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The life of a child actor seems like a dream, but we’re all far too familiar with the stories of how difficult it can be. The information coming out around Jennette McCurdy is no exception, and yet surprising all the same.
The star—best known for her role on Nickelodeon’s iCarly and the spin-off Sam & Cat—revealed abuse she suffered as a child star.
McCurdy was 15 when iCarly began in 2007. She alleged the abuse was the fault of her mother as well as authority figures on the set of her popular kids' shows.
She shared details in a New York Times profile to promote her new book.
\u201cso excited about this i\u2019m probably going to get it framed\u2026\u201d— Jennette McCurdy (@Jennette McCurdy) 1659634233
In her profile, McCurdy spoke about the abuse she suffered while starring on one of the most popular children shows at the time. On one side, she explained her mother’s controlling behavior, forcing the young woman into acting and guilting her when she didn’t want to.
And on the other side of the equation, things weren’t any better. A person only identified as ‘The Creator’ is alleged by McCurdy to have photographed her in a bikini during a wardrobe fitting. This same Creator also pushed McCurdy to drink alcohol and tried to give her unprompted shoulder massages when she was a child.
While the Creator isn’t named, things he did are horrific for someone who regularly worked with children.
\u201cJennette McCurdy says in her new memoir that during her Nickelodeon days she was photographed in a bikini at a wardrobe fitting & encouraged to drink alcohol by a person she calls \u2018The Creator.\u2019\n\nMcCurdy says Nickelodeon offered her $300,000 to keep silent about her experiences.\u201d— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1659710242
\u201cIn Jennette McCurdy\u2019s new memoir she reveals that a producer on the set of iCarly she was \u201cphotographed in a bikini at a wardrobe fitting and being encouraged to drink alcohol by an intimidating figure she simply calls the Creator.\u201d\n\nCreator of iCarly = Dan Schneider.\u201d— Obiscure Nick (@Obiscure Nick) 1659670703
\u201c@nypost Awesome...\ud83d\udc4d\n\nAlcohol and kids...what could go wrong?!\u201d— New York Post (@New York Post) 1659711363
\u201cJeanette McCurdy is spilling EVERYTHING lmaoo, I\u2019m seated eating my popcorn asf rn\u201d— isid or (@isid or) 1659718144
\u201c@HuffPost Jennette is a great actor, a great performer. Her work as a young actor on iCarly was tremendous. I saw her on instagram about 2 yrs ago and immediately thought that there was some hurt in her eyes in recent shots, so sadly this news is no surprise.\u201d— HuffPost (@HuffPost) 1659725846
\u201c@_rustonyourdoor @PopBase Google Dan Schneider, bc a lot of young women/teen girls (not sure if any boys) have had awful sexualizing experiences while working with him... including Ariana Grande and other female members of the Victorious cast. I haven't heard of many others though, may be covered up.\u201d— Pop Base (@Pop Base) 1659663933
McCurdy experienced a lot more pain and suffering in her childhood acting career.
McCurdy’s mother’s abuse led to the former child star titling her book I’m Glad My Mom Died, which rubbed some people the wrong way.
Nickelodeon pushed more pain on McCurdy. While they promised her a solo spin-off from iCarly, they instead made her a co-star of Sam & Cat, alongside Ariana Grande.
On top of all of this, they controlled what McCurdy could and could not do in seeking career opportunities. These limits didn’t apply to Grande, which hurt and ‘broke’ McCurdy.
The final straw came when McCurdy’s time at Nickelodeon came to an end. The company tried to pay her $300,000 to not talk publicly about her time at the studio.
It was a difficult childhood for someone that brought joy to other children.
\u201cHuge props to Jeanette McCurdy for refusing $300k of hush money.\u201d— The Most Specialest Actress (@The Most Specialest Actress) 1659716214
\u201c@PopCrave they deserved better\u201d— Pop Crave (@Pop Crave) 1659832372
\u201c@PopBase Anytime you ask the question, "I wonder what happened to them?" about a child star, 9 times out of 10 a studio is responsible for them not working\u201d— Pop Base (@Pop Base) 1659663933
\u201cMy heart breaks for the former female stars of Nickelodeon. It\u2019s clear that many of them have experienced trauma from Dan Schneider. I hope Jeanette McCurdy opens the door for more girls to share their stories\u201d— Mr. Pop (@Mr. Pop) 1659726424
McCurdy’s memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, looks at her struggles with addiction, eating disorders and abuse on the sets of her Nickelodeon shows.
It has an expected release date of August 9.