Jennette McCurdy, star of Nickelodeon’s popular series Sam & Cat, has been involved in a bit of controversy after her selfies were leaked online last month. Now, the show hasn’t been renewed for a second season.
It’s still not clear if the two are related, but selfies of the 21-year-old actress wearing lingerie appeared online early last month. McCurdy clarified that those photos were intended for one person.
To anyone disappointed: I sent those pics to 1 person. You can connect the dots. Shocked someone would stoop so low. I just speak w/ candor.
— Jennette McCurdy (@jennettemccurdy) March 4, 2014After she was absent from Nickelodeon's Kids’ Choice Awards on Saturday, she took to Twitter to attempt to clarify the situation, saying her tweets had nothing to do with the leaked pics, but with how Nickelodeon treated her:
“A lot of you guys are asking why I didn't attend the KCAs.... I wish I could explain everything as thoroughly as I would like to, but unfortunately a simpler explanation is all I can write. I was put in an uncomfortable, compromising, unfair situation (many of you have guessed what it is) and I had to look out for me. I chose to not go because sticking up for what is right and what is fair is what my mom taught me is ALWAYS the most important thing. I want to thank those of you who have reached out with kind words of support, McCurdians and Arianators alike.”
There were rumors she’d been on bad terms with her co-star, singer Ariana Grande. In March, she’d also appeared on the You Made It Weird podcast, where she took shots at Detroit Pistons player Andre Drummond, with whom she’d been romantically linked. The photos surfaced after that, but Drummond denied any involvement.
Nickelodeon issued their own statement, claiming, “The photos caused no issues between McCurdy and the network, and we have the utmost respect for her."
There’s much to be unpacked about how women in Hollywood are treated after a leak like this, especially when so many outlets are calling her pics "racy" and “nudes” to get more clicks. But McCurdy has a sense of humor, which is essential in this situation.
There’s still no confirmation for why the show was canceled. The network ordered 40 episodes for the first season, and Sam & Cat was one of the channel’s most popular shows. If TMZ is to be believed, however, McCurdy was upset that her co-star makes more money than her, and was attempting to renegotiate her contract.
Photo via Eva Rinaldi/Flickr (CC BY-SA 2.0)