Who Is Jennette McCurdy’s Toxic Ex-Boyfriend? Inside Her Creepy Relationship

Jennette McCurdy, the New York Times bestselling author, director, and former actress, recently revealed distressing personal details about her past. The 33-year-old rose to fame as Sam Puckett in Nickelodeon’s iCarly (2007–2012) and its spin-off Sam & Cat (2013–2014). Despite her professional success, McCurdy endured a troubled private life, including a toxic teenage relationship with a significantly older man.

During her January 7, 2025, appearance on the Call Her Daddy podcast, Jennette discussed the relationship, describing it as toxic and “addictive.” At the time, she was around 18 years old, while the man was in his mid-30s. She referred to the age gap as “creepy” and recounted how he pressured her to like the same movies and music he did. She admitted:

“I was most likely 18. He would show me movies that he thought I would like. Like, Dazed and Confused, which I did not like but I pretended to like. He would play me music that I did not like, but I pretended to like.”

Jennette also revealed that her ex-boyfriend was in another long-term, live-in relationship while dating her and frequently manipulated her into physical intimacy with phrases like “I can’t believe how smart you are” or calling her “mature.” She added:

“It was just exhausting. I remember he came over drunk one night to my apartment. At this point I’ve moved out of my mom’s, I’m very new…also red flags all over.”

The former actress further shared how he attempted to move into her apartment while her seriously ill mother was staying there. She arranged a hotel room to avoid placing him under the same roof as her mother, stating:

“I can’t have my dying mother and my boyfriend that she doesn’t know about and would never approve of staying at my apartment at the same time. We have a dilemma on our hands. He uses the ‘You can’t meet my needs’ thing a lot. I go, ‘OK, I’ll get us a hotel room.'”

While Jennette typically uses pseudonyms in her writing, media reports suggest the man may have been Paul R. Glaser, the iCarly script manager. Paul has production credits on iCarly (2007–2012) and Victorious (2010–2013). McCurdy has not publicly confirmed his identity.

Her experiences with this relationship inspired her upcoming debut novel, Half His Age, set to release on January 20, 2026, highlighting the power imbalance and emotional toll she endured during her teenage years.