Josh Peck and fellow former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy may have had a falling out after she appeared on the first episode of his podcast, Good Guys. In the April 10 episode, Peck mentioned to co-host Ben Soffer and guest Tana Mongeau that he believes McCurdy blocked him. The iCarly star’s appearance on Good Guys was never published at her request, Soffer said. Social media users criticized Peck’s attitude when recounting this story, with some believing he felt “entitled.”
McCurdy, 30, was the first guest booked for Good Guys, and they recorded the episode the same day her memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died was published in August 2022. It was “an amazing get for us,” Soffer told Mongeau, notes Us Weekly. “We were truly good guys [and] had an unbelievable interview where we spoke about what she wanted to and nothing that she didn’t,” Soffer explained. “It ended and she told us not to run it. So, there is an unreleased episode of our podcast.”
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Peck, 36, and Soffer said they mentioned this story before, but the former Drake & Josh star had an update on the situation with McCurdy. “Us being the good guys that we are, we said we would kill it. We asked if she wanted to come back on and [we got] no response,” Peck said. “Four or five months later, I was, like, ‘Let us check in. She owes us.’ All I wrote to Jennette after six months was ‘Hi’ and I got a green bubble. Am I blocked? I think I might be blocked. Or she was on a 12-hour flight. Here’s hoping.”
‘She doesn’t owe anyone anything’
Even though McCurdy did not want her episode released, it didn’t stop Soffer from summarizing the discussion. Peck and McCurdy talked about how their experiences at Nickelodeon differed. “We actually spoke about it a little during the Jennette podcast that never aired and will never see the light of day,” Soffer joked. “But at least from my understanding, Josh’s experiences as a child actor were far different from what is portrayed by others.”
‘Just got to take the L’
It’s unclear why McCurdy did not want Peck to release the interview, but some speculate that it may have been due to their differing experiences with Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider. The controversial Schneider created Drake & Josh, iCarly, and many other live-action Nick hits featuring young actors. He was accused of inappropriate misconduct and split with Nickelodeon in 2018. He denied the allegations.
‘She did what she did and it’s not anyone’s business why’
In her book, McCurdy referred to Schneider as “The Creator.” She claimed The Creator massaged her, took pictures of her in a bikini, and tried to get her to drink while underage. In an excerpt Vanity Fair published last year, McCurdy wrote that Nickelodeon allegedly offered her $300,000 in “hush money” to not talk about her experiences with The Creator. “This is a network with shows made for children. Shouldn’t they have some sort of moral compass? Shouldn’t they at least try to report to some sort of ethical standard?” McCurdy wrote. Nickelodeon did not respond to the allegations.
‘She doesn’t owe anybody s—’
Peck once said Schneider was a “tough boss” on his podcast, but he hasn’t said much specifically about working with the controversial writer. In an Us Weekly interview, Peck did say there were some things about his Nickelodeon experience he wishes he thought twice about.
‘Josh peck continues to be… entitled’
“Maybe I would have thought twice about having my awkward teenage years [air] in reruns,” Peck told Us Weekly in March. “But the reality is [that] from Drake & Josh to everything I’ve done since then, I’m very proud to have made families happy. I feel incredibly lucky to be 36 and still working and [doing] something that I love.”
‘So glad she blocked him’
Although the podcast episode at the center of this controversy for Peck was released on April 10, it was not until this past weekend that it gained attention. After a tweet about his comments went viral, Peck became a trending topic on Twitter. Peck has not commented on the situation.