Jennette McCurdy, former star of iCarly and its short-lived spin-off, Sam & Cat, has stepped away from the cameras. Thanks to a new excerpt of her book I’m Glad My Mom Died that was published in Vanity Fair, it’s clear to see why.
McCurdy gets frank about the pressures she was under as a young star, which led to an eating disorder and alcohol abuse before she was legally old enough to drink.
The star, now a podcast host, also details the way she was treated by her boss on iCarly, a man she only refers to as “The Creator.”
She claims he tried plying her with alcohol at 18, gave her unwanted massages and pitted other young stars against each other in a way to curry favor with them.
What’s more, she alleges she was offered $300,000 in “hush money” when her show ended and she left Nickelodeon — all to keep quiet, McCurdy says, about working with “The Creator,” who eventually was reprimanded about his on-set behavior.
Actor-turned-producer Dan Schneider created both shows, though McCurdy doesn’t specify who “The Creator” is.
After a string of hits, Schneider parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018 — amicably, at least in public — amid accusations he was abusive on sets. In 2021, he denied any accusations to The New York Times.
As for what she describes as “hush money,” McCurdy quotes a former manager as saying, “‘They’re giving you three hundred thousand dollars and the only thing they want you to do is never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon.’ Specifically related to The Creator,” she writes.
McCurdy didn’t accept it.
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