Jenette McCurdy Recalls Trauma as 'iCarly' Child Actor': 'They Knew Exactly What They Were Doing'
Jennette McCurdy exposes Nickelodeon and opens up about her trauma while starring in the hit sitcom "iCarly" as a teen.
In an interview with The New York Times, the former iCarly actress recalls her scarring experiences on set which haunted her as a child actor, along with the frustrations she had with her late mother.
"My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited," The former Nickelodeon actress shared. "It still gives my nervous system a reaction to say it. There were cases where people had the best intentions and maybe didn't know what they were doing. And also cases where they did - they knew exactly what they were doing."
According to the NYT, she recalls "being photographed in a bikini at a wardrobe fitting and being encouraged to drink alcohol by an intimidating figure she simply calls the Creator."
During these moments that the child star endured shame and indignities, her mother, Debra, never intervened and conditioned her to believe that these were all a normal part of being a Hollywood star.
With iCarly announced for a second season in 2021, the cast respects McCurdy's decision of not returning on the series.
Jennette's former co-star, Miranda Cosgrove, admits her regret of being unaware of her co-star's struggle, despite their close friendship during their time at iCarly. "You don't expect things like that from the person in the room who's making everyone laugh." she told the NYT.
The Moment That Nickelodeon Broke Her
After her role as Sam Puckett in iCarly, Jennette starred in her own spinoff series, 'Sam & Cat' in 2013.
The now-retired actress shares her anger at how Nickelodeon had treated her unfairly. She claimed that their show superiors had prevented her from pursuing career opportunities outside the show, with a double standard to her co-star, Ariana Grande. The future pop sensation had been thriving with extra-curricular projects during this time.
"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," she recalled.
'Sam & Cat' aired with one season, after which Jennette claims that Nickelodeon offered her $300,000 to never speak publicly about her experiences there, to which the former-actress rejected.
