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Drake Bell Is Under Fire for Transphobic Tweet About Caitlyn Jenner

Drake Bell Is Under Fire for Transphobic Tweet About Caitlyn Jenner
Former Nickelodeon star Drake Bell has been under fire after sharing an alleged transphobic tweet about Caitlyn Jenner. Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock

While Caitlyn Jenner‘s family members have been overwhelmingly supportive after her big debut as a woman on the July 2015 cover of Vanity Fair, former child star Drake Bell shared an alleged transphobic tweet about the Olympian on Monday, June 1.

“Sorry…” Bell, 28, wrote. “Still calling you Bruce.”

Related: PHOTOS: Caitlyn Jenner's journey through the years

Shortly after, the actor deleted his tweet and attempted to explain to fans that his intention was not to insult her.

“That’s bravery!” the Drake & Josh alum tweeted, followed by more clarifications. While these tweets have also since been deleted, BuzzFeed captured Bell’s updates before they were erased.

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs' coming out stories

“I’m not dissing him! I just don’t want to forget his legacy!” the Nickelodeon alum reasoned. “He is the greatest athlete of all time! Chill out!”

He concluded by tweeting, “Calm down children.”

Related: PHOTOS: Celebs fight back on social media

Despite Bell’s controversial tweets, Jenner had the public support of her stepdaughters Kim, Kourtney, and Khloe Kardashian, as well as her youngest two, Kendall and Kylie Jenner, on Monday.

In addition to the kids’ updates, Caitlyn’s mom, Esther Jenner, also spoke out in support of the stunning Vanity Fair cover reveal on Monday night.

“She’s beautiful!” the Jenner family matriarch, 88, told Access Hollywood.

Related: PHOTOS: Celeb LGBT alies

Esther told the program that she planned on calling Caitlyn by her birth name of Bruce — but her reasoning was different than Bell’s explanation. “I still have to call him Bruce,” she said. “His father and I named him that.”

Caitlyn, meanwhile, told Vanity Fair that she was finally free to be herself. “Bruce always had to tell a lie,” she mused in a behind-the-scenes clip. “He was always living that lie. Every day he always had a secret from morning ’til night… Caitlyn doesn’t have any secrets. Soon as the Vanity Fair cover comes out, I’m free.”

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