Jennette McCurdy‘s new book, I’m Glad My Mom Died, has some shocking revelations about her days as a Nickelodeon sensation.
The iCarly and Sam & Cat star paints a dark picture of that era in her memoir that will be out on August 9.
In the book, she claims that working on Sam & Cat with Ariana Grande was a real turning point for her. The 30-year-old actress started telling her story in 2020 via a one-woman show by the same name.
McCurdy hit theaters in New York and Los Angeles. However, the COVID-19 pandemic forced her to take to a different path. She eventually returned to the stage in September 2021. In April of this year, the book was announced.
iCarly has marked an entire generation, and the show was revived in 2021 via Paramount+. McCurdy’s character in the comedy series, Sam Puckett, was not recast after she refused to reprise the role.
Based on the content of the new book, it makes perfect sense why the Los Angeles native decided to turn down the idea. One of the main revelations is about a person named “The Creator” that engaged in inappropriate behavior.
The person massaged her at work and pressured her to drink while she was underage. She accuses Nickelodeon of offering her $300,000 to stay quiet about the whole experience. McCurdy said she refused the money. The identity of “The Creator” is not revealed in the memoir.
The person is described as “generous and over-the-top complimentary” on one end and as “mean-spirited, controlling, and terrifying” on the other. The individual allegedly could make “grown men and women cry with his insults and degradation.”
McCurdy writes: “What the f**k? Nickelodeon is offering me three hundred thousand dollars in hush money to not talk publicly about my experience on the show? My personal experience of The Creator’s abuse. This is a network with shows made for children. Shouldn’t they have some sort of moral compass? Shouldn’t they at least try to report to some sort of ethical standard?”
Dan Schneider created iCarly in 2007 and the show ran until 2012. Schneider was investigated by ViacomCBS before leaving Nickelodeon in 2018.
The iCarly spinoff, Sam & Cat, was supposed to be her big reward. However, Grande was hired as her co-star and allegedly given preferential treatment.
The podcast host explained: “What finally undid me was when Ariana came whistle-toning in with excitement because she had spent the previous evening playing charades at Tom Hanks’s house. That was the moment I broke.”
McCurdy blames her mother for not considering her concerns, especially after she was pictured in a bikini for a wardrobe fitting.
The former actress says that her mom’s passing in 2013 has allowed her to get healthy after dealing with an eating disorder for a long time.
