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Josh Peck and Drake Bell’s Beef Dates Back to a Tweet: Their Entire Feud Explained
Long gone are the days of “Hug me brotha.” Former Drake & Josh stars Josh Peck and Drake Bell have been in a longtime feud, but how did their beef start?
Keep reading to find out how the Nickelodeon alumni’s feud came to light.
Drake Called Out Josh for Not Inviting Him to His Wedding
The former Amanda Show actors’ beef seemingly began when the musician wrote a tweet, accusing the Hulu star of not inviting him to his wedding with wife Paige O’Brien in June 2017.
“When you’re not invited to the wedding, message is loud and clear,” Drake tweeted at the time. “True colors have come out today. Ties are officially cut. I’ll miss you brotha … Loyalty is key. ALWAYS remember where you came from.”
However, it appeared the real-life besties patched things up by that summer, as Josh posted a photo of them hugging on his Instagram at the 2017 MTV Video Music Awards.
“Hug me ….” the Shua Vlogs founder captioned the heartfelt post, in reference to his catchphrase from their four-season show.
Drake Mentioned He Still ‘Talked to Everyone’ From Drake & Josh
Two years after their public embrace, both actors went about their lives and careers. The “Found a Way” artist married his wife, Janet Von Schmeling, in 2018, and the comedian appeared in a slew of films and TV shows.
When asked if he would reprise his role from Drake & Josh for a reboot or spinoff, Drake expressed his excitement and claimed he was “in touch with everybody on the show” in an interview with HollywoodLife.
“There were ups and downs, but man, I’d go back in a second,” he said in February 2019. “There was something special about the show.”
Josh’s Book Claimed He Hasn’t Talked to Drake in a While
Josh published his memoir, Happy People Are Annoying, in March 2022, which mainly focused on his former addictions and weight loss journey. However, he also revealed that he hasn’t had a close friendship with Drake since the show’s end.
“The world wanted to believe that we still shared a bedroom even if we weren’t filming the TV show, but once that was over, so was our connection,” Josh wrote. “Our names would become synonymous with each other forever. It’s a long life but there’s certainly a chance that Drake & Josh will be the most noteworthy thing either of us ever do.”
He then addressed Drake’s run-ins with the law, including his most recent one in 2021.
“When Drake got into legal trouble, people ran to get my opinion,” Josh added in his book. “They thought that I must have a take on this person I had spent so much time with, when in reality, it had been years since we’d talked and even longer since we’d seen each other. Which is why alongside everyone else who doesn’t know Drake, I was upset by the inexplicable events that unfolded in his life.”
According to court documents obtained by In Touch in June 2021, the “Hollywood Girl” singer was arrested in Cleveland, Ohio, and was later charged with attempted endangering children (a 4th-degree felony) and disseminating matter harmful to juveniles (a 1st-degree misdemeanor). The charge came following an alleged incident that occurred in December 2017. He initially pled not guilty that June, then pled guilty in July 2021 by attending an Ohio court hearing via Zoom, In Touch confirmed. He was sentenced to two years probation and 200 hours of community service in the state of California.
Drake’s Wife Called Josh a ‘Liar’ in Response to His Memoir
Drake’s wife, Janet, may have started a new fire between the former brotherly duo. Janet called out Josh in a March 2022 series of Instagram Stories in response to the revelations he made in his memoir, Happy People Are Annoying.
“I’ve almost been like in this Drake and Josh world for 10 years now and I have been really, really nice,” she said. “Anytime anybody asked about Josh I would say, ‘He is so nice. Oh, they are so great.’ I am done lying to everyone when Josh Peck is a total piece of s–t.”
She then brought up the moment when her husband and the How I Met Your Father actor hugged it out at the 2017 MTV VMAs.
“The fact that I was there at the VMAs and I was next to Drake,” Janet continued. “I was the one that told him that Josh was coming up with the camera. I literally was there [and] heard it all. Drake was never threatened by Josh, like ever. That is actually hilarious. He would act like he could be a tough guy. Like bro, you’re not tough.”
She also alleged that Drake “apologized” to Josh’s wife Paige because the Grandfathered alum “asked him nicely” to do so.
“You said, ‘Could you apologize to my wife?’ Drake was like, ‘Absolutely’ and he did, and it was great,” Janet claimed. “We actually hung out after that multiple times. We have talked multiples times since then. You’re a f–king liar, Josh.”
The mom of one concluded her statement by calling Josh’s claims “super pathetic.”
“I am so sorry, Josh, that in order for them to get millions of views about you, they have to mention my husband,” Janet said. “They have to mention Drake. They have to mention Drake and Josh. Why aren’t they talking about all your successes Josh? Why aren’t they talking about your book? Why aren’t they talking about your new movie? Because the only way to get clicks is to mention my husband … I am not staying quiet anymore and I know a lot more about things than you think I do.”
A rep for Josh did not immediately respond to In Touch‘s request for comment.
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