Author Guide ·

Books Written by Jennette McCurdy

The biographical details below are based on what McCurdy has shared publicly herself, in her memoir and in interviews.

Jennette McCurdy spent her childhood and twenties as a working actor, best known for playing Sam Puckett on iCarly and Sam & Cat, before walking away from acting entirely to write. Her 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, became one of the bestselling books of the decade and turned her into one of the most direct, unsentimental voices writing about child stardom, disordered eating, and a controlling parent. Her 2026 novel, Half His Age, marks her first work of fiction, returning to the theme of power imbalance in relationships from a different angle. For a critic’s take on the memoir, the New York Times review is a solid, citable starting point.

“I am so grateful my mom is dead.”— Jennette McCurdy, I’m Glad My Mom Died

By Lisanne Swart · 2 books · Memoir & Fiction · Best Memoirs · Best Psychology Books · My Bookshelf · Updated August 2026


01

MemoirStart here

I’m Glad My Mom Died

Jennette McCurdy · 2022 · Simon & Schuster

McCurdy’s memoir of growing up as a child actor under a controlling, emotionally abusive mother who pushed her into show business and, McCurdy writes, into calorie restriction from age eleven. It covers her years on iCarly, her mother’s death from cancer, and the eating disorder and self-destructive relationships that followed.

Blunt, funny in unexpected places, and completely without the softening that most celebrity memoirs use to protect a parent’s memory. The title tells you exactly what kind of honesty to expect, and the book delivers on it from the first page. I read it in a single evening and kept stopping to reread paragraphs — it’s rare for a memoir to be this dark and this readable at the same time.

Buy on Waterstones
Bol.com
Amazon
Listen on Audible

02

Novel

Half His Age

Jennette McCurdy · 2026 · Simon & Schuster

McCurdy’s first work of fiction follows a teenage girl’s relationship with an older teacher, examining the same territory of power imbalance and manipulation that shaped her own life, this time at a remove, through invented characters rather than memoir.

Read this after the memoir, not instead of it. Knowing what McCurdy has said publicly about her own experience with an age-gap relationship gives the novel’s fictional distance a sharper edge than it would have on its own. I noticed how much restraint she uses here compared to the memoir’s directness — it’s a different muscle, and she’s clearly still working it out.

Buy on Waterstones
Bol.com
Amazon

Where to start with Jennette McCurdy

If you have never read her
→ Start with I’m Glad My Mom Died. It’s the book that made her a writer, and the one that explains everything else about her since.

If you’ve already read the memoir
Half His Age takes the same themes into fiction, with more narrative distance but the same unflinching eye.

Looking for what else I recommend
→ See my best memoirs list and every book I’ve personally reviewed on my bookshelf.

Frequently asked questions about Jennette McCurdy

How old is Jennette McCurdy?
Jennette McCurdy was born on June 26, 1992, making her 34 years old as of July 2026.
Is Jennette McCurdy married?
No, Jennette McCurdy is not married. As of 2026, she has confirmed she is in a long-term, committed relationship but has chosen not to reveal her partner’s identity publicly, keeping that part of her life deliberately private.
Who is Jennette McCurdy dating?
Jennette McCurdy has not publicly named who she is currently dating. She has said she is in a stable, long-term relationship and has discussed future plans with her partner, but she keeps his identity out of interviews and off social media.
Does Jennette McCurdy have a twin?
No, Jennette McCurdy does not have a twin. She is the youngest of four children and the only girl, with three older brothers named Marcus, Scott, and Dustin.
Who did Jennette McCurdy date at 18?
Jennette McCurdy has not publicly named the person she dated around age 18. In a January 2026 episode of the podcast Call Her Daddy, she described dating a man in his 30s whom she met through work at that age, describing the relationship as emotionally exhausting given the age gap and power imbalance between them.
What happened to Jennette McCurdy?
Jennette McCurdy stepped away from acting after Sam & Cat ended in 2014 and moved into writing and directing. In 2022 she published her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, which became a bestseller and established her as a writer rather than an actor.
What is Jennette McCurdy doing now?
As of 2026, Jennette McCurdy works primarily as a writer. Following her 2022 memoir, she published her first novel, Half His Age, in 2026, and has largely stepped back from acting to focus on writing.
How old was Jennette McCurdy in iCarly?
Jennette McCurdy was 15 years old when iCarly premiered in September 2007. She continued playing Sam Puckett until the series ended in 2012, when she was 20.
Are Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande friends?
McCurdy and Grande met as children on Nickelodeon and have described real tension during Sam & Cat, which McCurdy attributed partly to a pay dispute. In a February 2025 podcast appearance, Grande called McCurdy an amazing person, suggesting that friction has eased in recent years.
Who is Joe in Jennette McCurdy’s book?
Joe is Jennette McCurdy’s first boyfriend in I’m Glad My Mom Died, a man in his thirties she began seeing at age 18 while working at Nickelodeon. She hid the relationship from her mother until paparazzi photos exposed it.
Who is Steven in Jennette McCurdy’s book?
Steven is a boyfriend McCurdy describes in I’m Glad My Mom Died whom she meets on the set of a Netflix show. She calls him her first real love, and their relationship grows complicated after he is diagnosed with schizophrenia and develops a marijuana addiction.
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