'iCarly' star Jennette McCurdy rips Nickelodeon: My childhood was ‘exploited’

close

Video

Fox News Flash top entertainment headlines of the week

Fox News Flash top entertainment and celebrity headlines are here. Check out what clicked this week in entertainment.

Jennette McCurdy is opening up about her childhood trauma. 

McCurdy revealed she was "exploited" when she was a child actor on Nickelodeon’s "iCarly" and "Sam & Cat." 

She says her overbearing mother and the television industry were both to blame, as they "failed to protect her," according to the New York Times.

"My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited," McCurdy said. "…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."

'ICARLY' STAR JENNETTE MCCURDY RECALLS PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL ABUSE FROM MOTHER DURING CHILDHOOD

At the age of 16, McCurdy was entering her third year on the hit teen sitcom "iCarly," where she made millions of young viewers laugh by playing the comedic character Sam Puckett. 

Jennette McCurdy says she was "exploited" while she was a child actor on Nickelodeon’s "iCarly" and "Sam and Cat."  (Getty Images)

The former actress gets candid in her new memoir, "I’m Glad My Mom Died," in which she details her toxic relationship with her mother and her tumultuous time on Nickelodeon. 

According to the New York Times, McCurdy, 30, wrote in her memoir about embarrassing moments on the children’s television network when she was asked to be "photographed in a bikini during a wardrobe fitting and being encouraged to drink alcohol by an intimidating figure she simply calls the Creator."

McCurdy pointed out that when her mother was present, she never interjected or instructed her daughter that this "was the price of showbiz success."

"Everyone wants what you have," she allegedly told her daughter.

Jennette McCurdy gets candid in her new memoir, "I’m Glad My Mom Died," where she details her toxic relationship with her mother and her tumultuous time on Nickelodeon. (Getty Images)

In McCurdy’s memoir, which will be published on Aug. 9, she recounted auditioning for acting roles at the age of 6 and being "shepherded" into the work by her controlling mother. She also noted that she suffered from obsessive-compulsive disorder, eating disorders and anxiety. McCurdy believed she owed her loyalty to her mother, who controlled every aspect of her life. 

After McCurdy starred on "iCarly," Nickelodeon promised her a spinoff series of her own, but walked back on their offer and made Ariana Grande a co-lead on "Sam & Cat." 

Jennette McCurdy, left, and Ariana Grande co-starred on Nickelodeon's "Sam and Cat." (Getty Images)

McCurdy says she felt undermined by the network as they discouraged her from exploring other career opportunities outside the show. However, those rules did not seem to apply to Grande.

"What finally undid me was when Ariana came whistle-toning in with excitement because she had spent the previous evening playing charades at Tom Hanks’s house. That was the moment I broke," McCurdy wrote. 

"Sam & Cat" aired for only one season during 2013-2014, and after the show's cancellation, Nickelodeon offered the former actress $300,000 to keep her experiences at the network private, McCurdy said. She refused the offer. 

Despite "iCarly" star Miranda Cosgrove saying that she and McCurdy quickly became friends on the show, she was not completely aware of the challenges her friend faced in her life. 

CLICK HERE TO SIGN UP FOR THE ENTERTAINMENT NEWSLETTER

"When you’re young, you’re so in your own head," Cosgrove told the New York Times. "You can’t imagine that people around you are having much harder struggles."

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

Cosgrove noted, "You don’t expect things like that from the person in the room who’s making everyone laugh."

Nickelodeon did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.