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Jennette McCurdy has shared new details about a troubling relationship she experienced as a teenager, describing it as "addictive" and shaped by a significant imbalance of power.
Speaking on the Call Her Daddy podcast, the former Nickelodeon star said she was 17 or 18 years old when she became involved with a man in his mid-30s whom she met while working on iCarly. McCurdy, now 33, did not name the individual but explained how the connection gradually developed behind the scenes.
She recalled spending time together after work, often in writers' rooms, where he introduced her to films and music she felt pressured to pretend she enjoyed. At the time, McCurdy said she viewed the attention as validation, despite the man already being in a long-term relationship.
According to McCurdy, the dynamic was emotionally draining. She described being available only in brief windows of time and feeling obligated to drop everything whenever he reached out. Looking back, she said the arrangement left her exhausted and confused, even as she struggled to walk away.
McCurdy also spoke candidly about how her lack of sexual experience and conservative upbringing contributed to the situation. Raised Mormon and homeschooled, she said she had intended to wait until marriage, but felt gradually pressured to cross boundaries she was not ready for. She later recognized the manipulation embedded in statements that framed his needs as reasonable while minimizing her discomfort.
The actress said the intimacy became cyclical, marked by anticipation, brief closeness, and emotional crashes afterward. "My nervous system was hijacked," she explained, noting that the highs and lows kept her emotionally tethered to the relationship longer than she now understands was healthy.
The relationship ended around the time of her mother's death in 2013, though McCurdy said they briefly reconnected afterward. Writing about the experience years later brought unexpected emotions to the surface.
McCurdy revisited the relationship while working on her novel Half His Age, set for release later this month. She said the process revealed unresolved anger she did not realize she was carrying.
"Writing is how I find closure," she said, adding that revisiting the past helped her better understand the impact the relationship had on her sense of self.
