Icarly was one of the most iconic shows that Nickelodeon ever made, which ran for 6 seasons between the years 2007 and 2012. The show starred Miranda Cosgrove as Carly Shay, Jerry Trainor as Spencer, Nathan Kress as Freddie, and Jennette McCurdy as Sam. The show was incredibly popular and is a permanent part of many people’s childhoods.
Recently, the show returned to TV screens via the streaming service Paramount+ in a reboot that saw the entire original cast returning. While initially, people were skeptical of how a reboot of such an iconic show might do, after one season, it appears the show has received mostly positive feedback from audiences.
The show seems to have presented a decent mix of both nostalgic elements and fresh entertainment. However, there is one key element the show lacks; the beloved character of Sam.
Jennette McCurdy refused to return to the reboot because the actress has too many traumatic memories attached to the show. The actress has recently revealed in her book titled, I’m Glad My Mom Died, that the time she spent working on Icarly was traumatic for her, especially due to her mother’s attitude towards her. The actress has also touched upon her struggles with underage alcoholism and eating disorders during her time as a child actor working on Icarly.
In the same book, McCurdy talked about why she refused to be a part of the Icarly reboot when Miranda Cosgrove asked her. Her exact comments in the book are as follows:
“[I said] ‘Miranda, I’m not doing the reboot. There’s nothing you can say to convince me.’ She tells me she thinks the reboot could be an opportunity for all of us in the cast to ‘get back out there,’ maybe get some other opportunities from it. ‘But there are things more important than money. And my mental health and happiness fall under that category. There’s a moment of silence. It’s one of those rare moments where I feel like I didn’t say too much, or too little. I feel like I represented myself accurately and there’s nothing I would change about the way I said it. I feel proud. We wrap up our conversation, promising to keep in touch, and hang up.”