iCarly star Jennette McCurdy says she was ‘exploited’ as a child actor on Nickelodeon series

Jennette McCurdy, who starred in iCarly, has claimed she was “exploited” as a child actor on the Nickelodeon series.

McCurdy, who was 15 when the teen sitcom began in 2007, said that there were “cases where people had the best intentions and maybe didn’t know what they were doing”.

However, she told The New York Times there were also cases when older people around her “knew exactly what they were doing”.

The outlet notes that, in McCurdy’s new memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died, she alleges she was “photographed in a bikini at a wardrobe fitting” and was “encouraged to drink alcohol by an intimidating figure” she refers to as “the Creator”.

McCurdy, 30, said that her mother Debra was present during these alleged moments, but didn’t get involved as she believed this was what happened when you were in the acting business. Debra died of cancer in 2013.

Miranda Cosgrove, who appeared alongside McCurdy in iCarly, and leads the show’s Paramount+ reboot, told the outlet that she had no idea what her co-star was going through.

“When you’re young, you’re so in your own head,” Cosgrove said. “You can’t imagine that people around you are having much harder struggles.”

McCurdy played Sam Puckett in iCarly, which ended in 2012. She went on to co-star with Ariana Grande in the spin-off series Sam and Cat.

She claims that after that show was cancelled, Nickelodeon offered her $300,000 (£248,000) to keep her alleged experiences to herself – but she she says she turned the sum down.

The Independent has contacted Nickolodeon for comment.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is released on 9 August.