Bette and Joan. Elton and Madonna. Donald and Rosie. Kanye and Taylor. There may be a new addition to the list of epic Hollywood feuds. After some deleted tweets, fans are wondering why Drake Bell and Josh Peck are feuding. How long has this been going on? And is there any hope of reconciliation between the former costars? (Bustle reached out to the actors' reps for comment, but did not receive an immediate response.)
For those who don't know your Drake Bells from your Drake-the-mononymously-named-rappers, here's a brief primer: Bell and Peck were the titular stars of a popular Nickelodeon sitcom creatively titled Drake & Josh, which aired on the network for four seasons from 2004 through 2007; the show was a spinoff of the popular '90s Nickelodeon series The Amanda Show, which also starred Bell and Peck as, essentially, themselves. In the 10 years since Drake & Josh went off the air, Bell and Peck have remained steadfast friends — at least as far as any of their fans could tell from their posts on Twitter.
But the bromance between Bell and Peck was put to the test this summer. Here's how the apparent feud unfolded in 10 easy-to-follow steps.
1. Josh Gets Engaged
In June 2016, Peck and his girlfriend, Paige O'Brien, got engaged. Apparently his bromance with Bell couldn't handle the addition of a third wheel, because…
2. Drake Doesn't Text Josh
This particular turn of events wasn't revealed until their feud exploded into the public sphere, but reportedly tensions between the friends started snowballing after Peck was miffed when his former costar didn't text to congratulate him on his engagement. (This is according to what a "source" told Us Weekly.)
3. Josh Gets Married
Fast-forward one year to the nuptials of Peck and O'Brien. The ceremony took place in Malibu on Saturday, June 17. But what should have been the happiest day of their lives was sullied by of one small detail…
4. Drake Doesn't Get Invited
This is the flap of the proverbial butterfly wings that led to the proverbial thunderstorm. Although it wouldn't become public knowledge until later, Peck reportedly didn't invite Bell to witness his marriage to O'Brien (as Peck himself tweeted about it… but that's #6 on the list). This may not seem like a big deal to us non-celebs — I'm pretty sure I didn't invite every single one of my former co-workers to my wedding either — but this snub was the straw that broke the camel's back for Bell.
5. Josh Posts A Few Instagrams
Rubbing salt in the wound, Peck posted a series of pictures of the wedding to Instagram, showing himself and his new bride having so much fun with all of the guests who did get invited — including a Drake & Josh colleague (producer Dan Schneider) and a former co-star (Grandfathered actor John Stamos), but not a former Drake & Josh co-star (Drake Bell). Ouch.
6. Drake Tweets, Part 1
What's a guy to do when his best bro goes and gets married without him? Tweet angrily and then immediately delete those tweets — but not before they're immortalized by the arcane technology known as screenshots. "When you're not invited to the wedding the message is clear…" Bell reportedly tweeted on Sunday, June 18, the day after the wedding. "True colors have come out today. Message is loud and clear. Ties are officially cut. I'll miss you brotha."
7. Josh's Feelings Get Hurt
"At Josh's wedding this weekend some guests were asking Josh Peck where Drake was," another source claimed to Us Weekly about the brewing drama. "Josh told everyone that he and Drake hadn't spoken in three years. They would tweet each other back on social media a couple times a year, but never actually spoke. When Drake didn't get invited to Josh's wedding, he started tweeting all of those dramatic memes. Josh was really hurt." *sad face emoji*
8. Drake & Josh Stop Talking
Despite the fact that Us Weekly's source indicates that the pair were really only friends on the internet and hadn't spoken in years, apparently even that tenuous connection has been severed after Peck's nuptials. Appearing on the podcast Allegedly With Theo Von & Matthew Cole Weiss on Tuesday, June 20, Peck revealed that he's tired of people asking him where Bell is. "I go, 'I wish I had a better answer, but probably at home. Whole Foods?" One of those two options is probably a safe bet.
9. Drake Tweets, Part 2
Meanwhile, Bell showed the world how little mental space he has to be worrying about his feud with ex-bestie Peck by tweeting a series of shirtless pictures. These are apparently shots from a spread in Flaunt magazine, but they're merely a distraction from the whole situation at hand.
10. The World Weeps
And there you have it: the slow dissolution of a bromance over the course of 12 painful months, all chronicled by Twitter and helpful anonymous "sources." This is drama has left fans reeling. Can it ever be reversed? Only time will tell.
