Josh Peck Shows Love To Jennette McCurdy After Her Shocking iCarly Revelations

Former Drake and Josh star Josh Peck has some words of encouragement for his friend and former Nickelodeon network-mate Jennette McCurdy’s new memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died. The memoir, which hit shelves earlier this week, goes into detail about how McCurdy’s mother — who died of cancer in 2013 — reportedly physically and emotionally abused her daughter when she was a child actress on iCarly and Sam & Cat. McCurdy has since retired from acting, citing the abuse as a major factor in her decision.

On August 11, Peck posted a photo of himself and McCurdy hugging at an airport, writing a caption that celebrated the release of her book and praised the honesty of his friend. “My friend Jennette wrote a book and it’s out today. She’s brave, funny and thoughtful in ways few are. Get it today!,” his caption read. McCurdy commented her gratitude on the photo with, “Love you my friend! Thanks for the kind words.”

Peck, who also appeared on Nickelodeon’s The Amanda Show, wrote a memoir earlier this year called Happy People Are Annoying. It detailed his struggles with mental health and happiness, and the toll that being a professional child comedian took on his life.

Ahead of her book’s release, McCurdy spoke to The New York Times about her experiences that drove her to write the memoir. “My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited," she said. “It still gives my nervous system a reaction to say it. There were cases where people had the best intentions and maybe didn't know what they were doing. And also cases where they did — they knew exactly what they were doing.” Miranda Cosgrove, McCurdy’s IRL friend and former iCarly castmate also commented on her friend’s experience in the piece. “When you're young, you're so in your own head,” Cosgrove said. “You can't imagine that people around you are having much harder struggles.”

McCurdy’s memoir originates from a darkly comedic one-woman live show that she originated in September 2021. At the time of the show’s premiere she told People, “even though it may seem black and white, there's a fullness to my narrative. Life can be dark — and messy. Nobody has a perfect life.” She went on to describe the difficult environment in which she was raised, where her parents Debbie and Mark fought constantly. “My earliest memories of childhood were of heaviness, and chaos,” said McCurdy. “My mom's emotions were so erratic that it was like walking a tightrope every day. The mood fluctuations were daily.”

During her tumultuous home life, McCurdy felt that her job was to “keep the peace” between her parents, and live out her mother’s dream of becoming an actress. “She became obsessed with making me a star,” McCurdy remembers, and the obsession eventually extended to her daughter’s appearance, which then manifested into McCurdy’s eating disorders. McCurdy shared that she has now recovered, but insists that she’d still be under that spell if her mother was still alive. “It was only distance from her that allowed me to get healthy.”

I’m Glad My Mom Died is now available.