Jennette McCurdy Reacts To The ‘Overwhelming’ Response To Her New Bestselling Memoir ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’

Whether you followed her rise to stardom as a young comedy actor or not, Jennette McCurdy has defiantly overcome the many hardships put in her path over the years and is now so deservingly getting the last laugh. Her candid, new memoir with its eye-catching title I’m Glad My Mom Died quickly sold-out on Amazon and has become one of the leading hot topics being discussed throughout the entertainment world. Arguably the greatest news came for McCurdy this week, when it was announced that her book officially became a New York Times Bestseller.

“It feels incredible and overwhelming,” McCurdy tells me when reacting to her new bestselling author status. “I screamed for a long time when I found out.”

In I’m Glad My Mom Died, McCurdy shares her cautionary tale of child stardom, including her early years of manipulation by the hands and guidance of her late mother Debra, who died of cancer in 2013. McCurdy bravely opens up about her eating disorders, her struggles with mental health and the inappropriate behavior she says she endured during her time on Nickelodeon, where she starred on kid-friendly shows like iCarly and Sam & Cat.

Between McCurdy’s ongoing press tour, her in-person book events with fans and her conversations with supporters across social media, she has realized that sharing her story has not only helped her heal, but has given others the strength to face their own struggles head-on.

“It’s really touching to me, the reaction that people have had. They often will share something about their own life with me. Usually, a long hug. Sometimes, they’ll cry. Sometimes, we’re laughing together. Sometimes, they will tell me about a boundary that they were encouraged to set with an unhealthy relationship in their life. It feels like there’s a level of humanity and connection that I had never experienced when I was recognized in the past. It’s really lovely and refreshing and validating and I hope it’s that way for them, as well.”

Being no longer silent and taking on the world these days on her own terms, I asked McCurdy in what ways would she say that her mindset and approach to both business and life in general has evolved since her early television days leading up to now.

“That’s a good question. Whether in life or business, my number one is to support my mental health and then if it gets passed that, I’m all about authenticity and I feel like it’s such a ‘buzz’ word and it can maybe seem ‘glip,’ but I really try to run things through the filter of Does this feel aligned in my bones, in my soul? Is this a thing that I need to be doing? I’m very much about only doing things that I believe in to my core.”

Now with a bonafide hit memoir under her belt and continuing to have much of the world’s attention with her bold storytelling, I wondered what McCurdy would like to do next as she moves forward with her professional career.

“I’d love to write more books. I’m actually working on a novel and a collection of essays now and that has been very creatively fulfilling for me. I’d love to continue in that direction. Directing is such a deep passion of mine. I love working with a crew and actors. I really find a lot of joy in that and I’d love to direct more if that opportunity arises.”

Back on June 26, McCurdy celebrated her 30th birthday. Entering a new decade out of her late mother’s shadow, I asked McCurdy what she hopes her thirties will bring to her overall outlook and wellness.

“The twenties were quite the unexpected roller coaster, so I appreciate that I feel much more sturdiness in myself, despite whatever is going on in my surroundings, so I really hope to take that with me. There’s a lot of self-trust that I have that I didn’t have before, so I hope to carry that with me. As for like the external aspects of it all, there are a lot of question marks but I feel very excited and optimistic about the future and I trust that whatever manifests will be the right thing.”

At the very beginning of McCurdy’s I’m Glad My Mother Died memoir, she dedicates her book to her three older brothers Marcus, Dustin and Scottie, which she tells me she loves and appreciates so much, going on to say that the relationships she has with with her siblings are some of the most important in her life today.

As we began to conclude our conversation, I wondered what message McCurdy has for her longtime, loyal fans and the supportive readers of her popular memoir.

“I’m so grateful for the emotional connection people seem to be having with the book. I couldn’t have predicted it to resonate with so many. It’s really overwhelming in the best way. If people relate to some of the more difficult aspects of the book, well that’s unfortunate. I hope that we can all laugh through all of it together. That seems to be the case, so I’m really glad that people seem to be finding the humor in the tragedy and hopefully being able to heal through that.”

After her many years of quietly struggling while putting on a happy face for the cameras, McCurdy has indisputably come out on top, using her voice as the powerfully proven guide that it has become for so many others. I left McCurdy with one final question of reflection: What would you Jennette McCurdy today like to say to the Jennette who was having to deal with the pressures of being a child star and the manipulative guidance from your mother – what comforting words do you wish you had heard back then that would have given you just a little bit more support to feel like you could in fact carry on and would ultimately be okay?

“I wish I could go back in time and tell myself You’re going to be fine. You’re going to be good. You’re going to get to pursue the things you want to pursue and fulfill the dreams you want to fulfill and you’re going to get to be yourself.”