Not on good terms? Josh Peck and Jennette McCurdy are potentially in a rift — which seemingly occurred after they discussed their respective experiences at Nickelodeon off camera.
During an April episode of Peck’s “Good Guys” podcast with Ben Soffer, the cohosts hinted that he and McCurdy, 30, had a falling out.
“She was our first ever guest. Like the day that she released her book [I’m Glad My Mom Died in August 2022], she came on and it was an amazing get for us,” Soffer, 31, told guest Tana Mongeau. “We were truly good guys [and] had an unbelievable interview where we spoke about what she wanted to and nothing that she didn’t. It ended and she told us not to run it. So, there is an unreleased episode of our podcast.”
The 36-year-old Drake & Josh alum, for his part, recalled trying to reach out to McCurdy after the incident.
“There is a small update. Us being the good guys that we are, we said we would kill it. We asked if she wanted to come back on and [we got] no response,” he detailed. “Four or five months later, I was, like, ‘Let us check in. She owes us.’ All I wrote to Jennette after six months was ‘Hi’ and I got a green bubble. Am I blocked? I think I might be blocked. Or she was on a 12-hour flight. Here’s hoping.”
According to Soffer, Peck and McCurdy opened up about their individual experiences working at Nickelodeon. “We actually spoke about it a little during the Jennette podcast that never aired and will never see the light of day,” he joked. “But at least from my understanding, Josh’s experience as a child actor were far different from what is portrayed by others.”
The How I Met Your Father star previously showed his support for McCurdy following the release of her memoir. “My friend Jennette wrote a book and it’s out today. She’s brave, funny and thoughtful in ways few are,” Peck captioned an Instagram post in August 2022. “Get it today!”
In response, the iCarly alum thanked Peck for the shout-out, writing, “Love you my friend ! thanks for the kind words ♥️.”
McCurdy’s memoir received critical acclaim for its candid insight into life as a child actor. The California native also broke down the trauma she experienced as a result of a complicated relationship with her late mother, Debra McCurdy.
“I think seeing yourself is particularly difficult with growing up in the public eye, because you’re so public-facing and seen as one thing,” she told BuzzFeed News in August 2022 about facing her past in the book. “That makes the reality of you so much more unseen and invalidated and unacknowledged. But now, because I see myself, I can accept being seen by others.”
The memoir raised eyebrows when Jennette seemingly mentioned Dan Schneider, referring to a producer as “The Creator” several times. She claimed her former boss got in trouble with Nickelodeon for “accusations of his emotional abuse,” which she wasn’t shocked by.
Schneider, 57, previously made headlines after being accused of inappropriate misconduct during his time at the network. The screenwriter parted ways with Nickelodeon in 2018 after a long-term partnership and later denied any allegations against him.
“The comedy was totally innocent,” he told The New York Times in July 2021. “I never interacted with actors in any way, texting or otherwise, that should make anyone uncomfortable.”
Peck, meanwhile, called Schneider a “tough boss” on his podcast earlier this month. However, he previously revealed there isn’t much he would want to change about his years at Nickelodeon.
“Maybe I would have thought twice about having my awkward teenage years [air] in reruns,” Peck quipped during an exclusive interview with Us Weekly in March. “But the reality is [that] from Drake & Josh to everything I’ve done since then, I’m very proud to have made families happy. I feel incredibly lucky to be 36 and still working and [doing] something that I love.”
Us Weekly has reached out to Peck and McCurdy’s reps for comment.
