Jennette McCurdy was one of the biggest Nickelodeon stars of the late 2000s, early 2010s. She appeared in numerous shows on the kid-friendly network, including iCarly and Sam & Cat (with Ariana Grande). Those series share a creator in Dan Schneider, who left Nick following accusations of misconduct, including “that he could be verbally abusive at times to coworkers, with tantrums and angry emails a part of the claims,” Deadline reported. He also allegedly requested “shoulder and neck massages” from his young stars, and had a “habit of texting child actors outside of work hours.”
In an excerpt obtained by Vanity Fair from her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy doesn’t mention Schneider by name. But she does refer to an older boss who pressured to her drink while she was underage as The Creator.
“Come on, take a sip.”
“No thanks.”
“Come on.”
“I’ve never had alcohol before. And I’m only eighteen. Couldn’t I get in trouble?”
“No one’s looking, Jennetter. You’re fine.”
“I dunno.”
“The Victorious kids get drunk together all the time. The iCarly kids are so wholesome. We need to give you guys a little edge.”
Later, McCurdy — who claims in the book that she was offered $300,000 to not speak publicly about her time at Nickelodeon; she rejected it — writes that The Creator volunteered to give her his jacket. “He takes his coat off and drapes it around me. He pats my shoulders and then the pat turns into a massage,” the excerpt reads. “My shoulders do have a lot of knots in them, but I don’t want The Creator to be the one rubbing them out. I want to say something… but I’m so scared of offending him.”
McCurdy described her time on Nickelodeon to the Washington Post as half “so cheesy and so polished and so glossy and so fake” and half “so painful and real and raw and hurting,” including being photographed in a bikini by an “(unnamed) intimidating figure” at a wardrobe fitting. “That part was going completely unseen,” she added.
I’m Glad My Mom Died is available on August 9.
(Via Vanity Fair and the Washington Post)
