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‘iCarly’ Star Jennette McCurdy Claims Nickelodeon Offered Her $300,000 to Stay Quiet on Alleged Abuse

Jennette McCurdy’s new memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” includes a revelation that Nickelodeon allegedly offered her $300,000 in “hush money” so that she would not go public with the alleged abuse she faced at the hands of “The Creator.” A book excerpt including this allegation was published by Vanity Fair. McCurdy does not mention her alleged abuser by name, instead choosing to refer to him only as “The Creator.”

Variety has reached out to Nickelodeon for comment on McCurdy’s claims.

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According to McCurdy, “The Creator” encouraged her to drink alcohol when she was only 18 years old and also massaged her shoulders in an inappropriate manner. The actor writes, “My shoulders do have a lot of knots in them, but I don’t want The Creator to be the one rubbing them out. I want to say something, to tell him to stop, but I’m so scared of offending him.”

McCurdy starred in the original run of “iCarly” on Nickelodeon before getting her own network spinoff series, “Sam & Cat.” The actor writes about the day she found out her show was being canceled. An agent told her that Nickelodeon was “offering [her] $300,000” and that she should “think of it like a thank-you gift.” McCurdy was confused.

“They’re giving you $300,000 and the only thing they want you to do is never talk publicly about your experience at Nickelodeon,” one of her managers told her. McCurdy writes that her manager was talking about experiences “specifically related to The Creator.”

McCurdy rejected the offer, even though her team told her it was “free money.” She responded, “No it’s not. This isn’t free money. This feels to me like hush money…I’m not taking hush money.”

“What the fuck? Nickelodeon is offering me $300,000 in hush money to not talk publicly about my experience on the show? My personal experience of The Creator’s abuse? This is a network with shows made for children,” McCurdy writes. “Shouldn’t they have some sort of moral compass? Shouldn’t they at least try to report to some sort of ethical standard?

She continues, “I lean back against the headboard of my bed and cross my legs out in front of me. I extend my arms behind my head and rest them there in a gesture of pride. Who else would have the moral strength? I just turned down $300,000.”

Head over to Vanity Fair’s website to read the book excerpt in its entirety. McCurdy’s memoir “I’m Glad My Mom Died” will be released Aug. 9.

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