Jennette McCurdy Opens About Childhood Exploitation in New Memoir
Jennette McCurdy is laying it all out on the table in her new memoir; I’m Glad My Mom Died. The former ICarly actress recounts her struggles with exploitation, abuse, and eating disorders throughout her childhood.
Over the last few years, McCurdy slowly opened up about her turbulent relationship with her controlling mother, Debra McCurdy. McCurdy was thrust into the spotlight at a young age to provide for her family. She was never happy while working and recalled when she asked her mom to quit.
In an early-released excerpt of the memoir, McCurdy mentioned, “I don’t want to act anymore,’ I say before I even realize I’ve said it. Mom looks at me in the rearview mirror. A mixture of shock and disappointment fills her eyes. I immediately regret saying anything… She bangs on the steering wheel, accidentally hitting the horn. Mascara trickles down her cheeks. She’s hysterical, like I was in the Hollywood Homicide audition. Her hysteria frightens me and demands to be taken care of.”
Prior to the release of her book, McCurdy sat down with The New York Times and discussed her experience with her mom in further detail. To sum it all up, McCurdy states, “My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited.” When discussing her time on ICarly, McCurdy remembers when adults photographed her in a bikini and encouraged her to drink alcohol. Rather than sticking up for her daughter, McCurdy’s mother simply told her daughter, “Everyone wants what you have.”
As McCurdy got older, her relationship with her mom became more distant, which infuriated her mom. In an email published in the book, Debra McCurdy called her daughter a “SL*T, FLOOZY and UGLY MONSTER” and ended the email with a request for money for a refrigerator. After her mom’s passing in 2013, McCurdy was set free. She was no longer under the microscope of her mother but instead was left to navigate her healing journey alone.
Looking toward the future, McCurdy focuses on going with the flow as she states, “I think things should feel natural. So much of my life was about forcing or pushing things. So when something feels like it’s working, I’ll let that be, and anything else can fall by the wayside.”
I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy will be released on August 9; you can purchase your copy here.
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