Jennette McCurdy is opening up in new detail about a troubling relationship she had as a teenager with a much older man, whom she now calls “creepy” and emotionally draining.
the first iCarly The star, 33, spoke during a recent episode of calls his daddy podcast, which links the experience to themes from her upcoming debut novel. Half your agewhich will be published on January 20.
McCurdy said she was around 18 when she first entered into a relationship with a man in his 30s whom she met at work during her time on the Nickelodeon set.
She described how he showed her movies and music that he assumed she would enjoy, even though she didn’t, and how she pretended to like them to please him.
Not only was the dynamic unequal in terms of age, but it also carried a sense of power imbalance, as the man was already in a long-term relationship and living with his girlfriend.
“It was just exhausting,” McCurdy recalled, reflecting on how she felt trapped in a cycle that was difficult to break.
In the conversation, she highlighted how awkward some encounters became, including times when he showed up drunk and pushed for an intimacy that conflicted with her own beliefs and upbringing, which emphasized waiting until marriage.
Looking back, he said the whole situation now feels “creepy.”
The relationship took place during a difficult period in McCurdy’s life, shortly before her mother’s death in 2013, adding emotional strain to an already confusing situation.
Although the romance eventually subsided, McCurdy revisited the experience while writing her novel and found that it stirred up unresolved anger that she hadn’t fully processed until she put it into words.
McCurdy has also been candid about her past in previous works, including her best-selling memoir. I’m glad my mom diedwhere he first mentioned the relationship between ages.
Her new project is expected to delve even deeper into how desire, power and vulnerability intersected in that and other experiences of her youth.
By sharing these reflections, McCurdy hopes to spark broader conversations about unhealthy relationships, power dynamics, and the emotional journey of coming to terms with one’s own story.
As the release of her novel approaches, audiences can expect more information about how she has transformed difficult personal experiences into creative expression.
