credit: @Jennettemccurdy
The name Jennette McCurdy might not readily ring a bell, but if you ever watched the popular Nickelodeon sitcom Sam & Cat, there is no way you don’t remember Sam Puckett, the aggressive tomboy! But, behind the scenes, here are ten things you didn’t know about Jennette McCurdy!
1. She Hated Being a Child Actress
Jennette McCurdy, the one-time famous Nickelodeon poster child, broke the internet when she
revealed that she never liked acting. The actress, who kicked off her career at a young age, had
quickly made it to billboards, poster cards, and T-shirts. The fame was undoubtedly a tribute
to the significant roles she played in iCarly and its spinoff show Sam & Cat, but as the world was getting used to her talent, she quit! You’d soon find out why.
2. She Became Anorexic at 11
Jennette McCurdy got into acting around age six; by 11, her life had become complicated.
While other kids happily consumed any food their way, disordered eating consumed Jennette McCurdy. She learned and practiced calorie restriction; at 11, she was
already anorexic; by 20, she was weighing less than 90 pounds!
3. She Hated Her Mother
If you’re wondering how an 11-year-old got so body conscious, the disheartening answer is a
narcissistic mother. She wanted her child to ‘delay’ puberty until she had made enough money
for the family! Debra McCurdy had been the sole mastermind behind her daughter’s acting
career. Unfortunately, acting was not Jennette’s dream, but her mother, whose dreams it was, had been insistent.
It is hard not to hate such a person.
4. She Suffered Severe Abuse
Debra McCurdy’s control game did not stop at deciding her daughter’s career path. She would
insist on bathing the younger McCurdy woman herself, claiming she was too young to care
for herself. The forced baths, up to age 11, went as far as genital and breast examinations- which
Jannette later described it in an interview as ‘an invasive and out-of-body experience.’ Worst still,
her mother physically and emotionally abused her, and she could not stand up for herself because
of the older woman’s erratic temper.
5. She is a Singer
Jennette McCurdy gathered the courage to veer away a bit from her programmed life.
She took to singing, and in 2009, she dropped her debut single ‘So Close. The song didn’t do so
well, but the American-born former actress persevered, and in 2012, the lead single from her
debut album, Jennette McCurdy, became number 57 on Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. It
eventually peaked at number 44!
6. Her Parents Left Her
For once, Jennette McCurdy was doing something of her own, and it seemed like her life was
finally falling in place. Was it, though? Barely a year later, her mother, who she had been
codependent on, died of breast cancer after being re-diagnosed. Shortly afterward, she discovered that Mark McCurdy wasn’t her biological father!
7. She Became an Alcohol Addict
As the teenage iCarly star struggled with the new reality of not having either parent, the
consequences of her imposed childhood habits began to set in more. She began to battle with a
potentially life-threatening eating disorder called bulimia. Clueless on coping with the
devastating twist in her life, she turned to alcohol and became a horrible addict.
8. She is a Podcast Host
Jennette McCurdy wallowed in that self-destruction for three long years- after which she sought
therapy. It took intense therapy for her to accept the extent of her mother’s abuse, heal from it
and get her life in order. During that phase, she quit acting and went off social media. In 2020,
however, she launched her podcast, Empty Inside, where she discusses pertinent life topics with
guests. In a 2021 episode of the podcast, she publicly addressed her decision to quit acting, saying that
she was ‘ashamed of her past TV roles and the career left her unfulfilled’
9. She Became a Writer
The journey of healing saw Jennette McCurdy diving into writing. She wrote personal essays and
published articles in The Wall Street Journal. Her first book, a memoir about her tumultuous life
journey, surfaced in the August of 2022 with a sensational title that set the internet ablaze. It
reads ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died.’ In a jaw-dropping Red Table Talk episode with Adrienne
Banfield Norris, Jada Pinkett Smith, and Willow Smith; however, the former actress explains
why she chose the name.
credit: @Jennettemccurdy
10. She is a Millionaire
‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’ sold out within just one day of going on sale in retail. In 7 days,
Jennette McCurdy sold over 200,000 copies across all formats of the book- she became a New
York Times Best Seller, which meant a lot more money. Currently, her annual salary is $500,
000, and her net worth is estimated at $5 million!
