Jennette McCurdy wants everyone to stop associating her with the shows she starred in as a child, on Nickelodeon. Even though she has been retired from acting for 5 years and has opened up about how she was an exploited child actor, people refuse to stop referencing her stint on iCarly and Sam and Cat.
Her wish to stop being associated with these shows is understandable for anyone who has read her powerful bestselling memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died. In her memoir, she opens up about how she was forced into acting by her abusive mother and how those within the industry ignored her interests, comfort, and safety. While she portrayed a character that came to be beloved on Nickelodeon, in reality, she’s made it clear that she was suffering from abuse, an eating disorder, and exploitative executives.
Even those who grew up loving iCarly won’t be able to watch the show the same way after learning what was happening behind the scenes and will understand why McCurdy has opened up multiple times about feeling shame from her acting days.
For someone who didn’t want to act and was facing such heavy issues in their personal life, it’s understandable they’d be embarrassed to portray a character on a show as silly and random as iCarly. Additionally, considering that Nickelodeon allegedly offered her “hush money” to keep her experiences on set to herself, it’s easy to see why it may have left her with a bad taste in her mouth to contribute to the studio’s legacy in any way. That’s why we must listen to McCurdy when she says she doesn’t want to be associated with these shows anymore.
Jennette McCurdy opens up about trying to move past her acting career
McCurdy opened up about the shame she feels about her acting career in her new podcast, Hard Feelings, from Lemonada Media. She kicked off her podcast on October 24 with two episodes, the first of which was titled “shame.” While she has mentioned her feelings about her acting career in the past, she reveals that she thought she was past it. After all, she has successfully forged a path completely separate from her acting career. She turned down the offer to reprise her role on the iCarly reboot, instead choosing to delve into her true passion: writing.
McCurdy published I’m Glad My Mom Died on August 9, 2022. The book sold out instantly and stayed on the New York Times Best Seller list for non-fiction for over a year straight. Her book was the culmination of years of work she spent doing tragicomedy shows, writing for the Wall Street Journal, and participating in interviews to share her story fully.
On Hard Feelings, she discussed how important it was for her identity to delve into writing. She stated, “It’s so meaningful to me in such a deep way because I felt like finally, I don’t have to carry that shame of my past. Finally, I can be known for something that I do as an adult. Finally, I can be known for writing, the thing that I’d wanted to do since I was a child and was not supported in wanting to do. Finally, I can be supported for me, not for a character. And it kind of washed away that shame, for me.”
Unfortunately, others refuse to let her forget her past. She went on to recount how, during her book tour, she was disrupted while speaking at the University of California San Diego by someone yelling a reference to iCarly. Even press releases about her new podcast labeled her as a “former child star” rather than a bestselling author.
Now, she’s getting honest about how it feels when individuals and the media choose to bring up her past instead of focusing on the woman she is now. She described it as a fight or flight response and as feeling her body tightening and her ears burning every time she hears about iCarly and Sam and Cat. Meanwhile, it forces her to question when everything she does will finally “be enough” for people to stop associating her with shows she did at age 13.
McCurdy went on to concede that the most important thing is how she perceives herself and learns to let go of the past and what people associate her with. However, it’s also important that the media and everyone else listen to what she’s saying. It’s actually a bit absurd that she had to verbally express her desire to stop being remembered as Sam from iCarly. So many child actors have come forward about their negative experiences in the industry and how they left it for a reason. They’ve worked hard to leave that trauma behind, change career paths, and reinvent themselves.
So, why are we still seeing them solely as “former child stars?” Do we go around labeling other people “former high school basketball players” or “former theatre kids” when they’re in their 30s? I don’t think anyone wants to be remembered only for who they were when they were 13, and we shouldn’t forget that just because someone starred in a show at that age.
What’s most disturbing is that people are associating McCurdy with what she has revealed was one of the most traumatic periods of her life. It’s basic respect for people not to be cracking jokes about Sam’s butter sock when McCurdy is sharing her story. McCurdy’s podcast reminds viewers to show empathy for abuse survivors and respect the identities and careers one ultimately settles on, regardless of their past.
(featured image: Bryan Bedder / Getty)
