Jennette McCurdy will be joining Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk next week to talk about her bombastic memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died.
After detailing the “intense” emotional and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her late mother Debbie in her new book, the 30-year-old iCarly graduate has agreed to share the horrific allegations with Jada, 50, Willow Smith and to discuss Adrienne Banfield Norris.
In a press release for the upcoming episode, which airs September 7, fans can expect the former Nickelodeon star to be “brave” about “the decades of torment, exploitation and manipulation at the hands of her own mother” after “years of suffering.” ‘ speaks silently.’
Open book: Jennette McCurdy is set to appear on Jada Pinkett Smith’s Facebook Watch series Red Table Talk next week to talk about her bombshell memoir. I’m glad my mother died
The actress, who lost her mother to cancer in 2013, previously detailed her childhood trauma and journey to healing on her dark comedy show I’m Glad My Mom Died and her upcoming memoir of the same name.
“I didn’t know how to find my identity without my mother,” McCurdy, 29, told People. “And I won’t lie. It was very difficult to get here. But now I’m at a point in my life that I never thought possible. And I finally feel free.”
Growing up in Southern California, she witnessed physical altercations between her parents, Debbie and Mark. She recalled how her mother’s outbursts often turned violent.
Saying it all: After detailing the ‘intense’ emotional and physical abuse she suffered at the hands of her late mother Debbie in her new book, the 30-year-old iCarly graduate has agreed to the horrific allegations involving Jada, 50 to discuss. Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris
Hard to hear: In a press release for the upcoming episode, which will air September 7, fans can expect the former Nickelodeon star to speak “bravely” about “the decades of torment, exploitation and manipulation at the hands of her own mother.” says ‘Years of Suffering in Silence’
Emmy Award-winning program: The Red Table Talk features candid conversations with Jada Pinkett Smith, her daughter Willow, and mother Adrienne
“My earliest childhood memories were of heaviness and chaos,” she explained. “My mother’s feelings were so unpredictable that every day was like walking a tightrope. The mood swings were daily.’
The youngest of four children and her parents’ only daughter, McCurdy said her mother became fixated on her and pushed her into acting when she was six.
“My mom always dreamed of being a famous actress and she was obsessed with making me a star,” she shared, admitting that she was “cripplingly shy” but felt pressured to Participate in auditions and bookwork.
Speaking up: The actress, who lost her mother to cancer in 2013, has previously detailed her childhood trauma and journey to healing on her dark comedy show I’m Glad My Mom Died and her upcoming memoir of the same name
“I felt like my job was to keep the peace,” said McCurdy, whose acting career supported her family financially. “And I wanted to make my mother happy.”
Concentrating on McCurdy’s looks, Debbie began bleaching her only daughter’s hair and whitening her teeth when she was 10 years old.
By the time she landed her big break as Sam Puckett on iCarly at age 14, she was already struggling with anorexia. While she was starring on the Nickelodeon show, her mother insisted on doing vaginal and breast exams on her and wouldn’t let her shower alone. This went on until she was 17.
Candid: Jennette McCurdy, 29, opened up about the physical and emotional abuse suffered by her late mother, Debbie, in a new interview with People magazine
Debbie battled breast cancer for 17 years, having been diagnosed when her daughter was a young child. She went into remission, but the cancer returned and spread to her brain in 2010.
McCurdy, who was 21 when Debbie died in 2013, said she was “so suppressed and developmentally retarded” by her mother’s control that she rebelled after her death.
She began having sex, experimenting with alcohol, and binge eating, which resulted in her throwing up. For years she struggled with alcoholism and bulimia. McCurdy credits her recovery from her eating disorders in 2018 to therapy.
Throwback: The former actress recalled how her mother became “obsessed” with making her a star as a child, despite being “cripplingly shy”.
Lessons learned: The child star was 11 when her mother taught her how to count calories, which fueled her future eating disorders
“I know if my mother were alive, I would still have an eating disorder,” she said. “It was only the distance from her that made it possible for me to get well.”
Earlier this year, she confirmed she had quit acting and felt “embarrassed” about her previous sitcom work.
“It’s a gamble to change your life, but I made it my mission,” said McCurdy, who has shifted her focus to writing and directing.
The former child star opened up about her story on her one-woman show I’m Glad My Mom Died, which recently ended.
“It’s thought-provoking,” she said of the show. “But while it may seem black and white, there is richness in my narrative. Life can be dark – and chaotic. Nobody has a perfect life.”
Healing: McCurdy, who has quit acting, described her traumatic childhood on her dark comedy show I’m Glad My Mom Died (to be aired in 2019).