Drake Bell Calls Out SAG-AFTRA After Losing Health Insurance & Urges People To “Not Become An Actor” Or “Join SAG”
Drake Bell is calling out SAG-AFTRA after revealing he didn’t have health insurance because he didn’t qualify.
The Drake & Josh alum took to social media to share a screenshot from the actors’ guild website where it read, “You do not qualify for Health Plan coverage at this time.”
“Your reported covered earnings from July 2025 – June 2026 did not meet minimum eligibility requirements, or you did not qualify under other eligibility rules,” the portal read.
A second notice on the website stated that Bell had earned $17,480.53 so far and needed $11,452.47 more to reach $28,933 and qualify for health coverage.
“Do not become an actor. Do not join SAG,” Bell captioned his Instagram Stories post. “You can work steadily for 35 years and they will say [middle finger emoji].”
Bell also tagged the guild and SAG-AFTRA president Sean Astin, saying “you’re doing a bang up job,” and adding, “How about stop using actors to run things maybe? They literally just know how to say words in front of a camera.”
RELATED: SAG-AFTRA Responds To AI Actress Tilly Norwood Furor: “Creativity Is & Should Remain Human-Centered”
The actor is best known for starring in Nickelodeon shows like The Amanda Show (1999), All That (2004), and Drake & Josh, a sitcom that ran on the children’s network for four seasons.
In recent years, Bell has taken on voice roles like Spider-Man in Ultimate Spider-Man (2012). He would reprise the superhero role in Phineas and Ferb (2013), Avengers Assemble (2013), and Hulk and the Agents of S.M.A.S.H. (2013).
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