Celebrity
Jennette McCurdy Cried After Her Therapist Said This About Her Mom's Alleged Abuse
“I knew that's what I needed to hear.”
Trigger Warning: This piece contains mentions of emotional abuse and eating disorders.
Jennette McCurdy continues to unpack the trauma reportedly inflicted upon her by her late mother. This time, the former iCarly star is appearing on Jada Pinkett-Smith’s infamous Facebook Original show Red Table Talk as a guest on the Sept. 7 episode. The release of McCurdy’s memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died has topped the bestseller lists, and has provided an outpouring of love and support from past co-stars and fellow Nickelodeon child stars like Miranda Cosgrove and Josh Peck.
In the book, McCurdy details her childhood manipulated by her mother Debra, who allegedly forced her own acting dreams upon her daughter and “encouraged” her eating disorders in order to “remain youthful.” She also alleged that Debra performed genital and breast examinations under the guise of screening for cancerous abnormalities until McCurdy was 16, which was right after iCarly started (the original show aired on Nickelodeon from 2007 until 2012). Debra died in 2013 from breast cancer, which opened the door for McCurdy’s healing via a one-woman show that inspired the memoir.
In an exclusive Red Table Talk clip on Entertainment Weekly, a fan called in asking if McCurdy was working toward forgiveness for all that her mother put her through. McCurdy took a moment to gather herself before responding, thanking her therapist for giving her the space to consider not forgiving her mom. “I worked toward forgiveness for a really long time,” McCurdy admits in the clip. “My therapist said to me one day, ‘What if you don't have to work toward forgiveness?’ and I wept. I knew that's what I needed to hear.”
People also posted an exclusive first look at McCurdy reading an excerpt of her book, in which her mother sends a strongly worded email, on the show. Her mother’s email discusses how disappointed she was in McCurdy before unleashing hurtful, objectifying words at her daughter. “You used to be my perfect little angel, but now you are nothing more than a little’ — all caps — ‘slut, a floozy, all used up,’” McCurdy reads at the table. “And to think you wasted it on that hideous ogre of a man. I saw the pictures on a website called TMZ. I saw you rubbing his disgusting hairy stomach. I knew you were lying about Colton.’ (I had told her I was with a friend, Colton.) ‘Add that to a list of things you are: liar, conniving, evil.’”
The email continues with more insults: “‘You look pudgier too. It's clear you're eating your guilt. Thinking of you with his ding-dong inside of you makes me sick. Sick! I raised you better than this. What happened to my good little girl? Where did she go and who is this monster that has replaced her? You're an ugly monster now. I told your brothers about you and they all said they disown you just like I do. We want nothing to do with you. Love, Mom — or should I say Deb since I am no longer your mother?”
Debra ends the email with another plea: “P.S. Send money for a new fridge; ours broke.” Red Table Talk hosts Jada, daughter Willow Smith, and Adrienne Banfield Norris can all be seen reacting throughout McCurdy’s recitation and especially at the monetary request. McCurdy has stated that she has a good relationship with her brothers and told People in Oct. 2021 that she “finally feels free.”
If you or someone you know has an eating disorder and needs help, call the National Eating Disorders Association helpline at 1-800-931-2237, text 741741, or chat online with a helpline volunteer here.
