Drake Bell speaks out on Hollywood’s dark side

Drake Bell, known for his role on the hit Nickelodeon show Drake & Josh, feels lucky that he didn’t have to grow up in the social media spotlight.

The 38-year-old star kicked off his career as a child actor in the ‘90s, landing roles on d and in commercials.

Looking back now, Drake is thankful he didn’t have to grow up under the pressure of social media.

The Cover Versions star shared with PEOPLE: : "I'm thankful that Josh and I missed the social media era while we were working."

"We didn't have to compare, ‘Why did Josh have more followers than I do on Instagram? Oh, Josh got more likes on his picture than I did that I posted. What do I have to do?’ I'm just so glad that we didn't have to live through that," he added.

After his hit Drake & Josh, Drake shifted his focus to music, finding major success in Mexico and South America.

The Terrific singer feels that fans outside the U.S. are more open and accepting of his music.

Drake explained: "I don't know if in the States maybe sometimes there's been a stigma of like, ‘Oh, you're on TV. You're not a real music [person].’ They just blur the lines outside the United States."