Jennette McCurdy is a child star known for her role as the sarcastic best friend Sam Puckett in the Nickelodeon sitcom "iCarly." Even though she has been open about her struggles, fans want to know about her love life.
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Jennette McCurdy is now a writer and director who gave up acting in 2018 because she never liked it and has directed several short films recognized by several film festivals.
The child star started acting when she was six and has appeared in movies and series like "Mad TV," "Malcolm In The Middle," "Medium," "Judging Amy," "Hollywood Homicide," "Will and Grace," and more.
Jennette McCurdy at the premiere of "Damsel" on June 13, 2018 | Source: Getty Images
Despite not being a lover of acting, she was inspired to act after she watched Harrison Ford in "Star Wars," coupled with the fact that she had to be the breadwinner by the time she was ten as they were poor.
At 15, when she landed on "iCarly," it became her breakout role as the show was a hit with fans. When the show ended, fans wanted more of McCurdy's character, and a spin-off show, "Sam and Cat," was created, but it only lasted one season.
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Jennette McCurdy at the Nickelodeon 2008 upfront presentation on March 13, 2008 | Source: Getty Images
While fans loved McCurdy's character, the actress said she was miserable and resented her life. On the "Empty Inside" podcast, she opened up about her life and said:
"It's the thing that I feel the most shame of in my entire life. I do not like any of the acting work, or any of the projects I've been a part of as an actor. Even talking about it; honestly, my heart starts to race, and I feel like I almost could cry."
Even though fans of the show tell her that she helped shape their childhood, she believes it's beautiful that they had that experience, but it wasn't hers.
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For McCurdy, the experience hugely impacted her self-esteem and mental health and haunted her. The resentment and unfulfillment she felt made her walk away from acting.
Despite quitting acting, McCurdy did not leave the entertainment scene. As always, fans are curious to know what she is up to, specifically who she is dating, as she has been linked with several actors.
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JENNETTE MCCURDY'S LOVE LIFE SPARKED SOME RUMORS AND CONTROVERSIES
In 2004, McCurdy reportedly dated actor Graham Patrick Martin, but they never confirmed their relationship. According to reports, the pair were together until 2008, when they split.
Martin is an actor and producer who attended Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts. He is known for "Catch-22," "Major Crimes," and "Two and a Half Men."
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Between 2010 and 2011, McCurdy was linked to "iCarly" guest-star Max Ehrich. The actor denied the dating rumors as he tweeted in 2016 that they were just friends.
Ehrich is a singer, trained dancer, and actor who graduated from New York's Professional Performing Arts School. He is known for his roles in "The Young and the Restless," "High School Musical 3: Senior Year," and "Under the Dome."
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From 2011 to 2013, McCurdy was in her first significant relationship with "iCarly" writer Paul Glaser, who was 13 years older than her. The actress who started dating him when she was 18 said:
"People online would make very rude comments about him and say, 'What a creep to have had an eye on her for so long.' But they didn’t know the whole story."
The pair had started dating when she found out that her mother's cancer had returned even more aggressively, and it was spreading to her brain, spine, sinuses, and lymph nodes.
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At that moment, McCurdy felt she had directed her love to someone other than her mother because she knew her mother did not have a long time. When her mother got worse, she ended the relationship with Glaser. She said:
"I needed to go through that loss on my own. I felt that I would put too much of myself into another person, and become very attached."
She was scared they would become my reality if she shared her loss, that part of herself, and that reality with someone. In September 2013, McCurdy lost her mother.
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JENNETTE'S ROMANCE WITH ANDRE DRUMMOND ENDED WITH DRAMA
Shortly after her mother's death, McCurdy started dating NBA star Andre "Renee" Drummond. She revealed that he wooed her via social media around the summer of 2013, and because he was persistent, she agreed to a date.
Unfortunately, she quickly realized that their relationship would not work, and it only lasted a week. However, fans were shocked that they were an item, as one said they were the most random celebrity couple she had seen in a while.
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While another fan noted she was baffled at the idea that they were dating, McCurdy was not feeling the relationship, especially during their first kiss. She said:
"My first kiss with him was after we had gone laser tagging. I stood on a chair… I sort of went for it. But it wasn't great. It didn't go great. No sparks and the mouth… the shapes weren't right."
In no time, their relationship was over, but there was also drama. McCurdy's intimate images were posted online in 2014 after the actress admitted on the "You Made It Weird" podcast that Drummond was a poor kisser.
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After the leak, the actress took to Twitter and indirectly accused Drummond of the leak. She said:
"To anyone disappointed: I sent those pics to one person. You can connect the dots. Shocked someone would stoop so low. I just speak with candor."
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In response to the speculations, Drummond, who denied the accusations, also took to Twitter and said:
"For all the speculations about leaking anything, I have nothing to do with it. I'm focused on basketball. Thank you."
Years later, some Twitter users still can't believe they were an item. One user said, "Jennette McCurdy and Andre Drummond really dated. I refuse to forget this glitch in the simulation."
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WHO IS JENNETTE MCCURDY DATING NOW?
McCurdy last known relationship happened in 2015 when she started dating her then-costar Jesse Carere. They were together for nearly a year before fans noticed that the actress had removed all their PDA-filled pics on her social media in 2016.
No one knows what went wrong with their relationship, but McCurdy had kept her private life private for some years. Carere's interest in being an actor led him to his first role in MTV's version of "Skins" in 2011.
Jennette McCurdy and Jesse Carere at the photocall for "Between" on October 5, 2015 | Source: Getty Images
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Despite not being in any known relationship, McCurdy has been thriving. In 2018, she made her last on-screen appearance when she starred in the short film "The First Lady."
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Rather than act, she focuses her energy on her mental health, directing and writing her short films. In 2019, she released "Strong Independent Women," a film centered around eating disorders which she is familiar with.
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In 2019, McCurdy, in support of National Eating Disorders Awareness Week, revealed for the first time that she had bulimia. Her disordered eating started when she was 11 and was enabled by her mother and the industry.
At the time of her revelations, the actress who defines success on her terms said she had been in recovery maintenance for two years, was done with acting, was working on her short films, and producing her podcast.
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McCurdy launched her "Empty Inside" podcast in July 2020. For every episode, she and her guests tackle tough topics such as comedy, self-doubt, filmmaking, going to therapy, jealousy, "disordered eating," and the debilitating sense of doom we all feel as we desperately try to fill the vacuum within.
The child star, who remains an actress at heart, said she has not ruled out the idea of making a comeback to her acting career. However, Jennette McCurdy's return to acting would take working with a director she admired.
McCurdy has also released another short film titled "Kenny," which focuses on a man caring for his dying mother. In 2017, she directed "The McCurdys" based on her childhood as a child star who despised her job.
Right now, she is happiest when telling her stories from behind the camera because she feels she has a vision and a point of view.
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