Jennette McCurdy
Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy (born June 26, 1992)[1] is an American writer, filmmaker and former actress and singer.[2][3][4] McCurdy's breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007–2012) earned her four Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. She reprised the character in the iCarly spin-off series Sam & Cat (2013–2014) before leaving Nickelodeon. McCurdy also appeared in the television series Malcolm in the Middle (2003–2005), Zoey 101 (2005), Lincoln Heights (2007), True Jackson, VP (2009–2010), and Victorious (2012). She produced, wrote, and starred in her own webseries, What's Next for Sarah? (2014), and led the science-fiction series Between (2015–2016).[5]
Jennette McCurdy
McCurdy independently released her debut single, "So Close", in 2009.[6] She released her debut EP, Not That Far Away, in 2010, followed in 2012 by the Jennette McCurdy EP and the Jennette McCurdy studio album. The lead single, "Generation Love", reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.[7]
In 2018, McCurdy quit acting to pursue a career in writing and directing. In 2020, she began hosting an interview podcast, Empty Inside.[8] In 2022, she released a memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, which quickly topped bestseller lists and received critical acclaim for her description of the pressures she faced as a child star and the abusive behavior of her since-deceased mother.[9] In September 2023, she began hosting a second podcast entitled Hard Feelings.[10][11][12]
Early life[edit]
McCurdy was raised in Garden Grove, California, in a relatively poor family, who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though she ultimately left the religion in her early adulthood.[13] Her mother, Debra (née LaBeaf) McCurdy (1957–2013), home-schooled her and her three older brothers.[14][15][16] McCurdy describes her earliest memories as being ones "very weighted in tragedy" as a result of her mother's cancer diagnosis. McCurdy's grandparents lived with her family.[17]
McCurdy's mother was a compulsive hoarder, which reportedly began after her cancer diagnosis. McCurdy said that their house was "overwhelmed" with clutter and that she and her brothers slept on Costco trifold gymnastic mats in the living room because their "bedrooms [were] so filled with stuff that you [couldn't] even determine where the beds [were], let alone sleep in them."[17]
Mark McCurdy, Debra's husband whom McCurdy grew up believing was her biological father, worked two jobs to support the family. After Debra's death, McCurdy learned that she was not his biological child.[18]
Television, film, and music career[edit]
2000–2006: Career beginnings[edit]
In 2000, at the age of eight, McCurdy started her acting career on Mad TV.[19] She then appeared in several television series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Malcolm in the Middle, Lincoln Heights, Will & Grace, Zoey 101, True Jackson VP, Law and Order SVU, Medium, Judging Amy, The Inside, Karen Sisco, Over There, and Close to Home. In 2003, she acted in the film Hollywood Homicide. In 2005, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a Television Series – Guest Starring Young Actress" for her performance in Strong Medicine.[20] She also appeared in a commercial for Sprint.[21]
Personal life[edit]
Relationship with her mother[edit]
McCurdy has described the close relationship she had with her mother as abusive and "the heartbeat of my life."[9] When she was two to three years old, her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer and underwent several surgeries, chemotherapy, and a bone marrow transplant.[71][73] In 2010, her mother's cancer returned, and in 2013, her mother died. McCurdy was 21 years old.[74]
McCurdy has revealed that she was emotionally and sexually abused by her mother. In an interview with People magazine, she said, "My mom's emotions were so erratic that it was like walking a tightrope every day." According to McCurdy, her mother pushed her into acting when she was six years old both to financially support her family and because her mother had wanted to become a performer herself. She stated that her mother was "obsessed with making [her] a star" and detailed how her mother contributed to her eating disorder by introducing her to calorie restriction at age 11.[75][71][76][77]
She revealed that until she was 17 years old, her mother performed invasive vaginal and breast exams on her, ostensibly as medical exams or cancer screenings, and never let her shower alone. McCurdy stated, "this was the hardest part of the book for [her] to write about." McCurdy said that she refused to appear in the revival of iCarly because of the reminder of her mother's abuse during the original show, and that she appeared in the spin-off series Sam & Cat to please her mother.[75][71][76][77] McCurdy stated in an interview that she did not receive all of her payment from acting as a minor because her Coogan account was not properly filed.[78]
In her 2022 memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, the cover of which features McCurdy looking up and holding a pink urn with confetti spilling out,[79] McCurdy further described her mother's abusive and controlling influence.[9]
Romantic relationships[edit]
McCurdy dated American basketball player Andre Drummond in 2013.[80]
Health issues[edit]
In March 2019, McCurdy publicly revealed in a Huffington Post article that, from age 11, she had anorexia, and later bulimia.[81] In the article, McCurdy describes the roles of her mother and the entertainment industry in causing and contributing to her eating disorders. She also recounts seeking help after her sister-in-law noticed the disorder and health scares such as losing a tooth from regurgitating stomach fluids that wore down her tooth enamel and passing out on Miranda Cosgrove's bathroom floor from dehydration.[81][82] McCurdy described that her eating disorder "robbed me of my joy and any amount of free-spiritedness that I had."[83] As of 2022, McCurdy considers herself to be "fully recovered" from eating disorders.[84] In addition to her struggles with eating disorders, McCurdy is a recovering alcoholic, having begun drinking heavily shortly before her mother's death.[85]
Relationship with biological father[edit]
McCurdy did not learn until after her mother's death that Debra's husband was not her biological father. In her memoir, McCurdy identifies her biological father as being a jazz musician named Andrew, who was later identified as American jazz trombonist and musician Andy Martin. They have met in person at least once.[86][87][88]