She was a bright, talented child who lit up every room, yet behind her cheerful TV presence hid a life shaped by pressure and control. Growing up in a chaotic, cluttered home, she lived under her mother’s strict, isolating authority. What appeared to be opportunity was actually a childhood without safety or independence, as her mother pushed her into becoming the family’s provider before she was ten.
Her rise from Mad TV to iCarly brought fame but also deep personal cost. Her mother dictated her diet, appearance, and choices, fostering shame, anxiety, and dependence. When her mother died in 2013, she faced grief alongside the collapse of an identity built for her, not by her.

Through therapy and writing, she began to heal. Her 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, revealed the extent of her trauma and became a bestseller. Now a writer and mental-health advocate, Jennette McCurdy is adapting her memoir for television, finally telling her story on her own terms.

