Drake Bell Blasts SAG-AFTRA Health Insurance Eligibility in Instagram Story
Bell shared a SAG-AFTRA Health Plan portal screenshot showing he missed the earnings minimum, and tagged union president Sean Astin.
Actor Drake Bell publicly criticized SAG-AFTRA's health insurance eligibility requirements and union president Sean Astin in an Instagram story posted on October 13, 2026.
Bell shared a screenshot from the SAG-AFTRA Health Plan portal showing that his covered earnings from July 2025 to June 2026 did not meet the minimum eligibility requirements, according to comingsoon.net.
He tagged both Astin and the union in the post and wrote, "Do not become an actor. Do not join SAG." Bell also said an actor can work steadily for 35 years and still face ineligibility for health insurance, and addressed Astin directly with criticism of the union's leadership.
The same portal page also showed Bell's earnings from October 1, 2025, to September 30, 2026, which may qualify him for 2027 coverage.
SAG-AFTRA and Sean Astin have not commented on Bell's remarks as of publication.
Background
Bell began as a child actor in the 1990s, appearing in Home Improvement and several commercials, and later appeared on Nickelodeon's The Amanda Show and starred in Drake & Josh. He also headlined Nickelodeon's live-action The Fairly OddParents television films, voiced Spider-Man in the animated series Ultimate Spider-Man from 2012 to 2017, and released albums including Telegraph, It's Only Time, and Ready Steady Go!