The former Nickelodeon actor, Drake Bell has been accused of abuse by his Ex-girlfriend Melissa. The 30-year-old actress and singer who goes by the stage name Jimi Ono on her social media opened up about the abuse allegations during a video on Tiktok, on Wednesday.
Melissa accused 34-year-old former boyfriend, Drake bell for both physical and verbal abuse she faced during their brief relationship. She started dating the “Drake and Josh” actor back in 2006 and they were in a relationship for 2 years after that.
Melissa accused in her Tiktok video:
The singer started her video by saying,
“First off I’d like to start out by saying; I don’t really care if anyone believes me, as this is my story and my life, and something that I went through.”
“It wasn’t until recently that I actually realized that abuse isn’t something that all women have to go through.”
The 30-year-old further explained the time when she and Drake Bell started dating when she was only 16 and homeschooled. She said,
“I moved in with him, I was singing. It wasn’t until about a year when the verbal abuse started. And when I say verbal abuse, imagine the worst type of verbal abuse you could ever imagine, and that is what I got.”
She talked about Physical abuse:
Ex-girlfriend Melissa continued talking about her abusive relationship with former Nickelodeon star as she said,
“It then turned to physical- hitting, throwing, everything.”
She even talked about the time Drake allegedly dragged her down the stairs during their relationship:
“At the pinnacle of it, he drugs (sic) me down the stairs of our house on Loz Feliz. My face hit every step down. I have photos of this.”
Melissa Lingafelt uploaded the video on Tiktok on August 12th and captioned it,
“This is my truth. I hope this message reaches young girls, and that no one has to go through what I did. #2020survivor”
Drake Bell denied the allegations:
While talking PEOPLE, Drake Bell denied the abuse accusations from his ex-girlfriend Melissa Lingafelt aka Jimi Ono. Bell said,
“As our relationship ended- more than a decade ago- we, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it.”
The actor added that he is considering “legal options” in light of the accusations. He told,
“Clearly, Melissa still felt close enough to me just last year that she was comfortable reaching out to ask me to provide financial support during a tough time (which I did).”
“I do not know if today’s behavior is some kind of misguided quest for more money or attention. But I cannot and will not allow these offensive defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options.” Bell further told.
Melissa shared her story on Instagram:
The former Miss Teen USA competitor took to her Instagram profile recently and told that her friends were aware of the abuse situation she was going through at that time which she suffered at the hands of Drake Bell.
“Everyone that really knows me and has been a friend of mine since the past 15 years, knows all too well of the abuse that Drake Bell put me through. I have so many witnesses, I have photos, it was my life. If you don’t believe me, it is clear to me what kind of person you are, and I don’t need that on my side. She wrote on Instagram.
“Nobody wants attention from abuse!!!!!! I hope this gives girls the strength to come out about their experiences with him because I know for a fact he has hundreds of victims.” She continued.
