Jennette McCurdy 18-year-old Relationship Exposé: Inside the 'Creepy' Power Dynamic

She was shaking hands but hiding a bruised reality. Former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy is pulling back the curtain on a dark chapter of her youth. On the January 7, 2026 episode of the 'Call Her Daddy' podcast, the iCarly alum described a relationship she had at 18 with a man in his 30s as utterly 'creepy' and 'exhausting.'

The Jennette McCurdy 18-year-old Relationship Exposé and the 'Maturity' Trap

Now 33, McCurdy revealed how the unnamed man—whom she met at work—manipulated her by praising her 'maturity.' It's a classic red flag that she's now exploring in her upcoming debut novel, Half His Age. During the relationship, she felt forced to mirror his tastes in movies and music just to keep him happy. "It was just exhausting," she admitted to host Alex Cooper, noting that she had no frame of reference for what a healthy relationship looked like at the time.

Vulnerability Fueled by Isolation and Faith

McCurdy’s upbringing as a homeschooled Mormon left her uniquely vulnerable. She recalled an incident at a hotel near Universal Studios where the man, who was "drunk off his ass," pressured her into sexual acts she didn't even understand. With her mother hospitalized and her social circle limited, she felt she couldn't leave. The man frequently used the phrase "you can’t meet my needs" to guilt-trip her, creating a toxic cycle of emotional labor for the teenage actress.