Who was Jennette McCurdy’s mom? Jennifer Aniston cast in role for TV adaptation of ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died'

It's official, Jennette McCurdy's hit memoir 'I'm Glad My Mom Died' is being turned into an Apple TV+ series, and just when things couldn't get better - Jennifer Aniston is taking on the role of the Nickelodeon star's mom, Debra.

The book, which was released in 2022, exposed the iCarly star's toxic relationship with both Hollywood and her own mother as a child actor, detailing heavy themes which included addiction and eating disorders.

McCurdy's mom, Debra, who plays a central role in the book (even becoming inspiration for the title), died of cancer in 2013, leaving the star with a cocktail of guilt and freedom from her past.

The story received an outpouring of praise and became a best-seller in the months that followed, and the TV adaptation will be a dramedy focused on “the codependent relationship between an 18-year-old actress in a hit kids’ show, and her narcissistic mom who relishes in her identity as a starlet’s mother", according to the plot.

  Jennifer Aniston (left), Debra and Jennette McCurdy (right) Getty 

"So excited + honored that i get to create, write, and showrun this show and work with this incredible group of people", McCurdy announced on Instagram alongside the news, with fellow Nickelodeon star, Victoria Justice writing: "Wowowowowow jennette!!! Congrats, this is incredible."

The series will consist of 10 episodes executive produced by McCurdy herself, but a release date has not yet been set.

But just who was Debra McCurdy, the central talking point behind the book that propelled her daughter back into the spotlight?

Debra McCurdy was born in 1957, and had four children - Jennette, and three sons, Dustin, Scott, and Marcus, who were raised Mormon in Garden Grove, California.

In 'I'm Glad My Mom Died' it became clear that Debra wanted to pursue her own, bygone dreams of acting through Jennette, which was the start of their toxic relationship.

“She turned to me when I was 6 and said that she wanted me to be an actress because her parents would never let her be one,” McCurdy says.

She recalls that her mom whitened her teeth and tinted her eyelashes, as she hustled for agents and managers in a bid to make her daughter into a star.

Jennette quickly became the breadwinner in the family after landing roles on Mad TV, CSI, Malcolm in the Middle, and Karen Sisco before making it as Sam Puckett on Nickelodeon's iCarly, however, her mom's control over her life became even more tightened.

  Simon & Schuester

In the book, the actor describes how her mother physically dressed and showered her until she was around 16 years old, homeschooled her to isolate her from making friends, signed her up to an exhaustive list of dance and acting classes, and even taught her calorie restriction so that she could continue to land roles meant for children as she got older.

The list of concerning behaviours from her mom only grows in the book, and Jennette even claims her mom blamed her for her cancer returning when she didn't get her own way.

“The funny thing about being a child is you don’t realize that that that the environment that you’re in is abusive or dysfunctional,” McCurdy says, noting that getting so used to her mother's behaviour made her more tolerant of wrongdoing in Hollywood.

“I was in a lot of toxic and chaotic, dysfunctional environments that I didn’t recognize as such because I’d been used to that at home,” she adds. “I think until somebody’s psychologically developed, they should not be allowed to go anywhere near Hollywood.”

Debra McCurdy died in 2013 after battling breast cancer (which sets the opening scene for the memoir), leaving a then-21-year-old Jennette confused by a mixture of grief, but also acceptance that their relationship was one of abuse and control, and that she could finally carve her own path in life.

“I couldn’t take her down off the pedestal that I needed her to be on because it would mean reorienting my entire life. The lens that I had was ‘my mom knows best,’” she says. “Accepting that she was abusive would mean figuring out who I was and what I wanted. That was something I wasn’t ready to face.”

The book she went on to write about her experience helped her realise her real dream of writing and directing, and with the bittersweet release of the Apple TV+ series looming in the near future, she'll finally have done both.

For anyone struggling with the issues raised in this article, eating disorder charity Beat’s helpline is available 365 days a year on 0808 801 0677.

NCFED offers information, resources and counselling for those suffering from eating disorders, as well as their support networks. Visit eating-disorders.org.uk or call 0845 838 2040

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