Former Nickelodeon Stars Address Their Behind-the-Scenes Experience at the Network: Jennette McCurdy, Jamie Lynn Spears, Ariana Grande and More

Credit: Shutterstock (3)

Former Nickelodeon Stars Address Their Behind-the-Scenes Experience at the Network: Jennette McCurdy, Jamie Lynn Spears, Ariana Grande and More

Getting honest. Over the years, former Nickelodeon stars have opened up about their journey as child actors at the network — and not everyone had the same experience. Jennette McCurdy shocked her fans when she revealed that she wasn't thrilled about her time on iCarly. “I did the shows that I was on from like 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed. My friends at 15 weren’t like ‘Oh, cool, you’re on this Nickelodeon show.’ It was embarrassing," the actress, who played Sam Puckett, admitted during an episode of her “Empty Inside” podcast in March 2021. "I imagine there’s a very different experience to be had with acting if you’re proud of your roles.” At the time, McCurdy recalled feeling "pointless and shallow" which led to her taking a break from acting. "I quit a few years ago because I initially didn't want to do it,” she added. “I’m so ashamed of the parts I’ve done in the past. … I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing [thing].” The former child star later elaborated on her ups and downs with Hollywood in her memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died. "My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited," she told The New York Times in August 2022. "It still gives my nervous system a reaction to say it. There were cases where people had the best intentions and maybe didn't know what they were doing. And also cases where they did — they knew exactly what they were doing." [jwplayer 5VACIkIG-zhNYySv2] Meanwhile, Jamie Lynn Spears had a more positive memory of the Zoey 101 set after starring in the lead role from 2005 to 2008. “The show attracted some of the best professionals in the business. The creator and director, Dan Schneider, was exacting and insisted on professionalism,” she wrote in her Things I Should Have Said memoir in January 2022. Spears noted that Schneider “recognized [her] talent” and “was the driving force” behind her involvement in the project. The Mississippi native also praised the producer for knowing “how to get just what he needed from a rambunctious group of teens who thought that they were all that.” Schneider 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.) The Tennessee native has repeatedly denied any allegations against him, telling The New York Times in July 2021, “The comedy was totally innocent. … I never interacted with actors in any way, texting or otherwise, that should make anyone uncomfortable.” Scroll down for former Nickelodeon stars' most candid comments about the network:

Credit: Chelsea Lauren/Shutterstock

Nathan Kress

The actor, who rose to stardom playing Freddie Benson on iCarly, previously opened up about the expectations that came with his role.

"Even from an early age, I felt a certain amount of responsibility. A lot of that is due to the fact that I was getting letters from people saying, ‘Hey, man, I really look up to you. I appreciate the choices that you’re making and the things that you’re doing, but also the things that you’re not doing,'" Kress told Euphoria in June 2022. "I was getting that feedback very early on from a lot of different sources and that kind of made me want to keep it going. So, I guess I slipped into dad mode sort of inherently."

Credit: Broadimage/Shutterstock

Jennette McCurdy

After playing Sam Puckett on two Nickelodeon shows, McCurdy revealed she "really resented" her life as a child actress.

"It's a difficult thing to say because the shows that I was on were so loved by so many people and so many kids. I hear constantly that, 'You made my childhood,' and I think it's great that they had that experience but that just was not my experience," she explained on her "Empty Inside" podcast in 2021. "It just was hellish, I think, is not too intense of a word. Nobody really knew me. I was very different from the character I was playing. I'm known as a thing that I'm not."

Credit: Eric Charbonneau/Invision/AP/Shutterstock

Daniella Monet

In August 2022, the Victorious alum recalled feeling "sexualized" during her time on the show. “Do I wish certain things, like, didn’t have to be so sexualized? Yeah, 100 percent,” she told Insider, noting that her onscreen attire concerned her.

Nickelodeon’s former president Russell Hicks addressed the concerns in a statement, saying, “Every single thing that Dan ever did on any of his shows was carefully scrutinized and approved."

Credit: Picture Perfect/Shutterstock

Alexa Nikolas

Since her role as Nicole Bristow in Zoey 101, Nikolas has been outspoken about her "traumatizing" experience. “My own personal experience at Nickelodeon … I did not feel protected at Nickelodeon as a child personally,” she said in an Instagram video in August 2022 during a protest outside the network. “And so, I’m demanding that Nickelodeon starts protecting children and not predators.”

Credit: David Fisher/Shutterstock

Ariana Grande

"It was a blessing and one of my childhood dreams come true," the singer, who became a household name after playing Cat Valentine in Victorious and Sam & Cat, told People in 2014. "For a long time, I was attached to a character that was nothing like myself. It was a little frustrating."

Credit: Debby Wong/Shutterstock

Jamie Lynn Spears

After bringing the lead role in Zoey 101 to life, Spears later gushed about her time at Nickelodeon. "So thankful for this show and everyone who loved and supported it," she wrote via Instagram in 2021. "I grew up on this show, so it was pretty much my childhood also. Love y'all."

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Melissa Joan Hart

In 2014, Hart reflected on the impact that her role in Clarissa Explains It All had on her life.

"Clarissa taught me a lot — if she could stand up to a bully or date the bully, break boundaries and stand up for what she believed in and be smart, sassy, and likable, then I could be those things too," the New York native told Variety in 2016. "I was feeling a lot of peer pressure and feeling like I didn’t fit in — you know, all those kid things — but working with adults I found that the adults don’t care if you wear what’s trendy, they only care if you’re nice to them and you’re fun to talk to. So I kind of developed my social skills."

Credit: MediaPunch/Shutterstock

Ashley Argota

Following her time on Nickelodeon's True Jackson, VP, Argota moved on to Disney and never looked back. In 2014, the California native seemingly threw shade at the network when a fan asked why they didn't hear her singing voice prior to Disney.

"The other network never gave me the opportunity," Argota tweeted at the time.

Credit: Rob Latour/AFI/Shutterstock

Nat Wolff

According to Wolff, playing a fictionalized version of himself on The Naked Brothers Band came with its ups and downs.

"I think as a Nickelodeon actor, I kind of got more respect as a musician," he told Vanity Fair in 2014. "The Nickelodeon show was an amazing learning place, because it was all my best friends in real life and it was a lot of improv. [The Naked Brothers Band] is actually a pretty good show."

The Paper Towns star added: "Most of the Nickelodeon shows are pretty bad, but that show is good! Cool people randomly come up to me, who I never thought would watch the show, to say that they watch it. Like Judd Apatow came up to me and told me how much he loved the show. It’s cooler than most kids’ shows."

Credit: Ron Adar/SOPA Images/Shutterstock

Devon Werkheiser

While reflecting on his role in Ned's Declassified School Survival Guide, Werkheiser admitted he wasn't thrilled with how Nickelodeon marketed the show. "I thought they could have promoted our show more compared to the other shows that got more attention," he wrote via Reddit in 2015. "I also would have liked to have been used more by them, for the award shows and stuff like that."

Credit: Stephen Lovekin/Shutterstock

Kenan Thompson

"I gotta give Nickelodeon their credit because it trained me for exactly what’s happening in my life right now. I went from a sketch show to a sitcom," Thompson, who got his start on All That and Kenan & Kel, shared during an interview with Atlanta Magazine in 2021.