Following his child endangerment conviction and his sentencing to two years probation, former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell is speaking out about his case.

In a video message posted to the 35-year-old musician-actor’s Instagram, Bell clarified two claims that have swirled around him over the last year before addressing his guilty plea. Bell said he hasn’t changed his last name despite an update to his social media handles and that he didn’t move to Mexico or become a resident or citizen of that country despite rumors he had. He then pivoted to his case, which he described as having “moved very quickly for you, but for me it’s been a three-year, thorough investigation into every false claim that has been made.”

“It’s not me telling you that the claims are false, but the state of Ohio has proven claims to be false,” he alleged. “If these claims were remotely true, my situation would be very different. I would not be here at home with my wife and my son.”

During his sentencing hearing in July, Cuyahoga County Judge Timothy McCormick stated that he had heard “a lot of serious and disturbing allegations” but added he “can’t lose focus on what was pled to,” The Associated Press reported.

“The fact of the matter is, your position and celebrity status let you nurture this relationship,” McCormick said. “You were able to gain access to this child.”

In July, Bell was sentenced to two years’ probation on child endangerment charges and 200 hours of community service for his conduct with a young fan, whom he met online and then in person, that spanned years. Authorities previously stated that in October 2018, the victim — who was 19 at the time of Bell’s 2021 sentencing — contacted Toronto police, who forwarded their findings to Cleveland police, which prompted an investigation.

According to the victim, the former Drake and Josh star began contact with her via online chats when she was 12, with those communications escalating to exchanges that were “blatantly sexual” by the time she was 15. The young woman, who called Bell a “pedophile” during his July hearing in Cleveland, said that the two had exchanged explicit photos and on several occasions — including at a concert venue in Cleveland and a hotel — engaged in sexual conduct.

In his video, Bell stated that “I’m not perfect, and I make mistakes” and called his behavior “reckless and irresponsible” but disputed that he maintained communication with the victim over a sustained period of time or that he knew who she was during in-person encounters.

“I responded to a fan whose age I didn’t know. When I became aware of their age, all conversation and communication stopped,” he said. “This individual continued to come to shows and pay for meet-and-greets, and although I was unaware that this was the same person I was communicating with online, that’s what I pled guilty to.”

Bell initially pleaded not guilty to the charges but ultimately reached a plea deal with prosecutors. He was convicted in June of felony attempted child endangerment, with a misdemeanor charge of disseminating matter harmful to juveniles.

The attempted endangerment charge is related to the concert, where Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office spokesperson Tyler Sinclair stated Bell “violated his duty of care” and created a risk of harm to the victim. The disseminating matter charge was related to “inappropriate social media messages,” according to Sinclair.

In his video, Bell also addressed that misdemeanor charge and the text messages that were used as evidence in his case, denying that explicit images were exchanged and that anything “physical” had occurred between him and the victim.

“I want to make clear that there were no sexual images, nothing physical between me and this individual,” he said. “I was not charged with anything physical. I was not charged with the disseminating of photographs or images or anything like that. This is strictly over text messages.”

“When I was presented with a plea deal because of the messages, I felt that it was the best way to get this over quickly and for everybody involved to be able to move on and for me to get back to doing what I love,” he added.

Bell ended his message by thanking fans for doing their own research and sticking by him.

“I want to say thank you to everyone who saw through the lies and did their research and looked at my case and saw for what it was, instead of through all this media confusion,” he said. “Don’t believe the media right off the bat. It’s a lot of clickbait. Do your own research and come to conclusions.”

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

Lady Gaga’s dog walker Ryan Fischer sat down for his first television interview to explain what happened that tragic night he was shot during a robbery when two of the singer’s French bulldogs were stolen and how he is recovering now.

Fischer, who had walked the musician’s French bulldogs for six years, spoke with CBS Mornings co-host Gayle King on Friday and admitted that since the shooting “some days are great, some weeks are not.” In the sit-down, Fischer and King returned to the Hollywood neighborhood where the attack occurred where Fisher chronicled the events of that night. “The car basically came in, at an angle,” he recalled. “There was no doubt in my head that they were stopping for me.”

He continued, “I was scared. I was in pain. I had a feeling when they came up, pulled the gun on me, that I was going to end up being shot. In my mind, I was like, ‘There’s no way I’m not going to fight for these dogs.’”

In the video captured by a doorbell camera from a home on the street, he can be heard screaming, “Oh my God! I’ve been shot!” and “Help me! I’m bleeding out from my chest!”

Fischer told King that he was shot once and the bullet entered above his clavicle and exited below his shoulder blade because he was reaching for the dogs at the time. “It pierced my lung,” he revealed.

He recalled being on the operating table at the hospital and seeing a team of eight or nine people working to help him. “When they put the chest tube in, all of a sudden all this blood just spurted out on the doctor next to me. Everyone’s faces just dropped. I heard my blood pressure drop. I looked at the machine. The people in the E.R. who I’d seen that night told me that they didn’t think I was going to survive that night.” He revealed that the doctors had to remove a top third and a bottom portion of Fischer’s lung.

While he does not know if he was targeted due to the expensive dog breed or because the animals belonged to the singer, Fischer said he would be “very surprised” if his attackers knew Lady Gaga was the owner. “The one thing I’ve noticed in L.A. while walking the dogs is people say out of the cars, ‘How much are those dogs worth?’ How much are they? Can I buy them?’ That part was always surprising–the viewing of a dog as a commodity,” he shared.

The two French bulldogs owned by Lady Gaga were eventually returned, with the singer having offered a $500,000 reward for the stolen dogs. Following Fischer’s attack, Lady Gaga posted a heartfelt message on Instagram writing, “I continue to love you Ryan Fischer, you risked your life to fight for our family. You’re forever a hero.”

Speaking of Lady Gaga, Fischer praised the singer for how she has helped him since the incident. “She’s been a friend for me,” he said. “After I was attacked, my family was flown out and I had trauma therapists flown to me. I stayed at her house for months while friends comforted me and security was around me.”

King questioned why Fischer has a GoFundMe page instead of receiving financial help from the singer. He responded, “LG’s very supportive of my journey right now. I think it’s hard for people to understand why someone would go about healing this way. I grew up Catholic in the Jesuit faith and there’s something about giving up your resources, giving up belongings, and to contribute back to society. So, I know that doesn’t make sense to a lot of people, but she totally gets it.”

Commenting on how he is doing now, Fischer said, “I feel good about my life. I’m in a good space mentally as I’ve done the work to embrace this part of myself.” He added that he will soon attend a trauma retreat to hear other stories of grief and share his experience.

Multiple arrests were made in April after the robbery with police confirming that detectives do not believe the suspects were targeting the victim because the dogs were Gaga’s, but due to the great value of the breed.

Watch Fischer’s interview below.

This article was originally published by The Hollywood Reporter.

Following the release of Origen, an album stacked with covers spanning five decades of Latin classic hits and other global masterworks that shaped his life, Juanes returns to U.S. concert stages with a 20-date run launching with two dates at Fillmore Theatre in Miami Beach, starting Thursday night (Sept. 16) and wrapping Oct. 17 in New York City.

The covers set featuring classics by Juan Gabriel, The Beatles, Joe Arroyo, Bruce Springsteen, Juan Luis Guerra, Joaquín Sabina and other greats, will embark on a road trip through Juanes’ Origen Tour, an exploration of his musical roots. The experience will also journey back to his songbook, some of the most recognizable tunes in his musical vein, coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month in September and October.

Through his more than 30 years of music, Juanes has provided immersive and forward-looking tunes that sway from traditional pop fused with vallenato and cumbia to alternative rock-permeated songs. Ahead of Thursday night’s kick-off performance, here are seven tracks Billboard can confirm he’ll be performing, out of his 34 hits on Billboard’s Hot Latin Songs chart, most of which took over atop the chart. The all-metric tally blends airplay, streams and digital data.

“A Dios Le Pido”

The song is the first single from Juanes’ Un Día Normal, his second studio album that earned him a first No. 1 on the all-Latin genre Top Latin Albums chart in September 2003. The track marked Juanes’ second entry on Hot Latin Songs and first top 10, as it peaked at No. 2 in August 2002.

“Es Por Ti”

The second single from the aforementioned set earned Juanes a second top 10 on the all-metric tally as it peaked at No. 4 in December 2002.

“Fotografía,” with Nelly Furtado

Became Juanes’ first No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs. The commercial hit took over atop the tally for five weeks starting July 19, 2003.

“Nada Valgo Sin Tu Amor”

His second-longest leading title with a total of 12 weeks at No. 1 became the first single of Mi Sangre (2004), his third studio album and longest No. 1 charting title on the Top Latin Albums chart (five weeks starting October 2004).

“La Camisa Negra” 

The tune earned Juanes his fourth No. 1 on Hot Latin Songs, ruling for eight weeks in 2005.

“Lo Que Me Gusta A Mi”

Produced by Gustavo Santaolalla, the track peaked at No. 2 in April 2005 and remained on the list for a total of 22 weeks.

“Me Enamora”

Became Juanes’ longest-leading hit racking up a total of 20 weeks at to No. 1 since its debut at the penthouse in September 2007. The track was the first radio single from La Vida…Es Un Ratico, the three-week Top Latin Albums chart ruler in 2007.