In the age of reboots and remakes, the iCarly revival seems to be hitting the right notes. But one glaring omission still stuck out from the announcements: Sam Puckett. When Jennette McCurdy announced she wasn’t returning for the revival to reprise her character, many fans were disappointed. Now, iCarly’s Miranda Cosgrove finally addressed how she feels about McCurdy not joining the Paramount+ revival.
While the iCarly revival trailer has fans excited, they can’t help but notice Sam’s absence from the show. After the fans’ outcry about Jennette McCurdy not returning, Miranda Cosgrove addressed the elephant in the room in a chat with E! News. The iCarly star said about McCurdy’s choice not to return for the revival:
We all called her separately and we really wanted her to be a part of it, but at the same time, I'm happy for her because I know that she's taken her life in a different direction and that she's really enjoying what she's doing right now. So, I think we all kind of did what we were probably meant to do.
Given Jennette McCurdy’s retirement from acting, it’s nice to know that Miranda Cosgrove and other castmates have the former actress’ back even years after the original series ended. By giving insight into McCurdy’s current direction, Cosgrove reassured iCarly fans that the former Nickelodeon star was doing fine. As the iCarly star pointed out, it worked out better overall for everyone.
In recent months, Jennette McCurdy has opened up about her experience working for Nickelodeon. The former actress shared some behind-the-scenes stories about her time on iCarly as well as Sam and Cat. She eventually expressed embarrassment and shame over her Nickelodeon past. The former actress went even further to say she resented her roles on those shows. So, McCurdy’s return for the reboot was never going to happen.
Miranda Cosgrove reassured iCarly fans that Jennette McCurdy’s Sam is still a part of the show. The actress stated that viewers will learn more about the character’s current relationship with Carly as well as her whereabouts in the reboot pilot. After the pilot, Sam will continue to be mentioned throughout the season, according to Cosgrove. Addressing Sam’s absence is the best way to satisfy fans of the original series while informing new viewers.
Given some of the backlash surrounding the revival, it was perhaps better for Jennette McCurdy to not join the show. Hopefully, as Miranda Cosgrove pointed out, the former actress is enjoying her new direction like other retired Hollywood stars. As for Cosgrove, fans are only a couple of weeks away from getting to see her reprise her role as Carly for the iCarly revival. The show premieres on Thursday, June 17 on Paramount+.
