Jennette McCurdy’s mother warned her not ‘to get too close’ to Miranda Cosgrove because she didn’t ‘believe in God’

Jennette McCurdy said her late mother warned her not “to get too close” with former iCarly costar Miranda Cosgrove because “she doesn’t believe in God”.

The now 30-year-old actor starred as Sam Puckett alongside Cosgrove’s Carly Shay in the hit Nickelodeon teen sitcom.

In her new memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died – in which McCurdy disclosed details about her abusive childhood – she further recalled her first encounter with Cosgrove.

“She was leaning against a wall, sipping Coke from a glass bottle and texting on her Sidekick,” the former child star wrote in her book released today (9 August).

The two first met at their screen test for the six-season series. However, while they didn’t talk much during the pilot’s filming, McCurdy remembered receiving a gift basket from Cosgrove.

“I’m really surprised that another child actor would be so nice to me,” she said. “Usually there’s such a sense of competition. This gesture is the opposite of that. I’m touched.”

She continued: “On set, Miranda said cuss words like ‘s***’ and ‘ass,’ and she took the Lord’s name in vain at least 50 times a day. Mom warned me not to get too close to Miranda because she doesn’t believe in God.”

Cosgrove has not spoken openly about her religious beliefs or lack thereof.

McCurdy, who was brought up as a Latter-day Saint, added: “Nathan [Kress, who played Freddie Benson] is OK for me to get close to, Mom says, because he does. ‘Southern Baptists are no Mormons, but at least we’ve got Jesus in common.”

“Even though Mom said not to get close to Miranda, I really wanted to,” McCurdy wrote.

“I wanted some of her coolness to rub off on me. And she seemed nice too, which is hard to be if you’re cool. I had my fingers crossed that somehow, despite our mutual shyness, a friendship between us would develop.”

Ahead of the book’s release, McCurdy claimed in an interview that she was “exploited” as a child actor on the Nickelodeon series.

I’m Glad My Mom Died is out now.