Why Is Sam Not in the New iCarly?
iCarly is back after a nearly decade-long hiatus. The sitcom, which ended its five-season run on Nickelodeon in 2012, has returned for a more mature reboot on Paramount+, which features original cast members Miranda Cosgrove (Carly Shay), Jerry Trainor (Spencer Shay), and Nathan Kress (Freddie Benson). If that list sounds just a bit incomplete to you, youre not wrong  series star Jennette McCurdy, who played Carlys sassy best friend Sam Puckett, opted out of the reboot. Well, theres an explanation from the iCarly universe, then theres the comments from McCurdy herself. When the new iCarly first premiered today, it featured a scene between Carly and Freddie in which they explain Sams absence from the show. Read the exchange below, per TVLine:  Carly: I just want to make things again. Freddie: You dont need a partner to do that. Carly: I dont need a partner, I need Sam. But shes off following her bliss with that biker gang. Freddie: The Obliterators. I hope shes OK.  Carly: Its Sam. I hope theyre OK. I just wish she was here so we could do iCarly again. Yep, sounds like classic Sam to run off with a biker gang. While fans are sure to miss her on the reboot, its safe to say McCurdy is perfectly happy not appearing on the show  or on TV ever again, for that matter. The actor opened up earlier this year about her choice to retire from acting after working as a child star for years. During a February episode of her podcast Empty Inside, McCurdy admitted, Im so ashamed of the parts Ive done in the past. I resent my career in a lot of ways, telling her guest Anna Farris, I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing. I did the shows that I was on from like 13 to 21, and by 15, I was already embarrassed.  She added,My friends at 15, theyre not like, Oh, cool, youre on this Nickelodeon show. It was embarrassing. And I imagine theres a very different experience to be had with acting if youre proud of your roles, and if you feel fulfilled by them.  After her appearance on iCarly, which she starred in for all five seasons, McCurdy acted alongside Ariana Grande in a spinoff show titled Sam & Cat, which paired up their iCarly and Victorious characters. When the show ended after one season, she went on to appear in shows like Whats Next for Sarah?, Robot Chicken, and Between, but stopped acting in 2018 after appearing in a handful of short films, according to her IMDb page. Where to watch iCarly