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Jennette McCurdy, an American writer, filmmaker, and former actor and singer, was born in 1992 in Garden Grove, California, to a relatively poor Mormon family. She and her three older brothers were homeschooled  by their mother. McCurdy began auditioning for acting roles at the age of six. In 2007, she was cast in her breakthrough role as Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon show iCarly. In 2012, she reprised this role in the iCarly spinoff series, Sam & Cat, co-starring with Ariana Grande as Cat, which was abruptly cancelled in 2014. McCurdy wrote her first screenplay when she was still a child but was discouraged from writing by her mother. In 2014, she wrote and starred in her own web series, What’s Next for Sarah?, which is loosely based on McCurdy’s life and struggles with fame. She accepted a role in the Netflix series Between in 2015, which had a two-season run and marked her final recurring role as an actor.

McCurdy’s brief career as a country singer began with her debut single, “So Close,” in 2009. She went on to release two EPs and one full-length studio album. In 2011, McCurdy undertook a mall tour in the United States, donating all proceeds to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Her music career was short-lived, ending in 2012 when she left her record label due to conflicts with other projects. In 2018, McCurdy gave up acting to pursue a career in writing and directing. That same year, she wrote and directed her first short film, Kenny, inspired by the death of her mother. She has since written and directed three more short films. Her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, is her first book, which grew out of a one-woman tragicomedy show of the same title. Following the success of her memoir, McCurdy signed a two-book deal with Ballantine Books, signaling that she intends to pursue writing as a career.

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