• Melissa Lingafelt, a singer who now goes by Jimi Ono, posted a TikTok claiming that she was physically and verbally abused by her former boyfriend, actor Drake Bell, who she dated between 2006 and 2009. She was 16 when they began dating and he was 20.
• After her post went viral, others sent her messages accusing Bell of having sex with minors and claiming to have known about her abuse. One person said Bell raped her when she was in 8th grade. 
• Two women who had serious relationships with him also sent her words of support and claimed they experience similar abuse.
• Bell denied Ono’s allegations, adding that he is reviewing his legal option and questioning whether Ono is lying for some other reason because she reached out to him for financial support last year, which he says he gave.  

Abuse Allegations Go Viral 

Actor Drake Bell is facing some serious abuse allegations from a former girlfriend who shared her alleged experiences with him in a now-viral TikTok. 

Bell reported started dating a woman by the name of Melissa Lingafelt in 2006 when she was 16 and he would have been 20. That woman, a musician who now goes by Jimi Ono, first hinted at issues with Bell as part of a recent TikTok trend. Earlier this week, she posted a video featuring the song “Bulletproof” by La Roux with text that read: “Think you can hurt my feelings? I lived with and dated an alcoholic, abusive Drake Bell from 16-19.” 

On Wednesday, she expanded on those claims with another post, starting off by saying she doesn’t care if anyone believes her because this is her story. 

Then she said: “It wasn’t until recently that I actually realized that abuse is something that all women have to go through. When I started dating Drake, I was 16. I was home-schooled, I moved in with him, I was singing. 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. It then turned into physical — hitting, throwing, everything. 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.I don’t event want to get into the underage girls thing. I mean I will, but I’m scared.”

That video quickly spread throughout the app and was shared across other platforms as well. Eventually, Ono posted a statement to her Instagram story, saying that anyone who has been a friend of hers over the last 15 years knows about what she experienced.

She added, “Nobody wants attention from abuse!!!!!!! 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.” 

Other Alleged Victims Speak Out 

In the hours that followed her initial claims, Ono posted several other TikTok’s with screenshots of texts and direct messages she has received. Some of these posts were also shared on her Twitter and Instagram story. 

The first showed someone saying they remember her telling them about the abuse, writing, “I remember the pics. I remember the physical fights. I remember him throwing you in a bathtub and scalding you with water. I remember him breaking all your antiques and I also remember calling the cops on him and having to stay at Molly’s house until shit fizzled over.”

Other posts show responses to her Instagram story, where some accused Bell of sleeping with minors. One individual even claimed that Bell raped her when she was in the 8th grade, while another wrote, “I remember you speaking to my friend on the phone after it happened and you told her he chocked you and spit in your face. That was in 2006.” 

On top of that, Ono also shared direct messages from Bell’s ex-girlfriend of five years, Paydin Layne LoPachin. In those messages, LoPachin shared support and said, “I went through the same horrific verbal, physical, and mental abuse.” She also agreed with Ono’s claim that he had sex with “hundreds of underage girls.”

Finally, Ono shared a message from Gillian Leos, who also allegedly had a serious relationship with Bell. In that post, Leos says she dated Bell from 2001-2005/2006. She explained that she wished she had more proof for what she experienced, saying she has some photos but no voicemails or texts because “he broke every phone I had back then.”

“Like you I have many friends & witnesses to attest what he put me through,” she added. 

Drake Bell Denies Allegations 

Bell, for his part, has denied Ono’s allegations. In a statement to Variety, he said, “I never abused my ex-girlfriend or did so many of the other things Melissa falsely claimed on her Tik Tok video,”

“As our relationship ended—more than a decade ago—we unfortunately, both called each other terrible names, as often happens when couples are breaking up. But that is it.”

“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). 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.” 

He has not addressed any of the other allegations against him. 

Ono Clears Up Rumors 

Even after Bell’s response, Ono has continued to be vocal about her experience. She’s also been responding to users online in an effort to shut down rumors that she is not the same person shown in the photos that were in the TikTok.

In response to one user, she said, “The photos were taken of me 14 years ago. I had a little lip filler, and that’s that on that.” 

She also clarified the name discrepancies people were seeing, saying Mellisa Lingafelt was her legal name. “I actually started going by Melissa Baldwin when dating drake. Baldwin is my mother’s maiden name and I was having problems with family at home.”

“I started going by my nickname, Jimi, (my grandfathers name) after breaking up with drake. I don’t like being called my legal name. I wanted seperaation from that time in my life.”

In other replies, she mentioned that she did go to the police, but did not explain when. 

She believes has more underage victims and said she now has other alleged victims who have agreed to stand by her in court. 

She hinted at legal action once more writing, “Everyone that has made accusations, including myself, ALL have witness accounts and evidence. Justice will be served!”

See what others are saying: (Variety) (Fox News) (PEOPLE)

• YouTube has reinstated monetization on conservative commentator Steven Crowder’s channel after banning him from running ads on his videos for 14 months.
• Crowder’s channel was demonetized in June 2019 after he made homophobic and racist remarks against then-Vox writer Carlos Maza.
• Thursday morning, Crowder cheered the decision in a video while also attacking those who had called for his channel to be outright banned, saying, “All of [your] victories are gone.”
• Meanwhile, in a lengthy Twitter post, Maza blasted the decision, arguing against YouTube’s claim that Crowder is no longer posting content that violates the platform’s anti-hate policies. 
• Currently, YouTube has monetized a controversial video on Crowder’s channel where he promotes a conspiracy theory that COVID-19 death numbers have been inflated.

YouTube Lifts Crowder Ad Ban

YouTube has lifted its ad ban on conservative commentator Steven Crowder channel after enforcing it for 14 months.

The platform removed monetization from his channel on June 5, 2019, several days after openly gay Vox writer Carlos Maza accused Crowder of making a number of homophobic and racist comments about him on Crowder’s show Louder with Crowder.

In a now-deleted montage posted to Twitter by Maza, Crowder can be seen calling Maza “our favorite lispy sprite from Vox,” “a gay Latino from vox,” and “a tranny.” At the time, Crowder’s channel also linked to a shop that sold shirts with the words: “Socialism is for fags.” 

When it banned Crowder, YouTube clarified that the ad ban was likely only temporary. In fact, the platform said it could remonetize his channel once he removed links to a store selling a shirt with a homophobic slur and addressed “all of the issues with his channel.”

On Wednesday, YouTube said that Crowder has complied with those requirements, noting that he took down his videos about Maza in December when a new harassment policy was launched. The platform also said he agreed to no longer link to his controversial shirt. 

In a statement to media outlets, a YouTube spokesperson said Crowder has “taken steps to address the behavior that led to his suspension and has demonstrated a track record of policy-compliant behavior.”

“Creators who are suspended from [YouTube Partner Program] can reapply for access, and after careful consideration, we will be reinstating him into the program today. If there are further violations on this channel we will take appropriate action.”

That spokesperson also reiterated that while the platform still believes he posts controversial content, none of that has been found to be policy non-compliant.

Crowder: “All of [your] victories are gone.”

Thursday morning, Crowder cheered the decision on Louder with Crowder while also biting back at his critics. 

“I know that the left was furious with the Vox adpocalypse, right?” he said. “You wanted us to be banned. That didn’t happen. You wanted to claim that we violated policies. That didn’t happen.“

“You wanted us to apologize, and that did happen for 26 minutes, I believe, if you watch that whole video. And then, your only win was, ‘At least we made sure that Louder with Crowder, that they will cease to make a living on YouTube.’”

“That was the one win on the scoreboard for you guys. It was, you were one and six. Now, you have to wipe off the one, and put your mouth on the table so all your friends just smack you for misbehaving. That’s about what you got. All of the victories are gone. I understand. I understand that we could be demonetized tomorrow, but we don’t care. Our conversation with YouTube has always been, we just want to have a fair shake on the platform.” 

At the time ads were banned from his channel, Crowder had about 3.8 million subscribers. As of August 2019, he has 4.63 million subscribers.

Maza: “YouTube’s policies were never actually meant to be enforced.”

In a lengthy Twitter post, Maza blasted YouTube’s decision to remonetize Crowder’s channel. In fact, even when Maza first accused Crowder of harassment in 2019, he said that his anger was more directed at YouTube’s enforcement of its own policies rather than Crowder himself.

“Demonetizing was already insufficient, but this decision proves that YouTube has no real interest in enforcing its anti-hate policies,” Maza said Wednesday.

Particularly, Maza argued against the idea that Crowder’s videos have been policy compliant recently. To that point, he cited several examples, including a video where Crowder pushes a COVID-19 conspiracy theory of an inflated death count, another where he calls the Black Lives Matter movement a domestic terrorist organization, as well as others he titled “why” and “when transgenders attack.” 

“These are all in violation of YouTube’s policies,” Maza said. Not a single one has been removed.”

“YouTube’s anti-hate speech policies clearly and plainly prohibit all of this stuff,” he added. “The fact that Crowder is being re-monetized, despite repeated rule-breaking, shows how YouTube’s policies were never actually meant to be enforced.”

In a statement to Business Insider, a YouTube spokesperson refused to comment on those examples directly; instead, she clarified that not all of Crowder’s videos might qualify to be monetized and that some may remain demonetized if they don’t meet YouTube’s ad policies.

As of Thursday morning, at least one of those videos — the one pushing the idea of inflated COVID-19 death counts — is running ads. 

Since May 2019, Maza has openly accused YouTube of making glaring exceptions to policies for its largest creators. The reason? According to Maza, it’s all driven by money. 

“I said it last June, and I’ll say it again,” Maza said Wednesday. “YouTube has a tremendous profit incentive to keep hate speech on the platform. Hate performs well and drives up the company’s numbers.” 

Still, YouTube has demonetized much bigger creators than Crowder, whether temporarily or indefinitely. For example, Logan Paul was demonetized for two weeks following his suicide forest scandal. Currently, Shane Dawson has been indefinitely demonetized following a series of massive scandals that have rocked the beauty community. In both cases, as well as Crowder’s, demonetization only occurred after heavy public outcry.

In his Twitter thread, Maza went on to say that YouTube won’t change its policies as long as it continues to “lure advertisers with high engagement numbers.”

He then encouraged creators to “refuse to participate in company promo material, speak publicly against the platform at every opportunity, and support a creators’ union,” even saying “Large creators need to unionize and threaten the company’s bottom line.”

See what others are saying: (The Verge) (Business Insider) (Mashable)

• Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek will be returning to Twitch as part of an exclusive streaming deal. Details of the agreement remain unknown as of now. 
• The move comes after Microsoft was forced to buy Shroud out of his exclusive contract when it pulled the plug on its steaming platform Mixer this past June.
• The deal has also reignited questions about where Tyler “Ninja” Blevins could land now that he is a free agent following Mixer’s end. 
• Also this week, Amazon rebranded Twitch Prime to Prime Gaming in an effort to broaden its reach to all types of gamers and unify its entertainment offerings. 

Shroud Returns to Twitch 

After weeks of questions and speculations, Michael “Shroud” Grzesiek has finally revealed that he is returning to Twitch with an exclusive streaming deal.

According to reports, the site only saw 0.2% growth year over year. For comparison, Twitch and Facebook Gaming reportedly saw triple-digit growth, while YouTube gaming saw 65% growth.

When Mixer ended, Microsoft was forced to buy its exclusive streamers out of their contracts. That reportedly earned Shroud a cool $10 million and left him as a free agent. Since then, many have been wondering where he would move next, and now, we finally have the answer. 

Details of his Twitch deal were not disclosed, but Shroud made the announcement himself with an epic return video that said “I’m coming home.” 

According to Loaded, a gamer talent management firm that represents Shroud, he considered moving to YouTube and Facebook, but ultimately landed on Twitch.

In a statement to The Washington Post, Shroud said: “As I was exploring options, I realized that there was no better place than Twitch to engage with the best and most loyal gaming community worldwide.”

Meanwhile, Michael Aragon, SVP of Content at Twitch said, “There’s nothing better than a homecoming, so we’re thrilled to welcome Shroud and his incredible community back to Twitch.” 

For now, Loaded said followers will need to re-subscribe to Shroud’s Twitch channel but their subscription tenures will be recognized. 

What’s Going on With Dr.DisRespect and Ninja 

Some view this deal as Twitch’s attempt to strengthen its place at the top of the streaming market, however, others see Shroud’s homecoming as a return to the status quo.  

Still, it’s worth noting that the move comes after Twitch banned one of its top streamers Dr DisRespect. As far as what’s going on with Dr DisRespect, details of his still ban remain quiet.

He has started streaming on YouTube recently, with pretty impressive numbers. His first stream brought it more than half a million viewers, however, he appears to be streaming on YouTube on his own, not as part of any new deal. 

As far as what’s going on with Ninja, Shroud’s return to Twitch has definitely sparked new questions about where he’ll land. Ninja returned to his 15 million follower Twitch channel earlier this month and has also streamed on YouTube, but he hasn’t struck any deal as of yet, so many are still keeping an eye out for what his next move could be. 

Amazon Rebrands Twitch Prime 

In other interesting gaming news, Amazon has rebranded Twitch Prime to Prime Gaming this week as it works to unify its entertainment offerings. 

Prime Gaming is included in standard Amazon Prime subscription and Prime Video subscriptions. Prime Gaming users receive a library of games to play, new monthly releases, a Twitch subscription, and in-game loot for popular games like “Grand Theft Auto Online,” “Apex Legends,” “Red Dead Redemption 2,” and more.

This is pretty much the same as how the service worked when it was known as Twitch Prime, and the Twitch-specific benefits are the same too, which means you still get the premium chat badge and extra emoticons. 

So why did they change it? Well, Amazon, which owns Twitch, is hoping this rebrand will help widen its appeal. It’s likely that some prime members aren’t aware of all the bundled options for Twitch memberships and other related offers. The idea is that rebranding could clarify that Twitch Prime isn’t just live streaming or regular Twitch users. 

Larry Plotnick, director of Prime Gaming said, “It has nothing negative to do about Twitch.”

“We love Twitch. We’re still very deeply partnered with them. But the goal here is really to reach as broad of an audience as possible, reach as many gamers as possible.”

When Twitch Prime launched in 2016, Plotnick said it had a focus on “predominantly core gamers,” but the world of gaming has grown so much over the last few years so this rebrand is part of an overall vision to include different gamers who play on different devices. 

In fact, you might have already noticed that over the last few years, more mobile games have been included in its offerings. According to reports, Prime Gaming will also soon add more family-friendly titles to its lineup. Users can also keep its PC game offerings permanently, even if they choose to end their subscription.

Amazon also hasn’t really seen broad success in its standalone efforts to break into the gaming space. For example, it’s latest game “Crucible” flopped and was then pulled from wide release as a result. Now, Amazon hopes that if members pick up on the benefits of Prime Gaming, it’ll help with their overall marketing efforts and success in the gaming space.  

See what others are saying: (The Washington Post) (ESPN)