The Controversy Between Sam And Cat's Jennette McCurdy And Ariana Grande Explained

While Ariana Grande has never made any public statements about her issues with Jennette McCurdy, McCurdy finally addressed the popular misconception that she and Grande didn't get along in 2015, telling E! News that the pair "butted heads" but in a very "sisterly way." Luckily, there has been no further drama since.

In June of 2021, McCurdy revealed on an episode of her podcast "Empty Inside," called "Pressure," that she was initially promised her own solo spin-off show after "iCarly" ended, and that Grande was added to the show last minute. "Then we started the show and her explosion to Ariana Grande fame happened during our first 20 episodes," McCurdy explained. "She would have to miss work because she was pulled in all directions. She's gotta do the radio shows, she's gotta do Billboard Awards, the Grammys. She's performing at the Grammys and I'm, like, acting on this show with a box because they decided for that week her character had to be trapped in a box so she can go perform at the Grammys." McCurdy also admitted that she was jealous of Grande's stardom: "I was like, 'I deserve more.' I didn't even want to do music, like pop star things, so I don't know why I was comparing myself to that person." 

Since the ending of "Sam and Cat," Grande has furthered her music career and recently launched her own cosmetic line (via Page Six), while McCurdy announced her retirement from acting in 2017, which she stated was for the sake of her mental health (via Variety). She continues to discuss the struggles she faced as a child star working for Nickelodeon on "Empty Inside." McCurdy also briefly came out of retirement in September 2021 to perform a one-woman stage show in Los Angeles, which she posted about on Instagram.