Jennette McCurdy (born June 26, 1992) is an American writer and former actress. Her breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007–2012) won her four Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. She reprised the character in the iCarly spin-off series Sam & Cat (2013–2014) before leaving Nickelodeon. She also appeared in the television series Malcolm in the Middle (2003–2005), Zoey 101 (2005), Lincoln Heights (2007), True Jackson, VP (2009–2010), and Victorious (2012). She produced, wrote, and starred in her own webseries, What's Next for Sarah? (2014), and led the science-fiction series Between (2015–2016).
McCurdy independently released her debut single, "So Close", in 2009. She released her debut EP, Not That Far Away, in 2010, followed in 2012 by a self-titled EP and a self-titled studio album. The lead single, "Generation Love", reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.
In 2018, McCurdy quit acting to pursue a career in writing and directing. In 2022, she released a memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, which quickly topped bestseller lists and received critical acclaim for her description of the pressures she faced as a child star and the abusive behavior of her since-deceased mother. In 2025, McCurdy began adapting the memoir into a television series of the same name. In 2026, she released her second book and debut novel, Half His Age.
McCurdy was born on June 26, 1992, at Long Beach Memorial Medical Center in Long Beach, California. She was raised nearby in Garden Grove, in a middle-class family. They were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though she ultimately left the religion in early adulthood. Her mother, Debra (née LaBeaf) McCurdy (1957–2013), homeschooled her and her three older brothers. McCurdy describes her earliest memories as being ones "very weighted in tragedy" as a result of her mother's cancer diagnosis. McCurdy's grandparents lived with her family.
McCurdy's mother was a compulsive hoarder, which reportedly began after her cancer diagnosis. McCurdy said that their house was "overwhelmed" with clutter and that she and her brothers slept on Costco trifold gymnastic mats in the living room because their "bedrooms are so filled with stuff that you can't even determine where the beds are, let alone sleep in them".
Mark McCurdy, Debra's husband whom McCurdy grew up believing was her biological father, worked two jobs to support the family. After Debra's death, McCurdy learned that she was not his biological child.
In 2000, at the age of eight, McCurdy started her acting career on the adult comedy sketch show Mad TV. She then appeared in several television series, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Malcolm in the Middle, Lincoln Heights, Will & Grace, Zoey 101, True Jackson VP, Law and Order SVU, Medium, Judging Amy, The Inside, Karen Sisco, Over There, and Close to Home.
In 2003, she acted in the feature film Hollywood Homicide. In 2005, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for "Best Performance in a Television Series – Guest Starring Young Actress" for her performance in drama series Strong Medicine. She also appeared in a commercial for Sprint Corporation.
From 2007 to 2012, she starred as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon TV series iCarly. In 2008, she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for her work on the series and her performance as Dory Sorenson in the TV movie The Last Day of Summer. She was nominated for a 2009 Teen Choice Award in the Favorite TV Sidekick category for her work on iCarly. She played Bertha in Fred: The Movie, a movie based on a YouTube series about Fred Figglehorn.
McCurdy starred alongside Ariana Grande in the Nickelodeon series Sam & Cat, reprising her role as Sam Puckett, with Grande reprising her role as Cat Valentine from Victorious. The series' plot centers on the girls becoming roommates and starting their own babysitting business. It premiered on June 8, 2013. In 2014, McCurdy was absent from the Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards. Explaining her absence, McCurdy stated that Nickelodeon put her in an "uncomfortable, compromising, unfair situation" where she had to look out for herself. The network placed Sam & Cat into hiatus. The network initially stated that the hiatus was planned and that the series was not cancelled. On July 13, 2014, Nickelodeon announced that after one season, Sam & Cat was cancelled. In an interview on Entertainment Pop, McCurdy mentioned that she later made up with Grande.
In McCurdy's 2022 memoir I'm Glad My Mom Died, she describes incidents at Nickelodeon, such as when she was photographed in a bikini at a wardrobe fitting, and being encouraged to drink alcohol while underage by a person she identified as "the Creator". She stated that after the cancelation of Sam & Cat, Nickelodeon later offered her $300,000 to agree not to discuss her experiences at the network; she turned down the offer.
On August 13, 2014, McCurdy launched the online show What's Next for Sarah?. She served as the star of the series as well as the writer of the show, along with duties as executive producer and editor. McCurdy says that the show is based loosely on her life and that the character she plays, Sarah Bronson, is based on her. In 2015, she began starring in the Netflix drama series Between. While critics acknowledged McCurdy as "one of the few cast members who can act" on Between, the show was not renewed for a third season. It was also announced in 2015 that she would star in the teen comedy Little Bitches alongside Virginia Gardner and Kiersey Clemons.
In August 2016, McCurdy signed a deal with digital production company Canvas Media Studios to develop projects and further utilize her social media connections with fans. She also starred as Claire in the psychological thriller film Pet.
McCurdy expressed on her website that she felt ashamed of 90% of her résumé. She eventually decided to quit acting and to pursue writing and directing in 2017:
"I never got the chance to be cast in a project I was proud to be part of. Now I have a better chance of making things I'm proud of than getting cast in things I'm proud of."
Once a very active user of Twitter, Facebook, Snapchat, and Instagram, McCurdy deleted all her past social media posts and set all her past videos and vlogs to "private" on YouTube and Vimeo.
In 2018, McCurdy wrote and directed her first short film, Kenny, a dramedy inspired by the death of her mother; the film also featured an all-female crew. Kenny was featured in The Hollywood Reporter and on Short of the Week. She has since released three more short films, which she also wrote and directed: The Grave; The McCurdys, a semi-autobiographical short based on her childhood; and Strong Independent Women, a short that deals with eating disorders. In late 2018, McCurdy announced that she hoped to direct more films.
McCurdy revealed on the Empty Inside podcast, during an interview with actress Anna Faris, that she had retired from professional acting. McCurdy stated she had been pushed into acting as a child by her mother, and soon became her family's primary source of income. She became "ashamed" of the roles she had played in the past, and after seeking therapy in the late 2010s, McCurdy decided to quit acting. When iCarly was revived in 2020 for Paramount+, McCurdy declined to reprise her role of Sam Puckett.