The character arc of Jennette McCurdy

A life drawn by Character Arc from the public record

Born on 26 June 1992 in Long Beach, California. Between then and now sit a first television part at eight, iCarly from 2007 to 2012 and four Kids' Choice Awards, Sam and Cat from 2013, Between from 2015, retirement from acting in 2018, a memoir in 2022 that spent eight weeks at number one, work as a writer and director, two podcasts and a first novel in 2026. The line below draws the story so far, in order.

Tap the line to pluck it. Hover or tap any mark for its card. Drawn from the public record of her life; the sources are at the foot of the page.

Who is Jennette McCurdy?

She left the job she had since eight.

She began acting at eight, on Mad TV, and worked steadily as a child performer. From 2007 to 2012 she played Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon series iCarly, which made her famous to a generation of children and won her four Kids' Choice Awards. Sam and Cat followed from 2013 to 2014 and Between from 2015 to 2016.

In 2018, at twenty six, she stopped. Leaving the only profession you have had since you were eight, with no qualification and no second trade behind you, is a decision most people in that position never manage to make.

Her memoir was published in 2022 and went to number one on the New York Times bestseller list, staying there for eight weeks. It is about her childhood and her relationship with her mother, and this page says nothing further about what is in it. What the line records is what she did afterwards: she moved into writing and directing, has made short films and written for publications including the Wall Street Journal, hosts the podcasts Empty Inside and Hard Feelings, and published her debut novel, Half His Age, in 2026.

The moments

Jennette McCurdy's timeline.

The 2000s

Jun 2000

Acting at eight

Milestone, and it changed everything. Eight years old, and working. That is the fact the whole line is measured against.

8 Sep 2007

iCarly

Milestone, and it changed everything. Fifteen years old, and famous to a generation of children.

The 2010s

2 Apr 2011

Four Kids' Choice Awards

Milestone, and it changed her direction. Four awards voted for by the audience she was working for.

8 Jun 2013

Sam and Cat

Milestone, and it changed her direction. A spin-off, and another two years inside the same world.

21 May 2015

Between

Milestone. A different kind of part, and the last sustained acting work.

1 Jun 2017

Keep acting, or stop

Crossroads, decided.

The paths laid out: leave it entirely, taken, or keep taking parts. Her memoir went to number one four years later and stayed there for eight weeks.

Jun 2018

She stopped acting

Setback, and it changed everything. Twenty six years old, leaving the only profession she had had since she was eight.

The 2020s

Jun 2020

Writing and directing

Milestone, and it changed everything. A second trade, learned from nothing in her late twenties.

9 Aug 2022

The memoir

Milestone, and it changed everything. Eight weeks at number one, for a first book.

Jun 2023

Two podcasts

Milestone. Two shows, both of them conversations rather than performance.

3 Feb 2026

A first novel

Milestone, and it changed her direction. Fiction, which is the hardest turn after a memoir that sold like that.

The line reaches today still adding to itself, which is why it is drawn now rather than at the end. What it has set moving is a second trade, learned from nothing in her late twenties, by somebody who had been working in the first one since she was eight years old.

What she wrote

Books by Jennette McCurdy

2022
I'm Glad My Mom Died
Her memoir, which spent eight weeks at number one on the New York Times bestseller list.
2026
Half His Age
Her debut novel, and the hardest turn to make after a memoir that sold on that scale.

Your turn

Every line draws a unique story.

Hers left the only job she had ever had, at twenty six, with nothing lined up. Yours is already further along than you think, and drawing it takes about five minutes.

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Jennette McCurdy: frequently asked questions

What people ask about her line.

What is Jennette McCurdy's character arc?

She began acting at eight, was famous to a generation of children by fifteen, left the only profession she had ever had at twenty six with nothing lined up, and then built a second one in writing.

What is Jennette McCurdy's memoir?

A book published in 2022 about her childhood and her relationship with her mother, which spent eight weeks at number one on the New York Times bestseller list. This page names it and says nothing about its contents.

When did Jennette McCurdy stop acting?

In 2018, at twenty six, after an acting career that had run since she was eight years old. Leaving the only trade you have ever had, with no qualification behind you, is a rare thing to manage.

What was Jennette McCurdy in?

She played Sam Puckett on the Nickelodeon series iCarly from 2007 to 2012, winning four Kids' Choice Awards, and then appeared in Sam and Cat from 2013 and Between from 2015.

What does Jennette McCurdy do now?

She writes and directs, has made short films and written for publications including the Wall Street Journal, hosts the podcasts Empty Inside and Hard Feelings, and published her first novel in 2026.

What is Half His Age by Jennette McCurdy?

Her debut novel, released in 2026. Turning to fiction is the hardest move available after a memoir that sold on that scale, and it is the second book of a career begun at thirty.

How old was Jennette McCurdy when she started acting?

Eight. She began on Mad TV and worked steadily as a child performer before iCarly, which she joined at fifteen. Her acting career ran from 2000 until she retired from it in 2018.

Where does this timeline of Jennette McCurdy's life come from?

From the public record. Character Arc drew every moment on this line from the sources listed at the foot of the page, and the kind and weight of each moment are our editorial reading. Jennette McCurdy isn't a Member of Character Arc and has no connection with it, and no feeling is attributed to her.

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Sources

Jennette McCurdy, English Wikipedia biography, filed under living people.
The New York Times bestseller list, 2022.
Publisher records for her 2022 memoir and the 2026 novel Half His Age.