Drake Bell urges followers, ‘Do not become an actor,’ after SAG health insurance denial

Daysia TolentinoWed, October 14, 2026 at 3:18 PM UTC

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Drake Bell attends ‘Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV’ For Your Consideration event in 2024Credit: Gonzalo Marroquin/GettyThe “Drake & Josh” alum did not hit the minimum earnings requirement to secure benefits.Key Points -

Drake Bell is calling out SAG-AFTRA after he did not qualify for health insurance for the upcoming benefit year.

The Drake & Josh star urged people to avoid becoming professional actors.

SAG-AFTRA has a minimum earnings requirement to secure health insurance and Bell was more than $11,000 short.

Drake Bell wants people to think twice before becoming a professional actor.

The 40-year-old Nickelodeon alum aired out his grievances with SAG-AFTRA on Tuesday, revealing that he did not make the minimum annual earnings required to qualify for the union’s health insurance.

“Do not become an actor,” he posted on his Instagram Story. “Do not join SAG. You can work steadily for 35 years and they still say [middle finger].”

Bell shared a screenshot of his SAG-AFTRA benefits portal. The screen informed him that he did not qualify for health insurance because his earnings from July 2025 to June 2026 did not meet the eligibility requirements. The portal also showed that Bell made $17,480.53 in that time frame, which means he was short $11,452.47.

SAG-AFTRA members must meet a “minimum earnings” threshold in order to qualify for “earned eligibility” coverage. Members must make a minimum of $28,090 to get health insurance for the benefit year of 2026. That number will raise to $28,933 in 2027.

The Drake & Josh star called out SAG president Sean Astin, sarcastically writing, “You’re doing a bang up job.” The Goonies actor has led the union since 2025.

Bell continued, “How about stop using actors to run things maybe? They literally just know how to say words in front of a camera.”

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Entertainment Weekly hasreached out to SAG-AFTRA for comment.

Drake Bell attends the Thirst Project’s Inaugural Legacy Summit in July 2019Credit: Michael Tran/Getty

Bell isn’t the first actor to point out the instability that comes with the job. In fact, SAG-AFTRA members’ access to health insurance has become a hot topic in recent weeks. In September, Atypical star Jack Haven made an appeal for work after sharing they were $4,000 short of SAG-AFTRA’s minimum earnings threshold for coverage. They later revealed that they received enough offers to qualify.

“I got a lot of offers,” Haven said. “So, thank you guys. Thank you for your love and your kindness. I really feel overwhelmed. My manager, Adam, said it was like, It’s a Wonderful Life. I feel kind of crazy, too, because I didn’t really expect [this]. I didn’t expect this many people to see the video.”

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And in response to Haven’s experience, Princess Diaries star Heather Matarazzo revealed that she too was at risk of losing her benefits. It’s unclear if she eventually reached the earnings minimum.

“I am literally in the same boat right now,” Matarazzo wrote on Threads on Sept. 23. “Lots of my fellow actors are. I remember a time when we didn’t have to earn a minimum to qualify for insurance.”

on Entertainment Weekly

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Source: “AOL Entertainment”