'iCarly' Star Jerry Trainor Reacts To Jennette McCurdy's 'Heartbreaking' Memoir

In a recent interview, Jerry Trainor, who starred alongside Jennette McCurdy on "iCarly," praised her memoir, "I'm Glad My Mom Died," for its candid portrayal of her challenges during the show's original run.

Trainor commended McCurdy for her bravery in sharing her truth. The memoir reveals McCurdy's difficult early experiences in the entertainment industry, including her mother's unusual beliefs about bathroom breaks and personal hygiene.

Keep on reading to learn more.

In an interview with E! News, Jerry Trainor expressed his deep admiration for Jennette McCurdy's 2022 memoir titled "I'm Glad My Mom Died."

The memoir provided fans with a candid look into the challenges McCurdy faced during the original run of "iCarly," including her battle with an eating disorder and the alleged abuse she endured from her late mother, Debra McCurdy, who passed away from cancer in 2013.

During the conversation, Trainor revealed that he wasted no time delving into the memoir, eager to understand McCurdy's journey. "I read it immediately," he shared. "It's heartbreaking, but it's also brilliant and funny. I felt a lot of pride for her being able to speak her truth."

Trainor added, "She's very strong and very perceptive, and you can see it in the writing how smart she is. It's stuff she's going to deal with for her whole life, but she's amazing. She's using it, and she's growing stronger because of it."

In her memoir, McCurdy recounted her early experiences in the entertainment industry, including an audition arranged by her mother, Debra, with child talent agent Barbara Cameron. 

During the audition, Cameron expressed interest in signing McCurdy's brother, Marcus, but cited McCurdy as lacking charisma. However, Debra, a devout Mormon, encouraged the child star to pray for Barbara's acceptance and advocated for her inclusion in the agency.

As part of the agreement, McCurdy was required to attend acting classes, a condition she grew to dislike. At the age of six, she landed her first job as a background actor. However, acting as her representative, her mother informed her that she would only be taking her salary and "essentials."

Although the specifics of these "essentials" were not explicitly defined, McCurdy found the experience to be stressful and unpleasant. "This day was stressful and not fun, and if given the choice. I would choose to never do anything like it again," she wrote, per E! News.

Shedding light on her challenging childhood experiences, including instances involving her mother, McCurdy revealed one particular incident that occurred when she was just eight years old. Per E! News, Debra had instilled in her the belief that taking bathroom breaks was unprofessional, creating a sense of anxiety around this basic bodily need.

However, there was a time McCurdy could no longer hold it and tearfully sought permission to use the toilet. Despite her distress, her mother insisted on accompanying her and even insisted on wiping her behind herself.

Another aspect of McCurdy's childhood that she shared in her memoir involved her mother's approach to personal hygiene. Until the age of 12, McCurdy described dreading showers as her mother would continue to bathe her. Debra went even further, conducting what she referred to as a "breast and 'front butt' exam" on McCurdy, explaining that she was checking for potential cancerous lumps.

During these uncomfortable examinations, McCurdy said she "usually just tries and think of Disneyland when Mom's doing the exams" and felt a "huge wave of relief" when the exams were over.

McCurdy is the only member of the original "iCarly" cast who chose not to return for the revival of the show in 2021. Despite her reservations, the "Sam & Cat" actress recently hinted at the possibility of a comeback. Previously, she had shared that she had walked away from her acting career.

However, since the publication of her memoir, McCurdy has begun to contemplate a return to acting. In an interview with E! News in October, she shared her new perspective, stating, "I do feel like only through writing the book have I gotten to a place where I think there might be a way of exploring acting that doesn't carry that baggage that I carried with me for so long."

She added, "Maybe if I write something for myself. I think that'd really be maybe one of the only ways I could kind of try exploring it again."