While promoting her new book, I’m Glad My Mom Died, former iCarly star Jennette McCurdy talked further about Nickelodeon and the $300,000 she was offered as “hush money.” Talking on Nightline last night (August 9), she looked back on the decision and the conflicting feelings that came with turning down that amount of money but ultimately being “proud” of what she did.
“I just said no, it’s not happening. That sounds like hush money to me. Not doing it. Not taking it.”
Jennette McCurdy made her acting career soar by co-starring with Miranda Cosgrove in iCarly. After reprising the role of Sam Puckett for Sam & Cat, the TV network offered the money. Being young and with it being a large sum, she had conflicting thoughts about it and wondered if she could take it due to the positive outcomes that could come from it.
Jennette McCurdy proudly rejected the “hush money” from Nickelodeon
For Jennette McCurdy, looking back at Nickelodeon trying to give her this money and her rejecting it made her emotional on Nightline. As tears came up, the thought of doing “something that was really hard to do” made her feel “emotional” but still “proud” of herself. When asked by Nightline anchor Juju Chang asked about that pride, the former actress said she picked “a path of integrity.”
In the memoir, Jennette McCurdy goes over the exploitative people at Nickelodeon, like The Creator (hinting at Dan Schneider, the creator of shows like iCarly). It also covers the toxic relationship she had with her mother and other troubles she had around this time during her acting career, which she left behind after her mom’s death.
Paramount+ rebooted iCarly with Cosgrove, Jerry Trainor, and Nathan Kress reprising their roles. Jennette McCurdy declined to come back to the series.
I’m Glad My Mom Died is out now.
