Jennette McCurdy’s Memoir ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’: 5 Things We Learned

Jennette McCurdy rose to fame in 2007 in Nickelodeon’s iCarly, taking part in the function of Carly’s rebellious greatest buddy, Sam Puckett.

She then went on to star alongside future Grammy-winner Ariana Grande within the spin-off Sam & Cat in 2013. However, after the present was canceled in 2014 and Netflix’s Between, the place she performed the function of Wiley Day led to 2016, McCurdy left the world of tv behind.

McCurdy now directs brief movies and at the moment stars in her personal one-woman play, I’m Glad My Mom Died. In her just lately launched memoir of the identical title, she displays on her experiences as a baby actor, all the things from feeling exploited, to consuming problems, fame, and her overbearing mom.

Here are 5 issues we have realized from McCurdy’s heartbreaking and hilarious memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died.

5 Things We Learned From Jennette McCurdy’s Memoir

1. On Sam & Cat and Ariana Grande

Sam & Cat was the spin-off to iCarly on Nickelodeon, starring Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande. The present ended after one season.

McCurdy addressed the rumors that the present ended as a result of she was upset co-star Ariana Grande was being paid extra money than her. She insisted that was not the case.

She wrote: “Whatever. They’ve got to blame someone, so they’ve chosen me, and there’s nothing I can do about it.”

However, she did say she was more and more irritated about Grande’s rise to fame when Sam & Cat was nonetheless filming. As a end result, McCurdy said she needed to work round Grande’s schedule and missed out on different work, whereas Grande was in a position to miss an entire week of filming to attend an awards ceremony.

McCurdy recalled: “I booked two features during iCarly that I had to turn down because the iCarly team wouldn’t write me out of episodes to go shoot them.

“I resent being a very good sport. If I wasn’t such a very good sport, to start with, I would not be on this predicament within the first place. I would not be on the s**tty present saying these s**tty strains on this s**tty set with this s**tty coiffure,” she added.

“Ariana misses work in pursuit of her music profession whereas I act with a field. I’m pissed about it. And I’m pissed at her. Jealous of her,” she continued. “So now, each time she misses work, it appears like a private assault. Every time one thing thrilling occurs to her, I really feel like she robbed me of getting that have myself.”

2. She Wanted to Quit Acting at a Young Age

Not only did McCurdy begin acting reluctantly at a young age, but she also knew she wanted to quit early on.

Her mother, Debra McCurdy, got Jennette and her brother Marcus an audition with agent Barbara Kirk, who initially only wanted to sign Marcus. Debra, a devout Mormon, told Jennette to pray for the talent agent to accept her.

Reflecting on her job as a background actor aged 6, McCurdy wrote: “This day was nerve-racking and never enjoyable, and if given the selection. I might select to by no means do something prefer it once more.”

On attending acting classes when being asked to cry on demand McCurdy said: “It was one of many extra depressing experiences of my life, sitting in a chilly casting workplace imagining tragic occasions that hurt my beloved household.”

In 2002, McCurdy told her mom she did not want to act anymore, to which McCurdy recalls her mom crying hysterically: “You cannot stop! This was our probability! This was ouuuuur chaaaaance!”

3. Turning Down the iCarly Reboot

When iCarly was given a reboot on Paramount+ final yr, McCurdy was noticeably absent from the lineup, regardless of all of her former co-stars signing as much as return.

At the time, in an announcement to Newsweek, McCurdy’s representatives mentioned she was busy engaged on different initiatives: “Jennette is busy working on her book which sold to Simon & Schuster as well as bringing her one-woman show back to the stage. She is also working on some other film & TV projects which have not yet been announced.”

McCurdy revealed in her memoir that it was iCarly co-star Miranda Cosgrove who approached her to do a reboot, assuring they’d each be paid equally.

However, McCurdy mentioned that she turned it down, prioritizing her “mental health and happiness” over cash. Elsewhere in a memoir, McCurdy spoke fondly of her shut friendship with Cosgrove.

4. She Developed Bulimia and a Drinking Problem

Writing in I’m Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy opened up about starting puberty and the way terrifying it was for her when she started to develop breasts, understanding her mother had been identified with breast most cancers when McCurdy was 2 years outdated.

On the recommendation of her mother, McCurdy mentioned she started proscribing her calorie consumption to forestall her breasts from getting larger. At 12 years outdated, she weighed simply 61 kilos. Then, when she obtained her first interval, she started to return to her disordered methods, whereas her mom continued to insult her physique form and weight.

When her mother was dying in the summertime of 2013, McCurdy mentioned in an try and wake her mom and hold her spirits up, she informed her she had informed her mother she was all the way down to 89 kilos in weight, hoping constructive information would increase Debra.

Reflecting on her mom’s demise, McCurdy mentioned she was glad she was too upset, writing: “At least I feel thin and valuable and good about my body” whereas grieving.

Soon after her mother’s demise, she went out for dinner with associates the place she ate a full meal and drank an entire bottle of sake. After throwing up she famous she felt “victorious” and commenced consuming to assist her bulimia.

At one level, McCurdy remembers having eight or 9 photographs of alcohol every night time. Things obtained so dangerous, that her enamel started to rot.

5. The Creator

Throughout her memoir, Jennette refers to a person often known as “The Creator” at her time on Nickelodeon who would usually go away her feeling severely uncomfortable.

She remembers being pressured to drink alcohol when she was 18 and him starting to therapeutic massage her shoulders as they mentioned her personal television present.

McCurdy by no means recognized “The Creator” by title, however does reveal he obtained in “in trouble from the network for accusations of his emotional abuse” and was not allowed to be on set with any of the actors.

She commented: I really feel prefer it’s been a very long time coming, and may have occurred quite a bit sooner.”

McCurdy also revealed in her memoir that as Sam & Cat came to an end in 2014, Nickelodeon offered her $300,000 which she said was explained to her as money to “by no means discuss publicly about your expertise at Nickelodeon.”

She turned the cash down.

Newsweek reached out to Nickelodeon for remark.

I’m Glad My Mom Died, revealed by Simon & Schuster, is out now.