Overview

• Drake Bell said in a July 2 podcast that he and most Nickelodeon child actors receive only one-time payments and no residuals from show reruns.
• He reported that despite Drake & Josh ranking in Netflix’s top 10 and airing on multiple channels, neither he nor co-star Josh Peck has received a dime from streaming or syndication.
• Bell contrasted this with the Friends cast’s residual earnings, noting that NBC sitcom actors still earn more than $20 million annually from syndication.
• He highlighted that minor guest stars continue to collect residual checks while lead actors like him are excluded from ongoing payments.
• Bell accused Nickelodeon and Viacom executives of exploiting young talent for profit and called for more transparent, equitable contracts in the streaming era.