Jennette McCurdy

Her mother, Debra (née LaBeaf) McCurdy (1957–2013), home-schooled 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 [were] so filled with stuff that you [couldn't] even determine where the beds [were], 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.

Jennette Michelle Faye McCurdy (born June 26, 1992) is an American writer, filmmaker, former actress, and singer.

In 2000, at the age of eight, McCurdy started her acting career on 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.

McCurdy 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).

In 2003, she acted in the 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 Strong Medicine.

She also appeared in a commercial for Sprint.

McCurdy's breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom iCarly (2007–2012) earned her four Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards.

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 iCarly and her performance as Dory Sorenson in the TV movie The Last Day of Summer.

In June 2008, McCurdy announced that she was working on her debut album.

McCurdy independently released her debut single, "So Close", in 2009.

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.

The first single, "So Close", was released on March 10, 2009.

On May 19, her cover of the Amanda Stott song "Homeless Heart" was released.

It was released in honor of McCurdy's recently deceased friend Cody Waters, who died at the age of nine from brain cancer, and 20% of the proceeds were donated to the Cody Waters Foundation.

She met Waters through St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.

In mid-2009, McCurdy was offered a record deal from both Big Machine Records and Capitol Records Nashville.

McCurdy signed to Capitol Nashville.

She released her debut EP, Not That Far Away, in 2010, followed in 2012 by the Jennette McCurdy EP and the Jennette McCurdy studio album.

The lead single, "Generation Love", reached number 44 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs.

On April 16, 2010, samples of selected songs from McCurdy's upcoming debut country album were released online.

The song clips were released for fans to vote for which one they believed should be McCurdy's first radio single.

"Not That Far Away" received the most votes, and was released to country radio on May 24, 2010, and iTunes on June 1.

McCurdy's debut EP, Not That Far Away, was released on August 17, 2010.

Her second single, "Generation Love", was released as a digital download on March 22, 2011, followed by its release to radio on April 25, 2011.

She reprised the character in the iCarly spin-off series Sam & Cat (2013–2014) before leaving Nickelodeon.

She produced, wrote, and starred in her own webseries, What's Next for Sarah? (2014), and led the science-fiction series Between (2015–2016).

In 2018, McCurdy quit acting to pursue a career in writing and directing.

In 2020, she began hosting an interview podcast, Empty Inside.

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.

McCurdy was raised in Garden Grove, California, in a relatively poor family, who were members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, though she ultimately left the religion in her early adulthood.