Drake Bell's DUI Arrest Has An Interesting Layer

Word to the wise: If you're going to repeatedly — and publicly — slam someone for their unsavory behavior, it's probably best not to participate in that kind of behavior yourself. It's a lesson that a certain Drake & Josh star hopefully learned this week, when Drake Bell was arrested on "suspicion of DUI" early Monday morning. Bell, of course, has a long history of attacking Justin Bieber (and Bieber's fans) via Twitter — particularly over Bieber's January 2014 DUI. (Is it any surprise that Beliebers immediately took this opportunity to drag Drake Bell and throw the hypocrisy right in his face?)

According to a Glendale Police spokesperson's account to People, the actor was pulled over around 2 a.m. on Monday morning for "straddling a lane, driving at an unsafe speed, and stopping abruptly at a red light." After police "smelled an odor of alcohol" on Bell's breath, the spokesperson said, he was given a sobriety test, which he failed to "satisfactorily complete." The former Nickelodeon star was then arrested, cited, and released after posting $20,000 bail.

It's an incident that is heavy on the hypocrisy, to say the least. Bell spent the better part of 2014 dragging Bieber on social media, slamming him left and right and notably calling out Bieber's DUI with a sarcastic video that basically explains why Bieber's arrest can't be defended:

After this tweet, Bell wasted no time in jumping on that whole "let's get Justin Bieber deported" bandwagon, sharing a link to the deportation petition:

In April 2014, Bell explained to BuzzFeed the crux of his problem with Bieber: As public figures, Bell said, they have a duty to be role models to their fans (and Bieber wasn't succeeding):

"We didn't sign up to be role models, but we are," he said at the time. "Artists like Justin Bieber or Lady Gaga have more sway over popular minds than a politician. They could get on a pedestal and say, 'This is how you should treat people,' but instead [Bieber's] going around telling kids that as long as you have enough money and swag, you can do whatever you want. Instead of working to change the world, [he's saying,] 'Work to get as much money and power as possible because then you can do whatever you want and no one can say anything to you.' I just think that's a gross, awful, terrible message."

But perhaps Bell's biggest hypocritical moment was when he slammed Bieber for being arrested and thrown in jail — and meanwhile, the only ~drama~ the actor had under his belt at the time was starring on "a hit TV show":

Perhaps this is a teachable moment for Bell, in more ways than one. Of course, it's dangerous and stupid and illegal AF to drive while under the influence, and most importantly, I hope he learns that lesson first. But maybe this will also give him some compassion for other stars going through difficult times. Maybe it will make him think twice before raking someone over the coals in such a public manner... because it could easily be him— and in this case, it was.