This week, Melissa Lingafelt – the ex-girlfriend of Nickelodeon star Drake Bell – took to TikTok to detail the alleged abuse she suffered in their two-and-a-half year relationship in 2006.
In her TikTok video, Lingafelt – who performs under the name Jimi Ono – said “it wasn’t until recently that I actually realised that abuse isn’t something that all women have to go through.”
Speaking of allegations of abuse, hear about #MeToo and Harvey Weinstein below:
“When I started dating Drake, I was 16, I was homeschooled. I moved in with him, I was singing,” she said. “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 was what I got.”
“At the pinnacle of it, he drug me down the stairs of our house in Los Feliz. My face hit every step on the way down. I have photos of this,” Lingafelt said while flipping through old photos of her and Bell. She then alluded to further allegations about “underage girls.”
In a statement to People, Bell said he never abused his ex-girlfriend “or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her TikTok video.”
“We, unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it,” the 34-year-old added.
“Clearly, Melissa still felt close enough to me just last year that she was comfortable reaching out to ask me to provide her with financial support during a tough time (which I did),” he told People.
“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 and defamatory allegations to go unchallenged and I am reviewing my legal options.”
In an Instagram story, Lingafelt wrote, “Everyone that really knows me and has been a friend of mine for the past 15 years, knows all too well of the abuse that Drake Bell put me through,” she wrote. “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.”
“Nobody wants attention from abuse!!!!!!!” she continued. “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.”
If you, or anyone you know is a victim of domestic violence or abuse, contact Lifeline on 13 11 14 or 1800 RESPECT for support.
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