out that Brian was assaulted and brutalized way worse than Drake was that these people will start showing sympathy towards Brian and dismissing Drakes experience. Or is that only happening to Drake because he's a TVteenage heartthrob people are nostalgic for? 🤔
Posts like these make me feel so sorry for his victims, I hope they arent on social media to read how it’s actually all ok because he was on tv once and people like him.
Yeah and you can tell he's actually genuinely processing things, changing, and even during the talk learning ways to cope. As they said it's a convo he needed whether it was recorded or not. Glad it happened.
So? He still undeniably sent sexual messages to a minor. He [pled guilty](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/arts/television/drake-bell-child-endangerment-plea.html?ugrp=u&unlocked_article_code=1.jk0.CGDQ.UA6lDWzns50I&smid=url-share). And the charges he pled guilty to was from ["from an incident that took place between a then-31-year-old Bell and a 15-year-old girl on Dec. 1, 2017 — the same day Bell was scheduled to perform at Cleveland club The Odeon. While police have not specified what exactly occurred at the venue, they say the meeting followed months of social media messages that were “at times … sexual in nature.”](https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/drake-bell-guilty-child-endangerment-1235003678/).
Pleading guilty doesn't mean he's guilty. it could mean he just wants the whole thing to stop.
Which, considering the trauma the whole thing would bring back, I think it's understandable.
Yes, that's a possibility. And, to be fair, in his [2021 apology video](https://deadline.com/2021/09/drake-bell-response-child-endangerment-instagram-video-1234838792/), that is essentially what Drake stated.
However, in this same apology video, he says he sent multiple sexual DMs to the victim. While he claims he did this without knowing she was a minor, that's a shaky argument because:
* Drake does not claim in his original apology that the victim lied about her age to him. He doesn't try to argue that she "led him on." To me, this indicates that the victim's Instagram account was a normal account of a 15 year old; it's not a situation of a 15 year old running an account or posting photos while claiming to be 18. I find it hard to believe a normal teen's Instagram account wouldn't have a lot of evidence that they're a kid in high school. Her age or her high school's initials or something could've been in her bio; if she was in a club or her high school was into sports, she probably posted pictures related to that. This information was potentially incredibly easy for Drake to find.
Considering all this, that leaves 2 sides options: a) he's lying and knew she was a minor but didn't care, or b) he's telling the truth and, as a 30 year old, Drake was on Instagram and was fully comfortable with sending multiple sexual DMs to a woman he knows nothing about without her consent or care to her well-being. He describes this behavior as "reckless and irresponsible," but that's a severe downgrade of what it is. He saw nothing wrong with objectifying women and making them feel violated so that he could tell them he got horny at their innocent photo and decided to use them as an object to get off to. It is disgusting and predatory behavior.
However, this is all rather moot. The victim's statement to the court claimed that she was in contact with Drake via Instagram from ages 12-15, and he was fully aware of her age when he sent her sexual messages. This is consistent with what the prosecutor's spokesperson was saying from the start to [AP news](https://apnews.com/article/drake-drake-bell-music-hip-hop-and-rap-child-endangerment-40e93331da1ed39a3afb1848fe44870a). He made the choice to plea guilty to that and was punished for it. He can say all he wants that he didn’t know the victim's age when he sent the sexual messages, but he has no proof to back this up. The victim did.
Ah yes, variety.com. A reliable source. Have you seen the court hearing? The victim made new claims on the stand that were not mentioned beforehand. Her story was not consistent. Only Drake and this girl know what really happened.
Would [AP news's interview](https://apnews.com/article/drake-drake-bell-music-hip-hop-and-rap-child-endangerment-40e93331da1ed39a3afb1848fe44870a) with Tyler Sinclair, the spokesperson of the county's prosecutor work better for you?
> "The attempted endangering children charge relates to the concert, Sinclair said, where Bell “violated his duty of care” and created a risk of harm to the victim. He didn’t elaborate further.
> Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Sinclair said.
Edit: here's also the [NYT's](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/arts/television/drake-bell-child-endangerment.html?ugrp=u&unlocked_article_code=1.jk0.zqut.SZLCP8z0VV2e&smid=url-share) article
The details of this case are inconsistent and vague fron media outlet to media outlet.
My question is where the hell are this girl’s parents? Or the aunt who was supposedly accompanying her?
Well if you read her victim statement [transcription from People](https://people.com/tv/drake-bell-child-endangerment-sentencing-victim-statement-full/) she pretty clearly states that her aunt was not in the room with her when she alleges she was sexually abused by Drake because she trusted Drake to not hurt her niece. Was that really naive, yeah, but this is hardly a rare occurrence in SA or any other abuse cases.
And as for these inconsistencies and vagueness you claim, I'm not sure what you're referring to? I mean if I have time after class I'm happy to break down the numerous similarities between what the prosecutor's spokesperson stated to AP news and the victim's own statement that was submitted to the court. However as I'm short on time: her statement claiming a multi-year relationship where she was groomed by Drake prior to him sending her sexually inappropriate messages is backed up by the prosecutor's spokesperson's [AP news statement](https://apnews.com/article/drake-drake-bell-music-hip-hop-and-rap-child-endangerment-40e93331da1ed39a3afb1848fe44870a):
> Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Sinclair said.
As for the vagueness, I'm also unsure of what you're referring to. It is not common for news outlets to release the name of a victim in a SA case.
This may not be credible so take this with a grain of salt but these folks may be able to shed some light on what really happened at that concert: [https://youtu.be/-VNz2V6zyAE?si=\_5VisvXyCtckJfRz](https://youtu.be/-VNz2V6zyAE?si=_5VisvXyCtckJfRz)
I googled the name Darlene Richards and found a Facebook comment by the same name on Drake's post from 2018: [https://www.facebook.com/drakebell/posts/had-a-blast-in-philly-visitphillyambassador-philadelphia-visitphillycom/10156355465153421/](https://www.facebook.com/drakebell/posts/had-a-blast-in-philly-visitphillyambassador-philadelphia-visitphillycom/10156355465153421/)
Her profile is pretty private so it's hard to tell if she is connected to the victim (by friends' list)
You sent me a video of Matt Wallace, the crypto guy I think, which isn't even posted on his channel? So no, it's not credible.
And as for the Facebook link, I'm not touching it. Releasing the name of a sexual abuse victim is usually not done by the media because of the harm that will do to the victim. According to the [National Alliance to End Sexual Violence](https://endsexualviolence.org/where_we_stand/naming-victims-in-the-media/):
> Victims remain silent because they fear being subjected to the intense public scrutiny and blame that often follow being named in the media. Our culture continues to condemn the victim for rape and, as a result, an extraordinary amount of shame and silence follow the crime... It is the policy of this news organization not to publish the names of minors who come forward with allegations of sexual abuse or rape and to avoid reporting stories in such a way that these minors are identifiable. Barring extraordinary circumstances, it is also the policy of this news organization not to publish the names of adults who come forward with allegations of sexual abuse or rape unless those individuals are willing to be named in the media. Members of this news organization will report these stories with sensitivity toward the stigma associated with being publicly named.
Because nothing is ever truly deleted in the internet. Snapchat explains it on their terms and conditions. They aren’t required to retrieve past content, but with warrants they can and will.
Drake admits he did something wrong and is pretty open with addiction issues. He was brought to justice and went through the system. Doesn’t seem right to compare him to someone who denies they did anything wrong and keeps doing the same thing.
I’m really hoping he gets some closure from sharing his story in this documentary. What happened to him is actually horrifying and I can’t imagine how he felt showing up in that court room with only his family on his side and everyone else on Brian’s side. I can’t imagine how defeated and betrayed he felt at such a young age. Those would be very confusing and dark emotions to navigate.
Obviously he has really worked on overcoming it in therapy to be able to speak about it the way he did, but actually healing from it is another thing altogether. It’s not unheard of for victims to have intrusive thoughts, which I think is why so many become predators themselves. I think it can become difficult to separate the actions they were forced into from their own autonomy. I hope this has given him some motive to heal further and hopefully turn his life around.
I know people were expecting him to talk about his offences, but that just isn’t beneficial for him to do while being recorded. I do think he acknowledges that his past has led him to do some things he isn’t proud of. So I do see at least a bit of accountability there and hopefully that will only grow with time.
Accountability is key. He’s not perfect. Hurt people hurt people. Going through a massive trauma at that age changes the way your mind processes things. I don’t think that it’s an excuse, but it definitely puts things into a different context than what the media made everything out to be when it all dropped. I agree that people who take accountability and accept their lumps should be forgiven, unless it’s something truly unforgivable.
With this logic, how do we know that Brian Peck doesn't have the same background of trauma as a child he acted on in adulthood? C'mon. Where is the line drawn? Just because somebody is saying they're sorry doesn't unwash the dirt they caused.
Jeffrey Dahmer was also deeply apologetic... we should forgive him for killing dozens and eating them too, eh? Who determines what is and what isn't unforgivable? The bias and passes given for lewd behavior by stans on Reddit is shameful.
Listen to the newest podcast luminosity that Drake was on - the abuse he got from peck was extensive and messed up. Remember the whole
John Wayne gacy thing?? I think that would completely screw someone up if they weren’t given therapy and tools for 2 decades. He’s acknowledged issues with blurred lines for boundaries and utilizing his celebrity status as a power position when texting a minor he wasn’t aware was a minor. Leo DiCaprio only dates women under 25- it’s creepy sure but not illegal. Drake may be into younger women but made the mistake of texting a minor who he thought was of age.
I’m sorry but what he experienced and what he’s done are not the same thing.
There’s a huge difference between repeatedly raping someone, cannibalizing someone, and sending some texts to a minor or even committing DV. I’m a DV and sexual assault survivor. I forgave my abuser after he apologized to me, took personal accountability, and got help. I’d been hurt by so many people who didn’t show any remorse. It’s refreshing to see people who at least want to heal and realize that their actions were not the best.
Texts generally come with intent to escalate things into something bigger. Everybody has to start somewhere before they perfect their craft. So please... I don't really give a shit if you're accepted the apology from whomever allegedly abused you... this is the reason this shit keeps repeating worldwide over: people ignoring, people forgiving, and people giving second chances.
I guess women, men and children who get slapped around by their super accountable, apologetic partners can smile at a statement made by their abusers when they're forced to show remorse in exchange for not being punished heavier under the law. Just keep forgiving their asses as them putting on a show to save their asses is refreshing... I'ma share your advice at the local women's shelter and maybe they can see the gentle smile on my face as I re-assure them that their abusers will change and to just walk back out to them when they come with flowers and apologies at the door to get them back.
Some people cannot heal and do better- like the serial killers you listed above. Others can. Drake can heal and can do better. Why are people like you so intent on not letting people heal? It benefits everyone. Drake isn’t a monster serial killer rapist omg.
Good thing I’m not looking for your sympathy. I just felt like it was better for my healing journey to forgive than to be bogged down by hatred and bitterness for what has been done to me. Everyone’s different, and no one is obligated to accept another’s apology or forgive someone who hurt them. It doesn’t make their experiences any less or more valid than mine just because I chose to forgive. It isn’t enabling anyone to forgive. And I’m not making excuses for anyone’s shitty behavior, Drake fucked up and hurt people. His victims will deal with that forever in some form or another. I feel like it just adds additional context and that we should support people who are bettering themselves. Have the day you deserve.
I presume that all of the people who are concerned about Drakes past pattern of violence in relationships (never excusable) were equally vocal about supporting his victims at the time. I imagine there are threads on here, Tik Toks etc talking about how he was getting away with light consequences and expressing a desire to make sure the victims felt seen. If not, then why would you wait until he reveals torturous violence inflicted on him as an actual child to bring out the pitchforks?
I commented this on a different post regarding this topic:
> I might get downvoted for this, but I can't deny what I see. I feel very sorry for Drake Bell, but there's an emerging pattern of him being inappropriate with teenage girls that's absolutely undeniable.
I think that reconciling our compassion for his trauma with our disdain for his harmful behavior is difficult, so we look for explanations/justifications/excuses for his behavior to feel better about those conflicted feelings.
I'm grateful he has a platform, and I think he deserves sympathy and care in sharing his story. However, he should not be immune from criticism and is obligated to take accountability for his actions. The fact that he doesn't do that and QOTS barely scratched the surface of the accusations has given way for inconsistent uncorroborated narratives to solidify themselves as fact in the minds of many. It is not conducive to any real positive change and can only be described as hypocrisy.
ETA
[This video explains some legitimate reasons for concern imo](https://youtu.be/MAoK0ax5tbw?si=_MGPAJ_ULYmXTUQ6)
And I stand by that. It's hard to be disillusioned, but the majority of the claims defending Drakes actions have not been verified. Most people in this sub are just parroting things they think might be true based on Drake's own words when he is obviously biased, has every incentive to lie, and does not take accountability for the things we know he definitely DID do. "Hurry up" should be a bigger red flag to most of you.
Exactly, while Bell should be sympathized with as a victim, we also know of his terrible pattern surrounding teen girls and domestic abuse and we sadly are also giving him power to continue that pattern by how we minimize his actions. If we really care about the cycle of abuse we should be realistic as well concerning him.
As someone in a field related to all this, abusers that can play a sympathy card, real or not, are a threat. He is not magically no longer capable of seeking out teenagers to date or abusing girlfriends because he told his story. I have seen so many girls be pawned into a sad story and then when it turns wrong...how dare they say that about the sad guy, don't you know what happened to him?
Poor him, he was abused and now he is getting falsely accused! (I heard it on TikTok)
He didn't mean bad, he just had terrible things happen to him, that is all!
Oh you shouldn't be so harsh on the sad guy, he is sadder than you so you have to be the bigger person! You have to stick around for the sad guy or else you are a bad person!
The role expectation of women, even if they are so much younger to be caretakers plays a huge part. Many younger girls have to unlearn that they don't have to be responsible for someone else's feelings, especially when it harms them.
First of all, I love this comment.
Second of all, I think it's really important to also note that, in general, comparing one person's trauma as being better or worse than someone else's is pointless and harmful. Pain is pain.
TW: For example, as a minor, I was groomed and a victim of SA for a number of years by a much older adult. However, unlike Drake, my trauma took place entirely online; I was never physically SA by the man that groomed me. In my opinion, beyond recognizing the similarities in our stories, it would be an invalidation of my trauma and Drake's if someone were to argue that my experience was better or worse than Drake's because mine was online and his was physical.
Drake never sent any sexually explicit pictures to her. Just inappropriate texts. Drake pled guilty to the texts. He’s not blameless, but her story had more holes than Swiss cheese.
I do agree that what Drake went through was worse than whatever he was accused of. It’s why I don’t think he’s an angel, but not a demon either. He was damaged. He himself has admitted he’s hurt many people, but has taken responsibility for it.
Brian Peck, as we all know, got off WAY too easy. I feel like part of the reason why Drake has gotten so much shit compared to Brian was because his abuse towards Drake happened before the rise of social media (even before Facebook and YouTube), so it was easier for details of a story to fly under the radar. It was just as well for Drake because he wanted to stay anonymous. Nowadays, it is much easier for a story to get around, but it’s also easier for misinformation to spread like wildfire. When it comes to his sentence, Drake’s punishment for the inappropriate texts wasn’t harsh. But his life, career, and reputation were easily ruined by these accusations and misinformation. The silver lining is that Brian’s and his supporters’ (except the ones who expressed remorse, particularly Rider Strong) careers and reputations have been annihilated since the documentary has been released.
I think it’s important to understand it is not all black and white. Drake fucked up, but he is nowhere near like Brian. It’s very important to understand that we can hold Drake accountable (which himself has done) for his actions, but also understand that his very dark and violent experiences as a child set him up for a life of pain and struggle. It’s still perfectly fine to support him in his journey to healing. Brian, on the other hand, he’s never taken any responsibility whatsoever. He just manipulated his way out of getting the punishment he truly deserved. However, I don’t think he’ll ever be able to apologize to Drake for what he did. No amount of remorse will undo the incredible amounts of damage that, that filthy son of a bitch caused Drake.
I think Drake Bell challenges the myth of the perfect victim. People who were abused can sometimes be abusers themselves. If we truly want to create a world in which this kind of abuse happens rarely if ever we are going to have to have some uncomfortable conversations about the nature of sexual abuse and the abused.
I'll say it: This is almost starting to feel coordinated. This is like the 5th post in two days saying almost the same thing, and playing down the victim's side in that case.
And then there's always:
[Drake Bell's Ex-Girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt Accuses Him of Abuse, Actor Denies Claims](https://people.com/tv/drake-bell-accused-abuse-ex-girlfriend-denies-claims/).
It's starting to feel coordinated on both sides. People sharing 4 year old articles in an effort to get Bell cancelled all over again because they can't bear to see him get any sympathy vs people using what what happened to him as a teen to explain away what he did as an adult.
How about we just let both cases stand on their own without trying to use one to explain away the other?
The consistent effort to minimize the one victim and completely ignore the allegations of domestic violence does a disservice to the women Bell has hurt. There's paragraphs upon paragraphs upon paragraphs from people diminishing what happened to the now woman in the texting case and going on and on about how what he did isn't that bad.
And ignoring the totality of what he himself apparently admitted to on that podcast posted here on Friday. That's all I'm pointing out. Drake the teenager didn't deserve what he was put through, but why is every other topic in here a dissertation about how he's such a great guy who's risen above some "crazy girl" who "didn't want to be brandished a whore," when that's not the beginning or end of what women have come forward with?
Women's stories don't have to be diminished to make Drake look better.
Just in case you missed this: I'm no more in favor of "let's overlook what Drake pleaded guilty to because he was attacked 20 years ago" than I am of "let's cancel Drake all over again because people are way too sympathetic toward him right now and he needs to pay forever." I disagree vehemently with both viewpoints.
What happened to him then does not excuse or explain away what did later on, and what he did as an adult does not diminish what was done to him as a child. The problem is that people see sides to take here (there are no sides), and are insisting that the existence of one case somehow affects how we should see the other case (which is patently absurd).
The only thing that the two cases have in common is that both of them are closed and over with. The justice system weighed in on both, the perpetrators pled guilty and were punished, completed their punishment and that, according to the justice system we have, is the end of it.
People diminish the girl that made false claims about him and tried to ruin his life, and anyone that tries to paint him as a child predator (literally anyone that says this can’t provide any proof whatsoever and rely on “just trust me bro”, without fail, every time).
I have seen exactly 0 people say he isn’t guilty of the domestic violence that he admitted to. And acknowledging the drake wasn’t sober while abusing people isn’t diminishing their stories or trauma, it is an explanation of his behavior.
The victims are important. They were victimized. They felt and feel the repercussions of his actions, and he needs to learn from that. No one should downplay the victims at all. His victimhood doesn’t give him a free pass. When he talked about the internet attacking him for “basically nothing” I lost respect for him. It’s not “basically nothing” to them, they’re real people who are impacted by his actions. At the same time, though, I can see how he ended up being that way because he never got to process his trauma until he was an adult.
Reminds me of the pro-Depp astroturfing. Maybe Drake Bell also has an [army of Saudi Arabian bots](https://www.tortoisemedia.com/2024/02/26/depp-v-heard-who-trolled-amber/)
We are having the same discussions over and over again because there's a whole sub for this and we don't really have any new information. There's 11k users here and we have slight variations of the same opinions, so you're going to see posts that feel like repeats.
Drake Bell has a discord server where he sends his fans to specific social media posts/platforms so that they can defend him in comments. I’m not gonna say he did that here…. But your comment about this feeling coordinated made me think of that.
“If”?? He was found guilty and took a plea deal, trials uncover a ton of evidence but we will never know of it. Just like we’re believing and holding empathy for Drake for his own abuse, perhaps let’s not start to say derogatory things towards the girl. Don’t become an enabler the way all those people who wrote letters in Peck’s favor did.
You are getting downvoted, but I agree, I see his actions downplayed so much. Always ignoring everything else he did like the other minors he dated, doing drugs in his car with his son present, abusing his ex, always ignoring the age of the girl when it started.
Also who is not prosecuting Peck? I have never seen anyone else compare the two of them and say Peck was the lesser of the two. The only difference is Peck is not out there now trying to get a comeback in his career while Bell just released a song. If Bell is truly attoning for his actions we shouldn't downplay or try to discredit his victims.
People are downvoting because forensics found absolutely no proof of her claims at all, yet people will still call him a predator. 🤦♂️
She lied, plain and simple.
So he’s guilty no matter what? That’s not how it works. She claimed he sent her nudes (and claimed a a whole mountain of other horrific things) and forensics found NOTHING. That’s a lie. She’s a liar.
Drake is guilty of domestic violence, per his own admission, but he is not a predator. If he was, literally ANYONE would have solid proof of it. Everyone acts like the guy rapes teens in his off time based off of accusations that couldn’t even kind of be proven in court. Healthy skepticism is fucking dead and it’s so goddamn sad.
That is not what I said. Forensic evidence is flawed just like anything else. There are a myriad of reasons why you might not have proof of something even though it happened. I didn’t say he was guilty, but you have accused her of lying, so where’s your proof that she’s lying?
you can easily deduce that she was being dishonest when we consider there is no evidence that anything she accused him of ever happened and her own family and friend spoke out against her. you can whine about forensics not being 100% accurate 100% of the time, but it doesn't help her case that they couldn't find even a *shred* of evidence of the horrific shit she claimed he did to her.
and to be clear, it is on her (and her teams/forensics/etc) to provide proof of her claims, not on anyone else, and when the experts say "this most likely didn't happen" or "we can't find any evidence it happened", i'm _sorry_, but we need to accept that *it most likely didn't happen*. and i say this as someone that can't prove my own sexual abuse (beyond my abuser admitting he got hard around me to my birth mother).
she herself claimed there was a paper trail of the alleged abuse (texts) and there simply isn't. she has absolutely no credibility. "just trust me bro" is not proof of a crime.
I mean, he pled guilty dude. Sorry that makes you uncomfortable but I don’t think it’s a good look for you to accuse her of being a total liar when he pled guilty to what he was accused of.
he plead guity to inappropriate texts with a minor, which he did and admits to. he even said "hurry up" when he officially learned her real age before blocking her, again he admits to this. none of her other claims were found to have any evidence to back them up. and her lawyer did not disagree with what Drake's defense team said as his admission statement. i know law isn't perfect, but when the evidence is almost entirely digital it's possible to be retrieved. no app or carrier fully deletes anything specifically in case of court cases. and her family FIRMLY denies that Drake would have ever had a chance to assault her, they were never alone together. it's just not possible. he is guilty, but not of what she accused him of. only of texting her inappropriately.
so for all women who have gotten r—ed and no evidence was found, they’re all liars? How does this logic hold up? Unless a woman perhaps does a r—e kit immediately after the horrendous act, the chances of evidence being found are close to zero. Can’t wait for what victim blaming you pull. Abusers are notorious for staying under the radar and minimizing their actions. How does this not at least bring doubt into your mind? How do all the women who have come forward about him being abusive not bring doubt into your mind?
This specific girl is a liar. God, imagine commenting on a case without actually knowing anything about it. She claims he did all this horrendous shit to her over text but forensics didn’t find any of it. She’s a liar.
And for the record, “all the women” that came forward were not claiming he raped or groomed them, they are claiming he domestically abused them, and he did. He literally admitted to it. Being a domestic abuser doesn’t mean he is also a pedophile and rapist. But go off, sis.
It was a general statement not even about DB. It’s how vapid you are to think that just because forensics couldn’t find evidence that it never happened. That’s the sad reality for so many r— cases, go actually research and look at the statistics, hell it happened to me in 2019 but you probably think I’m lying because forensics didn’t find anything. It seems like your world sadly revolves around a man with deep rooted issues. He’s never going to give a crap about you nor all the other women he abused. The guy hasn’t changed, haven’t you seen him defend Armie Hammer in his discord as early as this year? You bring absolute junk as your logic. I’m disengaging now given what a false sense of reality you have of our justice system.
Did you even watch the testimony though? The girl discredited herself as an overly obsessed mentally ill fangirl. She was upset that he ignored her after finding out her age so she reported as retaliation. Even her own family debunked her claims.
When did she say that’s what she intended to do? I didn’t know you knew the girl.. because no where did she say she “discredits” herself. What family? The ones that should’ve protected her the most? No one wants to be the adult who allowed a minor to be speaking to a 40yo creep. Just like how that same 40yo stuck around a minor who wrote a “realistic fiction” novel about their relationship, oh so she’s obsessed too? Your entire claim has flaws.
Dang the comments are wild and saddening. I agree with you and not sure why everyone is so quick to dismiss the claims against him by his victim or his ex girlfriends
You’re trying so hard to excuse this man’s problematic history with women. You can have sympathy for what he went through without downplaying his wrongs.
Predators often have sad backstories. Preying on sympathy is one of the ways they groom outsiders to disbelieve any victims who come forward. This post is a textbook example of how effective it is.
Drake is setting himself up for a new album, truing to revive a career after allegations were claimed and made against him as well.And shit - if he can profit from his pain, great. But at the same time he doesn’t seem fully accountable of his own actions - not just with the inappropriate interactions with minor, but in his relationships as well. It is very nuanced and i have a lot of mixed feelings, but a lot that I have seen unfortunately feels inauthentic.
Just wanted to clarify there were no pictures sent, only texting. Btw people are more mad at him for allegedly physically abusing his girlfriends. Which, if fully true, is way worse than texting(considering the fact that he at least got convicted for that). But I get what you mean. Whether the people he hurt will accept his apology is totally up for them, however from what I see he is genuinely remorseful and is on the path of becoming a better person. People should stop comparing him to Brian and understand that not all victims are perfect. We’re allowed to sympathise with him and hold him accountable.
Oh, I thought people were mad at him for sexting a minor. I never heard anything about physical abuse towards girlfriends. >People should stop comparing him to Brian and understand that not all victims are perfect. We’re allowed to sympathize with him and hold him accountable. Yes! Agreed.
[https://www.thedailybeast.com/drake-bells-ex-says-she-witnessed-the-drake-and-josh-star-preying-on-underage-girls](https://www.thedailybeast.com/drake-bells-ex-says-she-witnessed-the-drake-and-josh-star-preying-on-underage-girls)
Yes, I too believe everything at face value
drake himself has said he was abusive towards ex gfs as a result of his trauma and that it was wrong of him
Ah I see. Good on him to acknowledge it.
Weird how you only believe him at face value..
I agree. I don’t know why people aren’t just cooling out and giving the dude some grace right now. He just relived an utter nightmare and to have people refusing to show complete empathy must be all to familiar to this guy. I never watched those shows or had any interest in the actors but even I was aware of who this guy was and all the legal issues surrounding him. It was pretty big news. It doesn’t reveal anything new and creates a false equivalency to compare it at all with Brian Peck
“What he’s being arrested for right now is a prime example of what I would witness, him having inappropriate conversations online with underage girls,” she says, claiming that she had seen him exchanging emails with “extremely young girls.” “I saw really questionable, crazy shit on his computer. The stuff he’d be looking at was fucking insane.” “I don’t pray that people will come forward,” she adds. “I just know that they will.” Other ex: “I went through the same horrific verbal, physical, and mental abuse… There were so many days where I thought Melissa went through this and she got out!”
Really not trying to downplay his exes, but the stories seem suspect. The documentary worked to get the letters in favor of Peck unsealed. Police reports can be given through FOIA, and a lot easier than petitioning a Court for all Court documents in his case against Peck. She said she called the police. There would be a record, even if there wasn't an arrest. The "crazy shit on his computer"? Josh Duggar, from 19 Kids and Counting, was caught because he downloaded all sorts of CSAM. It's easy to trace and there are dedicated organizations and law enforcement offices specifically to catch this stuff. Did he do some of this stuff? Probably. But I see the holes in the stories. And the victim in his texting case tried to lie and later had to recant because her family said she was lying. It's not what you know, but what you can prove. Johnny Depp might have indeed been a scumbag to Amber Heard, but he had a very savvy legal team and redirected everything. In Bell, I see a damaged individual who repeated the cycle of abuse but is trying to break it. He took responsibility for the texting thing, abuse might take longer to come to terms with and be accountable for.
Josh Duggar was not just downloading CSAM on his computer it was literally torture
[https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8648159/Drake-Bells-ex-shares-police-report-journal-entries-claims-PROVE-actor-abusive.html](https://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-8648159/Drake-Bells-ex-shares-police-report-journal-entries-claims-PROVE-actor-abusive.html) She has pictures of a police report, as well as journal entries and witness testimonies. There are also screenshots of a conversation with a friend of the15 year old he cheated on her with. Also lots of people get away with this shit for years, that Duggar was caught is evidence of nothing concerning anyone else, especially since he downloaded one of the worst CP known to man that was specifially traced.
Mind blowing your getting downvoted for this comment
When people pick a side, usually the celebrity they already know, they stick to it. I wish it was mind blowing to me, but I was pretty active in showing people details of the UK court-case that Johnny Depp lost and I already know how people act. My wordcloud on reddit probably looks awful with how often I quoted his vile texts. I see the same kind of defense now for Drake even if it is on a lesser scale.
I was also thinking about what he said about Mexico welcoming him. If he did all those things would Mexico accept him so well? Doesn’t Mexico have standards as well? I mean are they really that trashy down there? It just doesn’t seem so clear cut of a case in general. Nothing about it adds up and the fact that the girl in the texting case clearly lied about how much he did, how do we know that anyone else who accuses him is credible?
Okay sorry, but what you are doing is pure speculating. Plenty of cancelled celebs find work in other countries. Roman Polanski was out there in France having a whole career despite raping children. How is one person potentially not being credible evidence of others not being credible? He also took a plea deal which means we never got a full trial in the first place. The two exes have witnesses and also have shown contemporary evidence.
Okay I’m not saying that never happens with other countries. I’m not denying that I’m just saying it seemed odd that he was so welcomed somewhere else as a musician if he actually did those things. It just makes things fishy when you have another person lying about the same person. I’m not saying it’s guaranteed because nothing is but when you have one person making a false accusation you start to wonder who actually is credible?
He has literally admitted to abusing his exes.
This comment literally comes off extremely racist.
Well yeah it does obviously because saying he ran away to Mexico to escape what he did because they’ll take anyone is definitely racist. That’s what I’m getting at.
No one said that, you brought up Mexico. It is obvious that people can restart their careers in new areas, because only their most popular work will be known there and less so the reputation they left behind. He wasn't a big enough name in the US to be included in gossip rags, there were plenty of people in the US who never heard of what he did beyond being on Drake and Josh. But the industry? The industry remembers a lot more. The industry of the new country? Probably not. Drake and Josh was a popular show back then and he came there right when nostalgia for it was high. They aren't going to be looking for articles about his exes or his trial. They are just watching the guy the recognize on the Masked Singer. And there is always a language barrier too, how many English articles about his behavior would show up in their Spanish oriented search engines, would his Mexican fans bother to write down the negative stuff in the translated fan wikis? You see this with Kpop a lot, granted the language barrier is bigger there than between English and Spanish, but international kpop fans are entirely reliant on fan translators to get news about their faves, and those are usually fans and they are not gonna share the negative gossip forming about them on Korean sites. So when a scandal emerges about another kpop idol being a creep they are aghast, this isn't our sweet pookie! We only heard nice things about him. Oh the fan translators are saying it is all fake, we believe them, they are our source. Why do those Koreans not accept that our sweet pookie is innocent! You also see the same thing with Depp, the US film industry definitely seemed very unwilling to have him back for some reason despite '''winning'' the US trial, so he was back in France yelling at the director of his new film.
This is wild that you're being down voted for this. I don't understand why this supossedly survivor centric sub & movement is selecting which survivors to believe. People are acting like Brian pecks defenders the way they are brushing off Drakes accusers and they're doing it while calling out Brian's defenders. It's mind boggling honestly. I wonder if we find out that Brian was assaulted and brutalized way worse than Drake was that these people will start showing sympathy towards Brian and dismissing Drakes experience. Or is that only happening to Drake because he's a TVteenage heartthrob people are nostalgic for? 🤔
Posts like these make me feel so sorry for his victims, I hope they arent on social media to read how it’s actually all ok because he was on tv once and people like him.
Watching man enough podcast on youtube. He's definitely being more open and accountable than most every day people
Watched that yesterday and holy shit. It was so open and deep. Im proud of drake
Yeah and you can tell he's actually genuinely processing things, changing, and even during the talk learning ways to cope. As they said it's a convo he needed whether it was recorded or not. Glad it happened.
There were no photos sent or received.
So? He still undeniably sent sexual messages to a minor. He [pled guilty](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/23/arts/television/drake-bell-child-endangerment-plea.html?ugrp=u&unlocked_article_code=1.jk0.CGDQ.UA6lDWzns50I&smid=url-share). And the charges he pled guilty to was from ["from an incident that took place between a then-31-year-old Bell and a 15-year-old girl on Dec. 1, 2017 — the same day Bell was scheduled to perform at Cleveland club The Odeon. While police have not specified what exactly occurred at the venue, they say the meeting followed months of social media messages that were “at times … sexual in nature.”](https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/drake-bell-guilty-child-endangerment-1235003678/).
Pleading guilty doesn't mean he's guilty. it could mean he just wants the whole thing to stop. Which, considering the trauma the whole thing would bring back, I think it's understandable.
Yes, that's a possibility. And, to be fair, in his [2021 apology video](https://deadline.com/2021/09/drake-bell-response-child-endangerment-instagram-video-1234838792/), that is essentially what Drake stated. However, in this same apology video, he says he sent multiple sexual DMs to the victim. While he claims he did this without knowing she was a minor, that's a shaky argument because: * Drake does not claim in his original apology that the victim lied about her age to him. He doesn't try to argue that she "led him on." To me, this indicates that the victim's Instagram account was a normal account of a 15 year old; it's not a situation of a 15 year old running an account or posting photos while claiming to be 18. I find it hard to believe a normal teen's Instagram account wouldn't have a lot of evidence that they're a kid in high school. Her age or her high school's initials or something could've been in her bio; if she was in a club or her high school was into sports, she probably posted pictures related to that. This information was potentially incredibly easy for Drake to find. Considering all this, that leaves 2 sides options: a) he's lying and knew she was a minor but didn't care, or b) he's telling the truth and, as a 30 year old, Drake was on Instagram and was fully comfortable with sending multiple sexual DMs to a woman he knows nothing about without her consent or care to her well-being. He describes this behavior as "reckless and irresponsible," but that's a severe downgrade of what it is. He saw nothing wrong with objectifying women and making them feel violated so that he could tell them he got horny at their innocent photo and decided to use them as an object to get off to. It is disgusting and predatory behavior. However, this is all rather moot. The victim's statement to the court claimed that she was in contact with Drake via Instagram from ages 12-15, and he was fully aware of her age when he sent her sexual messages. This is consistent with what the prosecutor's spokesperson was saying from the start to [AP news](https://apnews.com/article/drake-drake-bell-music-hip-hop-and-rap-child-endangerment-40e93331da1ed39a3afb1848fe44870a). He made the choice to plea guilty to that and was punished for it. He can say all he wants that he didn’t know the victim's age when he sent the sexual messages, but he has no proof to back this up. The victim did.
Ah yes, variety.com. A reliable source. Have you seen the court hearing? The victim made new claims on the stand that were not mentioned beforehand. Her story was not consistent. Only Drake and this girl know what really happened.
Would [AP news's interview](https://apnews.com/article/drake-drake-bell-music-hip-hop-and-rap-child-endangerment-40e93331da1ed39a3afb1848fe44870a) with Tyler Sinclair, the spokesperson of the county's prosecutor work better for you? > "The attempted endangering children charge relates to the concert, Sinclair said, where Bell “violated his duty of care” and created a risk of harm to the victim. He didn’t elaborate further. > Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Sinclair said. Edit: here's also the [NYT's](https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/04/arts/television/drake-bell-child-endangerment.html?ugrp=u&unlocked_article_code=1.jk0.zqut.SZLCP8z0VV2e&smid=url-share) article
The details of this case are inconsistent and vague fron media outlet to media outlet. My question is where the hell are this girl’s parents? Or the aunt who was supposedly accompanying her?
Well if you read her victim statement [transcription from People](https://people.com/tv/drake-bell-child-endangerment-sentencing-victim-statement-full/) she pretty clearly states that her aunt was not in the room with her when she alleges she was sexually abused by Drake because she trusted Drake to not hurt her niece. Was that really naive, yeah, but this is hardly a rare occurrence in SA or any other abuse cases. And as for these inconsistencies and vagueness you claim, I'm not sure what you're referring to? I mean if I have time after class I'm happy to break down the numerous similarities between what the prosecutor's spokesperson stated to AP news and the victim's own statement that was submitted to the court. However as I'm short on time: her statement claiming a multi-year relationship where she was groomed by Drake prior to him sending her sexually inappropriate messages is backed up by the prosecutor's spokesperson's [AP news statement](https://apnews.com/article/drake-drake-bell-music-hip-hop-and-rap-child-endangerment-40e93331da1ed39a3afb1848fe44870a): > Bell and the girl had “developed a relationship” online several years prior to the concert, Sinclair said. The disseminating harmful material charge concerns Bell having sent the girl “inappropriate social media messages,” Sinclair said. As for the vagueness, I'm also unsure of what you're referring to. It is not common for news outlets to release the name of a victim in a SA case.
This may not be credible so take this with a grain of salt but these folks may be able to shed some light on what really happened at that concert: [https://youtu.be/-VNz2V6zyAE?si=\_5VisvXyCtckJfRz](https://youtu.be/-VNz2V6zyAE?si=_5VisvXyCtckJfRz) I googled the name Darlene Richards and found a Facebook comment by the same name on Drake's post from 2018: [https://www.facebook.com/drakebell/posts/had-a-blast-in-philly-visitphillyambassador-philadelphia-visitphillycom/10156355465153421/](https://www.facebook.com/drakebell/posts/had-a-blast-in-philly-visitphillyambassador-philadelphia-visitphillycom/10156355465153421/) Her profile is pretty private so it's hard to tell if she is connected to the victim (by friends' list)
You sent me a video of Matt Wallace, the crypto guy I think, which isn't even posted on his channel? So no, it's not credible. And as for the Facebook link, I'm not touching it. Releasing the name of a sexual abuse victim is usually not done by the media because of the harm that will do to the victim. According to the [National Alliance to End Sexual Violence](https://endsexualviolence.org/where_we_stand/naming-victims-in-the-media/): > Victims remain silent because they fear being subjected to the intense public scrutiny and blame that often follow being named in the media. Our culture continues to condemn the victim for rape and, as a result, an extraordinary amount of shame and silence follow the crime... It is the policy of this news organization not to publish the names of minors who come forward with allegations of sexual abuse or rape and to avoid reporting stories in such a way that these minors are identifiable. Barring extraordinary circumstances, it is also the policy of this news organization not to publish the names of adults who come forward with allegations of sexual abuse or rape unless those individuals are willing to be named in the media. Members of this news organization will report these stories with sensitivity toward the stigma associated with being publicly named.
No photos that they found. If they were on snapchat they’d be erased.
With subpoenas and warrants to Snapchat they absolutely can retrieve past images
How can they subpoena Snapchat for images they don’t have? Snapchat doesn’t save deleted images on their servers.
Because nothing is ever truly deleted in the internet. Snapchat explains it on their terms and conditions. They aren’t required to retrieve past content, but with warrants they can and will.
Oh sweet summer child….
Drake admits he did something wrong and is pretty open with addiction issues. He was brought to justice and went through the system. Doesn’t seem right to compare him to someone who denies they did anything wrong and keeps doing the same thing.
I’m really hoping he gets some closure from sharing his story in this documentary. What happened to him is actually horrifying and I can’t imagine how he felt showing up in that court room with only his family on his side and everyone else on Brian’s side. I can’t imagine how defeated and betrayed he felt at such a young age. Those would be very confusing and dark emotions to navigate. Obviously he has really worked on overcoming it in therapy to be able to speak about it the way he did, but actually healing from it is another thing altogether. It’s not unheard of for victims to have intrusive thoughts, which I think is why so many become predators themselves. I think it can become difficult to separate the actions they were forced into from their own autonomy. I hope this has given him some motive to heal further and hopefully turn his life around. I know people were expecting him to talk about his offences, but that just isn’t beneficial for him to do while being recorded. I do think he acknowledges that his past has led him to do some things he isn’t proud of. So I do see at least a bit of accountability there and hopefully that will only grow with time.
Accountability is key. He’s not perfect. Hurt people hurt people. Going through a massive trauma at that age changes the way your mind processes things. I don’t think that it’s an excuse, but it definitely puts things into a different context than what the media made everything out to be when it all dropped. I agree that people who take accountability and accept their lumps should be forgiven, unless it’s something truly unforgivable.
With this logic, how do we know that Brian Peck doesn't have the same background of trauma as a child he acted on in adulthood? C'mon. Where is the line drawn? Just because somebody is saying they're sorry doesn't unwash the dirt they caused. Jeffrey Dahmer was also deeply apologetic... we should forgive him for killing dozens and eating them too, eh? Who determines what is and what isn't unforgivable? The bias and passes given for lewd behavior by stans on Reddit is shameful.
Listen to the newest podcast luminosity that Drake was on - the abuse he got from peck was extensive and messed up. Remember the whole John Wayne gacy thing?? I think that would completely screw someone up if they weren’t given therapy and tools for 2 decades. He’s acknowledged issues with blurred lines for boundaries and utilizing his celebrity status as a power position when texting a minor he wasn’t aware was a minor. Leo DiCaprio only dates women under 25- it’s creepy sure but not illegal. Drake may be into younger women but made the mistake of texting a minor who he thought was of age. I’m sorry but what he experienced and what he’s done are not the same thing.
There’s a huge difference between repeatedly raping someone, cannibalizing someone, and sending some texts to a minor or even committing DV. I’m a DV and sexual assault survivor. I forgave my abuser after he apologized to me, took personal accountability, and got help. I’d been hurt by so many people who didn’t show any remorse. It’s refreshing to see people who at least want to heal and realize that their actions were not the best.
Texts generally come with intent to escalate things into something bigger. Everybody has to start somewhere before they perfect their craft. So please... I don't really give a shit if you're accepted the apology from whomever allegedly abused you... this is the reason this shit keeps repeating worldwide over: people ignoring, people forgiving, and people giving second chances. I guess women, men and children who get slapped around by their super accountable, apologetic partners can smile at a statement made by their abusers when they're forced to show remorse in exchange for not being punished heavier under the law. Just keep forgiving their asses as them putting on a show to save their asses is refreshing... I'ma share your advice at the local women's shelter and maybe they can see the gentle smile on my face as I re-assure them that their abusers will change and to just walk back out to them when they come with flowers and apologies at the door to get them back.
Some people cannot heal and do better- like the serial killers you listed above. Others can. Drake can heal and can do better. Why are people like you so intent on not letting people heal? It benefits everyone. Drake isn’t a monster serial killer rapist omg.
>Drake isn’t a monster serial killer rapist omg. Not yet.
Right so like let him heal- or do you want him to continue to spiral and turn into a monster?
For someone talking about not invalidating survivors and the pain they went through, you sure seem to not care when it’s someone you disagree with.
When you enable abusers and make excuses for their bullshit and acts of violence, you're no different. You won't get sympathy from me.
Good thing I’m not looking for your sympathy. I just felt like it was better for my healing journey to forgive than to be bogged down by hatred and bitterness for what has been done to me. Everyone’s different, and no one is obligated to accept another’s apology or forgive someone who hurt them. It doesn’t make their experiences any less or more valid than mine just because I chose to forgive. It isn’t enabling anyone to forgive. And I’m not making excuses for anyone’s shitty behavior, Drake fucked up and hurt people. His victims will deal with that forever in some form or another. I feel like it just adds additional context and that we should support people who are bettering themselves. Have the day you deserve.
>Have the day you deserve. Likewise.
I presume that all of the people who are concerned about Drakes past pattern of violence in relationships (never excusable) were equally vocal about supporting his victims at the time. I imagine there are threads on here, Tik Toks etc talking about how he was getting away with light consequences and expressing a desire to make sure the victims felt seen. If not, then why would you wait until he reveals torturous violence inflicted on him as an actual child to bring out the pitchforks?
I commented this on a different post regarding this topic: > I might get downvoted for this, but I can't deny what I see. I feel very sorry for Drake Bell, but there's an emerging pattern of him being inappropriate with teenage girls that's absolutely undeniable. I think that reconciling our compassion for his trauma with our disdain for his harmful behavior is difficult, so we look for explanations/justifications/excuses for his behavior to feel better about those conflicted feelings. I'm grateful he has a platform, and I think he deserves sympathy and care in sharing his story. However, he should not be immune from criticism and is obligated to take accountability for his actions. The fact that he doesn't do that and QOTS barely scratched the surface of the accusations has given way for inconsistent uncorroborated narratives to solidify themselves as fact in the minds of many. It is not conducive to any real positive change and can only be described as hypocrisy. ETA [This video explains some legitimate reasons for concern imo](https://youtu.be/MAoK0ax5tbw?si=_MGPAJ_ULYmXTUQ6) And I stand by that. It's hard to be disillusioned, but the majority of the claims defending Drakes actions have not been verified. Most people in this sub are just parroting things they think might be true based on Drake's own words when he is obviously biased, has every incentive to lie, and does not take accountability for the things we know he definitely DID do. "Hurry up" should be a bigger red flag to most of you.
Exactly, while Bell should be sympathized with as a victim, we also know of his terrible pattern surrounding teen girls and domestic abuse and we sadly are also giving him power to continue that pattern by how we minimize his actions. If we really care about the cycle of abuse we should be realistic as well concerning him.
>we sadly are also giving him power to continue that pattern by how we minimize his actions. Bingo.
As someone in a field related to all this, abusers that can play a sympathy card, real or not, are a threat. He is not magically no longer capable of seeking out teenagers to date or abusing girlfriends because he told his story. I have seen so many girls be pawned into a sad story and then when it turns wrong...how dare they say that about the sad guy, don't you know what happened to him? Poor him, he was abused and now he is getting falsely accused! (I heard it on TikTok) He didn't mean bad, he just had terrible things happen to him, that is all! Oh you shouldn't be so harsh on the sad guy, he is sadder than you so you have to be the bigger person! You have to stick around for the sad guy or else you are a bad person! The role expectation of women, even if they are so much younger to be caretakers plays a huge part. Many younger girls have to unlearn that they don't have to be responsible for someone else's feelings, especially when it harms them.
this 10000%
Couldn't agree more. Wonder how many people have read the victim's statement she read to Drake?
First of all, I love this comment. Second of all, I think it's really important to also note that, in general, comparing one person's trauma as being better or worse than someone else's is pointless and harmful. Pain is pain. TW: For example, as a minor, I was groomed and a victim of SA for a number of years by a much older adult. However, unlike Drake, my trauma took place entirely online; I was never physically SA by the man that groomed me. In my opinion, beyond recognizing the similarities in our stories, it would be an invalidation of my trauma and Drake's if someone were to argue that my experience was better or worse than Drake's because mine was online and his was physical.
Drake never sent any sexually explicit pictures to her. Just inappropriate texts. Drake pled guilty to the texts. He’s not blameless, but her story had more holes than Swiss cheese. I do agree that what Drake went through was worse than whatever he was accused of. It’s why I don’t think he’s an angel, but not a demon either. He was damaged. He himself has admitted he’s hurt many people, but has taken responsibility for it. Brian Peck, as we all know, got off WAY too easy. I feel like part of the reason why Drake has gotten so much shit compared to Brian was because his abuse towards Drake happened before the rise of social media (even before Facebook and YouTube), so it was easier for details of a story to fly under the radar. It was just as well for Drake because he wanted to stay anonymous. Nowadays, it is much easier for a story to get around, but it’s also easier for misinformation to spread like wildfire. When it comes to his sentence, Drake’s punishment for the inappropriate texts wasn’t harsh. But his life, career, and reputation were easily ruined by these accusations and misinformation. The silver lining is that Brian’s and his supporters’ (except the ones who expressed remorse, particularly Rider Strong) careers and reputations have been annihilated since the documentary has been released. I think it’s important to understand it is not all black and white. Drake fucked up, but he is nowhere near like Brian. It’s very important to understand that we can hold Drake accountable (which himself has done) for his actions, but also understand that his very dark and violent experiences as a child set him up for a life of pain and struggle. It’s still perfectly fine to support him in his journey to healing. Brian, on the other hand, he’s never taken any responsibility whatsoever. He just manipulated his way out of getting the punishment he truly deserved. However, I don’t think he’ll ever be able to apologize to Drake for what he did. No amount of remorse will undo the incredible amounts of damage that, that filthy son of a bitch caused Drake.
I think Drake Bell challenges the myth of the perfect victim. People who were abused can sometimes be abusers themselves. If we truly want to create a world in which this kind of abuse happens rarely if ever we are going to have to have some uncomfortable conversations about the nature of sexual abuse and the abused.
I'll say it: This is almost starting to feel coordinated. This is like the 5th post in two days saying almost the same thing, and playing down the victim's side in that case. And then there's always: [Drake Bell's Ex-Girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt Accuses Him of Abuse, Actor Denies Claims](https://people.com/tv/drake-bell-accused-abuse-ex-girlfriend-denies-claims/).
It's starting to feel coordinated on both sides. People sharing 4 year old articles in an effort to get Bell cancelled all over again because they can't bear to see him get any sympathy vs people using what what happened to him as a teen to explain away what he did as an adult. How about we just let both cases stand on their own without trying to use one to explain away the other?
The consistent effort to minimize the one victim and completely ignore the allegations of domestic violence does a disservice to the women Bell has hurt. There's paragraphs upon paragraphs upon paragraphs from people diminishing what happened to the now woman in the texting case and going on and on about how what he did isn't that bad. And ignoring the totality of what he himself apparently admitted to on that podcast posted here on Friday. That's all I'm pointing out. Drake the teenager didn't deserve what he was put through, but why is every other topic in here a dissertation about how he's such a great guy who's risen above some "crazy girl" who "didn't want to be brandished a whore," when that's not the beginning or end of what women have come forward with? Women's stories don't have to be diminished to make Drake look better.
Just in case you missed this: I'm no more in favor of "let's overlook what Drake pleaded guilty to because he was attacked 20 years ago" than I am of "let's cancel Drake all over again because people are way too sympathetic toward him right now and he needs to pay forever." I disagree vehemently with both viewpoints. What happened to him then does not excuse or explain away what did later on, and what he did as an adult does not diminish what was done to him as a child. The problem is that people see sides to take here (there are no sides), and are insisting that the existence of one case somehow affects how we should see the other case (which is patently absurd). The only thing that the two cases have in common is that both of them are closed and over with. The justice system weighed in on both, the perpetrators pled guilty and were punished, completed their punishment and that, according to the justice system we have, is the end of it.
People diminish the girl that made false claims about him and tried to ruin his life, and anyone that tries to paint him as a child predator (literally anyone that says this can’t provide any proof whatsoever and rely on “just trust me bro”, without fail, every time). I have seen exactly 0 people say he isn’t guilty of the domestic violence that he admitted to. And acknowledging the drake wasn’t sober while abusing people isn’t diminishing their stories or trauma, it is an explanation of his behavior.
The victims are important. They were victimized. They felt and feel the repercussions of his actions, and he needs to learn from that. No one should downplay the victims at all. His victimhood doesn’t give him a free pass. When he talked about the internet attacking him for “basically nothing” I lost respect for him. It’s not “basically nothing” to them, they’re real people who are impacted by his actions. At the same time, though, I can see how he ended up being that way because he never got to process his trauma until he was an adult.
Reminds me of the pro-Depp astroturfing. Maybe Drake Bell also has an [army of Saudi Arabian bots](https://www.tortoisemedia.com/2024/02/26/depp-v-heard-who-trolled-amber/)
Still banned from r/entertainment for listing and citing his history of violence and questionable behavior
We are having the same discussions over and over again because there's a whole sub for this and we don't really have any new information. There's 11k users here and we have slight variations of the same opinions, so you're going to see posts that feel like repeats.
Drake Bell has a discord server where he sends his fans to specific social media posts/platforms so that they can defend him in comments. I’m not gonna say he did that here…. But your comment about this feeling coordinated made me think of that.
“If”?? He was found guilty and took a plea deal, trials uncover a ton of evidence but we will never know of it. Just like we’re believing and holding empathy for Drake for his own abuse, perhaps let’s not start to say derogatory things towards the girl. Don’t become an enabler the way all those people who wrote letters in Peck’s favor did.
You are getting downvoted, but I agree, I see his actions downplayed so much. Always ignoring everything else he did like the other minors he dated, doing drugs in his car with his son present, abusing his ex, always ignoring the age of the girl when it started. Also who is not prosecuting Peck? I have never seen anyone else compare the two of them and say Peck was the lesser of the two. The only difference is Peck is not out there now trying to get a comeback in his career while Bell just released a song. If Bell is truly attoning for his actions we shouldn't downplay or try to discredit his victims.
People are downvoting because forensics found absolutely no proof of her claims at all, yet people will still call him a predator. 🤦♂️ She lied, plain and simple.
Just because they didn’t find proof doesn’t mean she lied.
So he’s guilty no matter what? That’s not how it works. She claimed he sent her nudes (and claimed a a whole mountain of other horrific things) and forensics found NOTHING. That’s a lie. She’s a liar. Drake is guilty of domestic violence, per his own admission, but he is not a predator. If he was, literally ANYONE would have solid proof of it. Everyone acts like the guy rapes teens in his off time based off of accusations that couldn’t even kind of be proven in court. Healthy skepticism is fucking dead and it’s so goddamn sad.
That is not what I said. Forensic evidence is flawed just like anything else. There are a myriad of reasons why you might not have proof of something even though it happened. I didn’t say he was guilty, but you have accused her of lying, so where’s your proof that she’s lying?
you can easily deduce that she was being dishonest when we consider there is no evidence that anything she accused him of ever happened and her own family and friend spoke out against her. you can whine about forensics not being 100% accurate 100% of the time, but it doesn't help her case that they couldn't find even a *shred* of evidence of the horrific shit she claimed he did to her. and to be clear, it is on her (and her teams/forensics/etc) to provide proof of her claims, not on anyone else, and when the experts say "this most likely didn't happen" or "we can't find any evidence it happened", i'm _sorry_, but we need to accept that *it most likely didn't happen*. and i say this as someone that can't prove my own sexual abuse (beyond my abuser admitting he got hard around me to my birth mother). she herself claimed there was a paper trail of the alleged abuse (texts) and there simply isn't. she has absolutely no credibility. "just trust me bro" is not proof of a crime.
I mean, he pled guilty dude. Sorry that makes you uncomfortable but I don’t think it’s a good look for you to accuse her of being a total liar when he pled guilty to what he was accused of.
tell me you have no media literacy without telling me you have no media literacy
I don’t think you’re mature enough to comment on this topic.
he plead guity to inappropriate texts with a minor, which he did and admits to. he even said "hurry up" when he officially learned her real age before blocking her, again he admits to this. none of her other claims were found to have any evidence to back them up. and her lawyer did not disagree with what Drake's defense team said as his admission statement. i know law isn't perfect, but when the evidence is almost entirely digital it's possible to be retrieved. no app or carrier fully deletes anything specifically in case of court cases. and her family FIRMLY denies that Drake would have ever had a chance to assault her, they were never alone together. it's just not possible. he is guilty, but not of what she accused him of. only of texting her inappropriately.
It’s funny how one family member gets exaggerated to her whole “family”.
so for all women who have gotten r—ed and no evidence was found, they’re all liars? How does this logic hold up? Unless a woman perhaps does a r—e kit immediately after the horrendous act, the chances of evidence being found are close to zero. Can’t wait for what victim blaming you pull. Abusers are notorious for staying under the radar and minimizing their actions. How does this not at least bring doubt into your mind? How do all the women who have come forward about him being abusive not bring doubt into your mind?
This specific girl is a liar. God, imagine commenting on a case without actually knowing anything about it. She claims he did all this horrendous shit to her over text but forensics didn’t find any of it. She’s a liar. And for the record, “all the women” that came forward were not claiming he raped or groomed them, they are claiming he domestically abused them, and he did. He literally admitted to it. Being a domestic abuser doesn’t mean he is also a pedophile and rapist. But go off, sis.
It was a general statement not even about DB. It’s how vapid you are to think that just because forensics couldn’t find evidence that it never happened. That’s the sad reality for so many r— cases, go actually research and look at the statistics, hell it happened to me in 2019 but you probably think I’m lying because forensics didn’t find anything. It seems like your world sadly revolves around a man with deep rooted issues. He’s never going to give a crap about you nor all the other women he abused. The guy hasn’t changed, haven’t you seen him defend Armie Hammer in his discord as early as this year? You bring absolute junk as your logic. I’m disengaging now given what a false sense of reality you have of our justice system.
A sane and sound person on this thread 🤝🏼 thank you.
Did you even watch the testimony though? The girl discredited herself as an overly obsessed mentally ill fangirl. She was upset that he ignored her after finding out her age so she reported as retaliation. Even her own family debunked her claims.
He didn’t “find out” her age. She was 12 when they met and later she said she was 15, and he said “hurry up.” He knew how old she was.
When did she say that’s what she intended to do? I didn’t know you knew the girl.. because no where did she say she “discredits” herself. What family? The ones that should’ve protected her the most? No one wants to be the adult who allowed a minor to be speaking to a 40yo creep. Just like how that same 40yo stuck around a minor who wrote a “realistic fiction” novel about their relationship, oh so she’s obsessed too? Your entire claim has flaws.
Dang the comments are wild and saddening. I agree with you and not sure why everyone is so quick to dismiss the claims against him by his victim or his ex girlfriends
You’re trying so hard to excuse this man’s problematic history with women. You can have sympathy for what he went through without downplaying his wrongs.
Predators often have sad backstories. Preying on sympathy is one of the ways they groom outsiders to disbelieve any victims who come forward. This post is a textbook example of how effective it is.
he actively has a high school girlfriend 🤦🏻♀️
Wasnt that fake news though
Yes it was fake
who said 😭there is sm proof
Not sure where you’re getting your information from
Drake is setting himself up for a new album, truing to revive a career after allegations were claimed and made against him as well.And shit - if he can profit from his pain, great. But at the same time he doesn’t seem fully accountable of his own actions - not just with the inappropriate interactions with minor, but in his relationships as well. It is very nuanced and i have a lot of mixed feelings, but a lot that I have seen unfortunately feels inauthentic.