Jennette McCurdy, a promising teen star of the early 2010s, is speaking out about the unsettling experiences in her forthcoming memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died.”
The Kid’s Choice Awards-winning actress, who began her television career when she was 8, had her breakthrough role in 2007, playing the role of Sam Puckett in all six seasons of Nickelodeon’s hit teen sitcom “iCarly.”
In 2013 she starred alongside Ariana Grande in an “iCarly” spinoff, “Sam & Cat,” which only lasted a single season.
In an excerpt from her memoir published by Friday by Vanity Fair, she speaks candidly about her final days at the network.
McCurdy goes into shocking details about an unnamed boss, whom she refers to as “the Creator,” who she says gave her massages while making promises about the show. He also pressured her to drink while underage, she says.
The explosive allegations occurred as she was working out her contract for “Sam & Cat.”
In one anecdote, McCurdy says that the Creator offered her “some sort of whiskey mixed with coffee and cream.” She initially refused, saying that she’d never had alcohol before and that she was only 18. “Couldn’t I get in trouble?” she asked him.
“No one’s looking, Jennette. You’re fine,” he told her according to the book.
“The Creator is doing the thing that I’ve heard from my co-stars he does with every new star of a show that he’s making — he takes you under his wing. You’re his favorite. For now. I like being his favorite for now. I feel like I’m doing something right,” she writes.
In a later chapter, she writes that “the Creator has gotten in trouble from the network for accusations of his emotional abuse. I feel like it’s been a long time coming, and should have happened a lot sooner.”
Then, according to McCurdy, a manager tells her that the network is offering her $300,000, “and the only thing they want you to do is never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon.” the manager says. “Specifically related to The Creator.”
She refuses, but later wondered if she should have taken it.
According to the Los Angeles Times, the book also describes how McCurdy felt “robbed and exploited” by fame, and why she resented Grande.
“Ariana misses work in pursuit of her music career while I act with a box [for an episode],” she wrote. “I’m pissed about it. And I’m pissed at her. Jealous of her,” she writes.
Last year, during an episode of her podcast “Empty Inside,” McCurdy confirmed that she had quit acting saying that she was “ashamed of the parts [she had] done in the past,” and that she resented her career “in a lot of ways.”
She opens up about her final days at the network in a passage from her memoir that Vanity Fair released on Friday.
McCurdy divulges stunning information about a mysterious boss she refers to as “the Creator,” who she claims offered her massages while making promises to her about the show. She claims that he also forced her to consume alcohol while underage.
The shocking accusations were made as she was negotiating her contract for “Sam & Cat.”
According to one account, McCurdy was offered “some form of whiskey mixed with coffee and cream” by the Creator. She initially objected, claiming that she was just 18 and that she had never consumed alcohol. She questioned him, “Couldn’t I get in trouble?”
