Jennette McCurdy is an American author, memoirist, and former actress. She is best known for her bestselling memoir, "I’m Glad My Mom Died" (2022), which topped The New York Times list for eight weeks and received widespread critical recognition. She has also written for The Wall Street Journal, Seventeen, and The Huffington Post.
Jennette McCurdy was born on June 26, 1992, in Long Beach, California, and grew up in Garden Grove. She was homeschooled by her mother, Debra, and raised with her three brothers in a family that faced financial strain and illness. Her mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when McCurdy was very young. She drew much inspiration from this in her early life and later in her writing.
In 2011, McCurdy began publishing articles in The Wall Street Journal. She wrote on subjects ranging from Shirley Temple to body shaming and family illness. One essay, Off-Camera, My Mom’s Fight With Cancer, offered personal insight into her mother’s health and advice for families facing similar challenges. During these years, she also contributed essays to Seventeen and The Huffington Post.
Her shift from acting to writing followed her decision to leave the entertainment industry in 2018. “My mom’s emotions were so erratic that it was like walking a tightrope every day,” McCurdy later said. In interviews, she explained that her writing became a way to process her experiences and distance herself from the pressures of child stardom.
Her first major book, I’m Glad My Mom Died, was published on 9 August 2022 by Simon & Schuster. The memoir is divided into two sections, Before and After, reflecting her life before and after her mother’s death in 2013. It describes her childhood career in television, her brief period in country music, and her controlling relationship with her mother.
The book also addresses her eating disorder, her struggles with identity, and her refusal of a reported payment from Nickelodeon not to speak publicly about her time at the network. The cover shows McCurdy smiling while holding a pink urn with confetti, signalling her darkly comic approach to trauma.
The memoir’s success led to a two-book deal with Ballantine Books. In 2025, it was announced that Jennette McCurdy would adapt I’m Glad My Mom Died into a television series, serving as co-showrunner. Her debut novel, Half His Age, is scheduled for release in January 2026.
Photo credit: FB @jennettemccurdy
