Jennette McCurdy reveals grooming 'red flag' she missed at 18 in 'creepy' relationship with older man
Jennette McCurdy has detailed the 'red flags' she missed in a relationship with a man twice her age when she was just a teen.
The iCarly star recently sat down on the Call Me Daddy podcast ahead of the release of her new novel, Half His Age, which is set to be released across the globe later this month.
The 33-year-old wrote the fictional book based on her own experiences after she dated an older man, who she had met 'through work' when she was 'most likely 18'.
McCurdy recalled 'thinking that [she] was mature' at the time, leading to her believing it was justified.
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She told Call Me Daddy host Alex Cooper: "I remember thinking like, 'Oh yeah, there’s just something about me that’s a little different. Like, I’m special'. That’s what it felt like for me. I’m special, I can connect with older people, younger people aren’t on my wavelength."
McCurdy went on to say the unidentified man used her maturity to justify the age gap.
"It was, you know, 'You’re so mature. I can’t talk to anyone this way. I can’t believe how smart you are'," the former Nickelodeon star recalled.
She added: "Like, are you kidding me? I was such an idiot. I’m so embarrassed. Also, how humiliating that he thought that was smart or even used being smart as a manipulation tactic because how stupid of him."
Cooper agreed with her guest that the man's comment about maturity was a 'red flag', as McCurdy added that her former partner made her feel like she had all the control in the relationship.
"That it was ultimately my choice. That it was ultimately up to me. That ultimately, I was the one in charge. And I think if you feel really powerless, you’ll take that bait," she added.
"You know, you’ll take that, and you’ll go, 'Okay, I really want that feeling of power even though my gut kind of knows this isn’t that, I’ll take what you’re saying, and I’ll try to run with it, and I’ll try to make it into some semblance of power'. If you’re that desperate for it, you will take the bait. And I think I did."
McCurdy explained that she began to feel 'powerless' in the relationship over time and ultimately ended things after her mom passed away in 2013.
"Can you imagine now being with like a [teenager]? Creepy," she said.
If you've been affected by any of the issues in this article, you can contact The National Sexual Assault Hotline on 800.656.HOPE (4673), available 24/7. Or you can chat online via online.rainn.org.
Topics: Celebrity, Sex and Relationships, Podcast
Callum Jones