Jennette McCurdy, who starred in “iCarly” alongside Miranda Cosgrove and Nathan Kress, revealed in her new memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” that Nickelodeon offered her $300,000 to stay quiet about alleged abuse she faced at the hands of who she calls “The Creator.”
According to McCurdy, “The Creator” touched her shoulders inappropriately and encouraged her to drink alcohol when she was 18. McCurdy doesn’t name names; however, Dan Schneider was the creator and showrunner for “iCarly” as well as “Sam & Cat” until he was let go from the network in the spring of 2018.
A rep from Nickolodeon did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.
“My shoulders do have a lot of knots in them, but I don’t want The Creator to be the one rubbing them out,” she said, according to an excerpt published in Vanity Fair. “I want to say something, to tell him to stop, but I’m so scared of offending him.”
McCurdy played Sam Puckett in the original “iCarly” series, playing the title character’s best friend. She also starred in a spinoff series “Sam & Cat” with Ariana Grande, who played her character Cat from Nickelodeon’s “Victorious.”
In reference to drinking alcohol, McCurdy recalls another push from “The Creator” comparing “iCarly” to “Victorious.”
“The ‘Victorious’ kids get drunk together all the time,” he allegedly said. “The iCarly kids are so wholesome. We need to give you guys a little edge.”
McCurdy says she turned down the nondisclosure payment offer from the network.
“They’re giving you $300,000 and the only thing they want you to do is never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon,” one of her managers told her. McCurdy then writes that these experiences relate to “The Creator.”
“Nickelodeon is offering me $300,000 in hush money to not talk publicly about my experience on the show? My personal experience of The Creator’s abuse? This is a network with shows made for children,” McCurdy continues. “Shouldn’t they have some sort of moral compass? Shouldn’t they at least try to report to some sort of ethical standard?”
McCurdy’s book, “I’m Glad My Mom Died” publishes August 9. The title alludes to McCurdy’s troubled relationship with her late mother, Debra, who exerted strict measures of control through food, her career and bodily examinations, according to an interview in The New York Times.