iCarly revival: Where is Sam Puckett, Jeannette McCurdy?

iCarly season 1

If you are watching the iCarly revival this week on Paramount+, it makes sense to have one simple question: Where is Sam Puckett? Jeannette McCurdy played one of the most iconic characters on the show, to the point where she was also a part of a spin-off in Sam & Kat.

However, in the new show’s premiere episode, Miranda Cosgrove’s character made it clear that Sam was no longer around — instead, she’s off chasing her “bliss” as a part of a motorcycle gang. It’s a bit of an out-of-left-field exit for that character, but there is at least an established history with Sam and bikes on the show.

So why isn’t McCurdy appearing on the new iCarly? The short answer to this is simply that she’s no longer interested in being an actress. Jeannette appeared on the Empty Inside podcast earlier this year and made it clear that she doesn’t love a lot of the work that she did so many years ago:

“I’m so ashamed of the parts I’ve done in the past … I resent my career in a [number] of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing [thing]… My friends at 15, they’re not like, ‘Oh, cool, you’re on this Nickelodeon show.’ It was embarrassing.”

It’s true that Nickelodeon shows can be cheesy, but you are also trying to entertain a very-young audience and there is value in that. A lot of people probably look at a show like iCarly as one of the biggest influences in their life.

Is it sad to not see Sam on the new version of the show? Absolutely, but we respect McCurdy’s decision and she, like her character, deserves the chance to chase her own bliss. We’re sure that if she did ever decide to return down the road, she would be welcomed with open arms.

Do you wish that Jeannette McCurdy was a part of the new iCarly as Sam?

Be sure to share right now in the comments! Once you do that, be sure to also stick around — there are some additional insights coming and you don’t want to miss them.

Photo: Paramount+

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