Jeanette McCurdy famously swore off her Nickelodeon past, once writing on her personal website that acting on the network induced “psychological trauma in her.” In an essay for Huffpost, she also wrote that “There was something about the shallowness of my success that made me resent it,” and exacerbated her struggle with disordered eating.” Now, she’s made it clear she most likely won’t be back for the iCarly reboot.
The topic once again came up on her podcast Empty Inside’s most recent episode, with guest Anna Farris. “I resent my career in a lot of ways,” she revealed. “I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing.” She goes on to discuss how her family’s lack of money as a child is what propelled her into acting, but that it was “difficult” for her, and eventually quit acting to focus on directing: “It’s going great.”
In December, the New York Post reported that the iCarly reboot was slated for Paramount’s streaming service of the same name, Paramount Plus, with most of the main cast set to return. But with McCurdy’s frequent public comments about her time on the series, speculation mounted over whether or not she would appear at all.
I’m guessing those chances are slimmer than ever.
Back in 2013, McCurdy posted the following Vine, in which she tells iCarly creator Dan Schneider: “Look what you’ve done to me.”
In 2014, following the cancellation of Nickelodeon show Sam & Cat, in which she co-starred with Ariana Grande, McCurdy wrote on Reddit: “To remove myself from the role model battle, the falsified standard set by the bubblegum industry, is — in my eyes — to remove myself from the counterintuitive battle of attempting to be something perfect while being glaringly aware of my imperfections.” She continued:“They say don’t look for true love in a bar, well I say, don’t look for role models on screens. … I encourage you to base your idea of a role model off of someone you know well enough to see purely, not in the light, cameras, and actions of Hollywood.”
When asked if she would return to Nickelodeon, she told one Reddit user: “I left Nickelodeon recently because I need to move forward with my life.”