Who is Jennette McCurdy’s mom Debra McCurdy? All about the child star and the Jennifer Aniston project inspired by her life

Jennifer Aniston has reportedly expanded her ties with Apple TV+ after The Morning Show. She will be seen in a new series based on Jennette McCurdy’s memoir; I’m Glad My Mom Died.

The 10-episode dramedy is a “heartbreaking and hilarious recounting of Jennette McCurdy’s struggles as a former child actor while dealing with her overbearing, domineering mother (Aniston),” per the official longline, as reported by Variety.

It will focus on the relationship between an 18-year-old actress and her narcissistic mother. Aniston will be playing the lead role of the mother and will also serve as the executive producer on the show. McCurdy and Ari Katcher will write, executive produce, and showrun the series.

McCurdy rose to fame after starring in the Nickelodeon series, iCarly and its spin-off, Sam & Cat. Her memoir was published on August 9, 2022, by Simon & Schuster and became a No. 1 New York Times bestseller. She shared an abusive relationship with her mother, Jennette McCurdy. She was born on July 17, 1957 and passed away on September 20, 2013, after her long battle with cancer, per her memorial.

Here are more details of the relationship between the mother and daughter.

All we know about Jennette McCurdy and her relationship with her mother, Debra McCurdy

Jennette McCurdy’s mother, Debra McCurdy, dreamt of becoming an actress and so pushed Jennette since the age of six to fulfil her ambitions. Her 2022 memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died, detailed the struggling relationship the mother and daughter shared over the years.

In an interview with People magazine, Jennette McCurdy spoke about how stressful it was for her to face emotional and physical abuse at the hands of her mother. She said:

“My earliest memories of childhood were of heaviness, and chaos. My mom's emotions were so erratic that it was like walking a tightrope every day. The mood fluctuations were daily.”

She told the outlet that she witnessed fights between her mom and dad, Mark, and that her daily outbursts turned sometimes violent. Debra McCurdy grew up with her parents, grandparents, her three brothers, Dustin, Marcus, and Scott McCurdy in Garden Grove in Orange County, California.

A report in The Guardian indicated that Debra would micromanage McCurdy’s life since she entered the television industry at the age of six with the popular Nickelodeon show, iCarly. For instance, she would control her diet, which led to an eating disorder. McCurdy claimed that she would wash her in shower till she was 16, touch her vagina and breasts and shave her legs.

In an interview with People magazine, Jennette McCurdy said:

“My mom had always dreamt of being a famous actor and she became obsessed with making me a star.”

So, despite feeling awkward and shy, McCardy went on auditions. She said:

"I felt like my job was to keep the peace. And I wanted to make my mom happy."

A report in The Guardian indicated that Jennette McCardy tried explaining her mother that she isn’t interested in acting after her auditions didn’t work but she would get furious. She recalled an incident when she told her mom about a bad audition and said:

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“She started screaming, tears flowing down her face. She immediately went into hysteria, which was how she often met resistance. And I felt then: ‘This is not an OK thing for me to bring up.’”

Debra was diagnosed with cancer in 1995, but had been in remission for 15 years until her cancer returned in 2010.

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