Good Guys – "REUNITED! Drake Bell on Touring, Fatherhood & Life After Nickelodeon"

Podcast: Good Guys (Dear Media)
Hosts: Josh Peck, Ben Soffer
Guest: Drake Bell
Date: February 2, 2026

Episode Overview

In this lively and candid episode, the Good Guys—Josh Peck and Ben Soffer—are joined by Josh’s longtime friend and Nickelodeon co-star, Drake Bell. The trio dives into a broad-ranging and hilarious reunion conversation, covering Drake’s ongoing international music tour, the realities (and oddities) of fatherhood, aging, and life after their Nickelodeon days. They also reminisce about old adventures, discuss the pressures of parenting, swap health tips, and answer listener advice questions, all in their trademark bantering style.

Key Topics & Highlights

1. Catching Up & Touring Life

• Drake’s touring year: Drake reflects on performing 91 shows across a dozen countries (mostly Latin America), flying 150+ times last year, and juggling travel with family life.
  • [02:50] “We did like 91 shows... Argentina, Peru, Montevideo, Chile... it’s like 91 shows, and each one of those shows is like a round trip flight... maybe like 150 flights last year.” — Drake
• Touring as a parent now: The fun and exhaustion are different; travel wears on him more now, needing better routines as a “touring dad.”
  • [06:16] “You need your rest... when you have kids, you’re like, okay, what’s going on at home?... there’s just so much more to think about.” — Drake
• Home life in Florida: Drake describes living in Celebration, Florida, near Orlando theme parks, to enjoy time with his son.
  • [08:29] “I’m in Celebration, right in Orlando, right next to the park.”

2. Fatherhood & Parenting Styles

• Fatherhood surprises: Ben and Drake share they both assumed they’d have daughters; Drake hilariously details preemptively buying pink baby clothes.
  • [09:57] “It was the dumbest first dad move ever – buying everything before you know anything. Not buying anything neutral, like, it was strictly like, ‘oh, I’m gonna have a princess daughter.’” — Drake
• Routines & sleep training: The group underscores the importance of routines for both child and parents (bath, bottle, bed at 7pm) for everyone’s sanity.
  • [31:47] “It’s not just getting your baby in the routine. It’s... setting you up for, you know, oh, ...between 7pm and 7am, it’s just my wife and me.” — Drake
• Potty-training woes: Ben discusses his 3-year-old’s fear of pooping, using “hype” videos to coax him.
  • [27:13] “So now when he goes, we have him record a hype video for his future self... to be like, you can do it.”
• Perspective on the division of labor: Different family dynamics are discussed—some partners work outside, some are at home, both are valuable.

3. Health, Getting Older, and Staying ‘Cool’

• Unk or Hunk?: The group riffs on the TikTok trend of being ‘unk’ (uncool/uncle vibe) as they age, deciding they’re “hunks” instead.
  • [06:01] “You’re hunks, not unk.” — Ben
• Stretching and athletics: Several stories about staying limber as one ages, including Ben’s rec basketball mishap and Drake’s appearance on “Diving with the Stars” (and being terrified of heights).
  • [18:16] “You look down and just... the whole world goes... and you’re like, how?... I can’t be this high without something to hold on to.” — Drake
• Health checks: The guys admit to being lax on routine doctor visits, but acknowledge fatherhood forces them to think more about health.
  • [44:47] “I think having kids makes you focus more on, like, oh, wait, should I be getting a physical?” — Drake

4. Nostalgia: Life After Nickelodeon and Old Shenanigans

• Drake & Josh memories: Listeners ask about their antics as teens. Josh recounts staying out till 3am after shows and facing his furious mom.
  • [54:49] “We’re already like an hour away from Josh’s house... I see my mom looking over our terrace like this... Joe literally goes, ‘Good luck, Josh.’” — Josh
• Vegas stories: Josh and Drake share about their post-show Vegas trip as 19-year-olds, drunkenly heckling during a Cirque du Soleil show, and their car breaking down in the desert.
  • [56:56] “We said, we should go to Las Vegas... had a couple pops, and we decided... we should go see Cirque du Soleil.” — Josh
• On being ‘Hollywood bad boys’: The guys openly laugh about their misadventures, ultimately poking fun at just how tame (and goofy) they really were.
  • [58:06] “We go see Cirque du Soleil drunk and do diving shows. Yeah, okay. We’re Hollywood bad boys.” — Josh

5. Money, Routine, and ‘What Ifs’ of Parenting

• “Eight kids overnight” challenge: Where would you move? Florida (for theme parks and taxes) is the consensus, with plans to start family vlogs or bands.
  • [34:33] “Instrument in each one’s hand. That’s an opportunity for, I mean, quite a large band.” — Drake
• Career tangents and gambling: Drake talks about treating gambling like amusement park admission, and the group discusses bizarre bets in Vegas (elections, Oscar winners, etc).

6. Listener Advice & Relationship Dilemmas

• Anonymous caller: A listener seeks help about her sister marrying an “unmotivated” couch potato with anxiety issues—should she intervene?
  • [64:41] “It’s unfortunate to watch people that you love date somebody that you don’t think is right for them.” — Ben
• Good Guy advice:
  • Start open, non-judgmental conversations.
  • Don’t attack the partner—ask what she sees, and what’s motivating the step to marriage.
  • Sometimes, you have to let friends or family reach their own conclusions (and be ready for support when it ends).
  • [66:10] “You don’t have to shit all over the boyfriend, other than just asking the sister, like, okay, why are you wanting to... move this relationship to marriage?” — Drake

7. “What Are You Nuts?”: Rants & Everyday Grievances

• Circus disappointment: Ben bemoans the “reinvented” Barnum & Bailey, lacking animals, clowns, and circus music—just DJs and robotic dogs.
  • [71:33] “Not a circus song. Not a clown. They have a DJ. ...What are you fucking nuts? ...This is the worst show on earth.” — Ben
• Cybertruck hypocrisy: Josh spots a Cybertruck with an “eco-friendly, not Elon-friendly” sticker and calls out the irony.
  • [73:35] “You’re in a cybertruck. You’re a douchebag. ...Like, you’re all Elon all the time.”
• Drake’s travel hassle: Drake is forced by Mexican airport security to show personal photos to prove he’s in a real relationship.
  • [75:40] “They actually had me pull out my phone and go through and show them pictures of our relationship. ...What are you nuts?”

Notable Quotes & Moments (with Timestamps)

• On aging and energy:
  • “Back in the day, dude, I could burn the candle at both ends. ...Now, there’s shows now... we go on at 11, and you’re like, that’s past my bedtime.” — Drake [06:22]
• On fatherhood routines:
  • “It was a concerted effort over the first six months... 6 o’ clock we start bath, bottle, bed. He’s asleep by 7 and he sleeps till 7. ...It gives you that time.” — Ben [31:47]
• Drake on facing his fear for reality TV:
  • “I’m already afraid of heights, dude... And there was just no way I was going to do it.” [18:34]
• Friendship and shared struggles:
  • “You know what? Seriously though, I don’t have very many friends that have kids... so it’s cool to hang in a room with two other dads.” — Drake [46:29]
• Parenting perspectives:
  • “There’s plenty of people who look at their situation and go, oh, the husband’s a loser and a deadbeat. ...Well, why? Because he stays at home?” — Drake [70:10]
• On their “bad boy” days:
  • “We’re pretty nuts. We go see Cirque du Soleil drunk and do diving shows. Yeah, okay. We’re Hollywood bad boys.” — Josh [58:06]

Listener Advice Segment & Takeaways

[63:36-70:29]

• The hosts give compassionate, practical advice: Don’t confront the sister with accusation, but ask about her happiness and reasoning. Both female and male perspectives chime in—sometimes the best thing you can do is be ready to support when (if) things go badly.
• They stress context is everything; what looks like laziness to an outsider might be an agreed-upon arrangement.

Final Thoughts & Tone

The episode is packed with comedic back-and-forth, self-deprecating admissions of aging and parenting fails, bursts of nostalgia, and a recurring theme of figuring adulthood out—sometimes failing, but doing it together. The trio’s good-natured ribbing, shared vulnerability, and willingness to “go there” (on therapy, parenting, and health) make for a warm, laugh-filled, and relatable hour.

For New Listeners

You’ll enjoy discussion that’s:

• Relatable for dads and parents
• Nostalgic for 00’s Nickelodeon fans, but never stuck in the past
• Honest (sometimes to the point of TMI)
• Fast-paced, playful, and heavy with in-jokes—but always welcoming

Recommended Segments:

• Touring and family balance: [02:50]–[08:35]
• Parenting struggles & routines: [27:13]–[33:00]
• Nickelodeon shenanigans: [54:49]–[58:16]
• Listener advice: [63:42]–[70:29]
• “What are you nuts?” rants: [70:31]–[76:42]

Notable Closing Call to Action:

• “This episode’s five stars. Otherwise—what are you nuts? Don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe. See you next time.” [77:41]