Actor and singer Drake Bell isn’t happy. On Instagram, the former Nickelodeon star called out SAG-AFTRA, the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which represents more than 170,000 media professionals, for denying him health insurance.
In his post, Drake Bell didn’t bite his tongue. He slammed the union, criticized how it’s run, and urged others interested in joining the industry to look for other work. Bell has criticized the industry before. In 2024, he opened up about being sexually assaulted on set as a child, revealing that the deeply personal struggle has impacted his life.
Drake Bell Slams SAG-AFTRA Union After Being Denied Health Insurance
Bell shared a screenshot of his SAG account on his Instagram Stories. The picture appeared to show Bell’s earnings of $17,480.53 against a $28,933.00 minimum. The website told Bell that he needed over $11,000 more “to qualify for SAG-AFTRA health plan coverage”
“Do not become an actor. Do not join SAG. You can work steadily for 35 years and they still say [middle finger emoji] @sagaftra really though @seanastin you’re doing a bang up job,” Bell said, tagging the SAG account and its president, Sean Astin. “How about stop using actors to run things maybe? They literally just know how to say words in front of a camera.”
Bell Has Called Out The Industry Before
In 2024, Bell opened up about a painful childhood experience as an actor in the headline-making documentary “Quiet on the Set.” In the docuseries, Bell said he had been sexually assaulted by a man named Brian Peck, whom he met at Nickelodeon.
“I was sleeping on the couch where I would usually sleep … I opened my eyes, I woke up, and he was sexually assaulting me,” he said. “I froze and was in complete shock and had no idea what to do or how to react.”
He continued, “Things were happening to me in a room where there’s a painting by one of the most prolific serial killers who preyed on young boys, staring at me.”
- Josh Peck says he earned less than fans think on “Drake & Josh.”
- Drake Bell’s March 2026 post had fans feeling nostalgic.
- Bell’s divorce took a messy turn.
- The actor and singer slammed Nickelodeon’s “evil” system in 2025.
Actors Like Drake Bell Can Earn Health Insurance A Number Of Ways
According to the SAG-AFTRA website, performers can earn health insurance in several ways. In addition to clearing the minimum earnings, members can work at least 108 eligible days. The website also says minimum earnings will keep rising until at least 2030, when the minimum requirement will be $31,616.
Bell isn’t the only actor to speak out about their current situation. “Princess Diaries” star Heather Matarazzo revealed just last month that she was also looking for work to qualify. She replied to actor Jack Haven, saying she was “literally in the same boat.”
She added, “Lots of my fellow actors are. I remember a time when we didn’t have to earn a minimum to qualify for insurance.”
Haven explained in a YouTube video that he was in “an emergency situation,” revealing he was $4,000 short of reaching the qualifying amount. In the video, they said they would take “pretty much any job” and essentially pleaded with casting directors to reach out with work.
Shannen Doherty Called Out SAG-AFTRA Like Drake Bell Years Before Her Death
Shannen Doherty, too, slammed the actors’ union in 2023 for allegedly abandoning her during one of the most difficult battles of her life.
The actress was diagnosed with cancer in 2015 before revealing in 2020 that it had returned and spread throughout her body. During her years away from the camera, the “Beverly Hills 90210” star shared that she had lost insurance coverage despite working and paying members’ dues since she was 10.
“I’m curious for people like me who have worked since they were 10 and paid dues to @sagaftra how when we aren’t able to work for health reasons, why our union abandons us?” she wrote online. “I think we can do better for all our members and I think you’re person to do it. Health insurance shouldn’t be based on annual income. It’s a lifetime contribution. And for me and many others, we have paid a lifetime of dues to only be canceled because we don’t meet your current criteria. Not ok.”
Doherty died in 2024.
SAG-AFTRA Sued During The COVID-19 Pandemic
In 2020, at least 10 actors, including Ed Asner, sued the union’s health care plan and its trustees, according to NPR. The lawsuit said the benefit cuts were ageist and violated federal law. Elsewhere in the filing, the actors said the union made “draconian” cuts during a time when actors were already struggling.
Eleven Films partnered with SOS Health Plan to produce a video informing the public about the changes. The clip included Morgan Freeman, Ay Schumer, Martin Sheen, and others. “Have you ever heard of a union doing union busting?” actor Rick Overton asks.