Former Nickelodeon Star Jennette McCurdy Claims Network Offered Her $300K in Hush Money to Cover Up Inappropriate Conduct
Former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy claims that the network offered her money in exchange for her silence pertaining to her experience at the company.
In her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, which will be released next Tuesday, she details the struggles she faced as a child actor.
At 15, McCurdy got her break on the hit Nickelodeon show, iCarly, which aired from 2007 to 2012. From a young age, she took acting seriously. Her mother Debra controlled every detail of McCurdy’s life and even pushed her to land roles in order to financially provide for the family.
According to the New York Times, McCurdy faced exploitation from every angle.
In her book, she claims that while working at Nickelodeon she faced numerous indignities, including being photographed in a bikini during wardrobe fittings to being encouraged to drink underage by someone connected to the network, a person she refers to in the book as “The Creator.”
When her time at the network was over in 2014, having starred in an offshoot of iCarly titled Sam & Cat, McCurdy says Nickelodeon offered her “$300,000” in exchange for her silence regarding “experiences at the network.”
McCurdy told the Times, “My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited. It still gives my nervous system a reaction to say it. There were cases where people had the best intentions and maybe didn’t know what they were doing. And also cases where they did — they knew exactly what they were doing.”
She declined the $300,000 offer, she wrote. McCurdy’s mother died of cancer in 2013, and the actress considered herself free and able to rebuild her life.
Although, McCurdy chose to not reveal the identity of “The Creator” she references in the book, some speculated it could be ousted Nickelodeon executive Dan Schneider.
Schneider was the creator behind both of McCurdy’s shows, iCarly and Sam & Cat. He parted ways from the network in 2018 after allegations of abuse surfaced.
Shortly before he resigned, the network conducted an internal investigation into Schneider. According to the Times, although many coworkers praised him for his “attention to detail and work ethic,” some described him as verbally abusive.
Some people who worked on Schneider’s shows, and asked for anonymity because they said they feared reprisal from him, said they viewed his chumminess with his young actors as awkward and odd for a powerful, middle-aged showrunner. Several recalled that he often spent time during the work day interacting with young fans online and, after work, texting child actors about silly matters of teenage internet life.
Since departing the company in 2018, Schneider has repeatedly denied any allegations of abuse or wrongdoing, telling the Times, “I never interacted with actors in any way, texting or otherwise, that should make anyone uncomfortable.” Schneider also announced in the same interview, in 2021, that he was ready to make his return to children’s programming.
In addition to her upcoming memoir, McCurdy hosts the podcast Empty Inside, where she’s hosted numerous child actors and given them a platform to share their experiences of exploitation and recovery.
