Jennette McCurdy gets candid about her time on ‘iCarly’. Image Source: Fox News
Jennette McCurdy gets candid about her time on ‘iCarly’
Actress Jennette McCurdy is opening up about her time on the sets of "iCarly" in her upcoming memoir "I ‘m Glad My Mom Died," which will be released on August 9th.
During a recent interview with The New York Times, Jennette McCurdy, who is famous for playing the character of Sam Puckette on "iCarly," said that her entire childhood and adolescence were exploited and that thinking about it still makes her nervous. She said that there were cases where people had the best intentions and maybe did not know what they were doing and some cases where people knew exactly what they were doing.
Jennette McCurdy writes in her memoir that she suffered various indignities during the time of her being on the show and the spin-off show, "Sam & Cat," and details that she was encouraged by an intimidating figure, whom she referred to as the Creator, (who could be Dan Schneider) to drink, and adds that she was pictured in a bikini during a wardrobe fitting. Jennette McCurdy said that her mother, Debra McCurdy, who passed away in 2013 due to cancer, did not try to intervene and said that everybody wants what she had. The actress said that she was so scared of offending the Creator that she just did what she was asked to, no matter how much she wanted to stop the unsolicited back rub that made her uncomfortable.
Additionally, Jennette McCurdy remembered The Creator being in problems with the network for claims of his emotional abuse. She said that she had felt like it should have happened much sooner and had been a long time coming. The Creator, she continued, had received punishment to the extent that he was no longer permitted to go on set with any actors. He had to take notes, which were given to the cast and crew by an assistant director while sitting in a little cave-like chamber off to the side of the studio according to her.
Miranda Cosgrove, who starred alongside Jennette McCurdy on the show, said that while the two of them grew close on set, she was not aware of what Jennette McCurdy was going through until now. Miranda said that when individuals are young, they are so much in their heads and one cannot imagine that people around them are struggling with things, especially the ones who are making everyone laugh.
In her memoir, Jennette McCurdy writes about an audition that left her scarred for life. She explained that she was sitting in the waiting room mustering up all her sadness until she felt something strange later revealing that she was asked to cry on demand. Jennette, who had a complicated relationship with her mother, wrote that something like this had never happened before but it was happening now and it was scaring her. She details the dilemma her mind was in at the time, stating that one part of her was scared because it was painful and she just wanted to leave, but she also mentioned that that part did not realize that she had a special skill which was good for her and her family, especially mom.
The young actress tried to explain how she felt to her mother when her audition didn't go as she had hoped, saying that she no longer wanted to perform. According to the excerpt, her mother freaked out and guilted her into continuing. She accidentally hits the horn by banging on the driving wheel, the actress said. She is hysterical, much as the actress was at the "Hollywood Homicide" audition, and mascara is dripping down her face. The actress wrote that she feel threatened by her hysteria and need to tend to it.
The actress described being on a conference call with her managers, agents, and attorneys to talk about the cancellation of Sam & Cat, which also starred Ariana Grande as Cat Valentine, in an excerpt that was published by Vanity Fair. Jennette said that Nickelodeon had given her a $300,000 thank-you present but insisted that she keep her experience a secret in exchange. She said that she had been told to keep quiet about her firsthand encounter with the Creator's abuse. She argued that because it was a network with kid-friendly programming, shouldn't the shows have some type of moral compass? Shouldn't they at least make an effort to adhere to some form of moral code? Deadline stated that there were "several reports of abusive behavior towards Schneider submitted by employees of his crew" after the TV producer left Nickelodeon in 2018.
The Nickelodeon program, which ran from 2007 to 2012, featured a group of closest friends as they dealt with daily issues and adventures while producing a webcast for and about kids their age. The revival, which was picked up in 2021 and recently renewed by Paramount+ for a third season, does not include Jennette McCurdy as she was not interested to be a part of the show.
