Former Nickelodeon star Jennette McCurdy just opened up about the biggest mistake she made at 18.
She dated a man twice her age and fell for every line in the book.
And Jennette McCurdy called out one red flag that left her dating regret exposed.
iCarly star Jennette McCurdy reveals grooming red flag in age gap relationship
Jennette McCurdy sat down with podcast host Alexandra Cooper and revealed the exact moment she should have walked away from dating a 36-year-old man when she was barely legal.
The guy kept telling her how "mature" she was for her age.
"It was, you know, 'You're so mature. I can't talk to anyone this way. I can't believe how smart you are,'" McCurdy recalled during her appearance on "Call Her Daddy."
McCurdy's new novel "Half His Age" draws from this toxic relationship.
She met the man at work when she was starring on "iCarly."
The relationship started innocent enough, with him showing her movies and playing music she pretended to like just to keep his attention.
But that's exactly how these predatory relationships begin.
Cooper and McCurdy both agreed the maturity comment was the biggest red flag women need to watch for.
"When you are in it, it may not feel like a red flag, but I think socially that concept has been spread around enough where people are like, 'Got it.' If a man is calling a woman f***ing mature for her age, please pause for five seconds and someone protect that young woman," Cooper emphasized.
McCurdy now sees what the 36-year-old was really doing.
He was grooming her by making her feel special and different from everyone else her age.
Former Nickelodeon child star exposes how older man manipulated her at 18
The Nickelodeon star explained the boyfriend disguised the power imbalance by convincing her she had all the control in the relationship.
"That it was ultimately my choice. That it was ultimately up to me. That ultimately, I was the one in charge. And I think if you feel really powerless, you'll take that bait," McCurdy explained.
She was dealing with her mother's terminal cancer at the time, which made her even more vulnerable.
"You know, you'll take that, and you'll go, 'Okay, I really want that feeling of power even though my gut kind of knows this isn't that, I'll take what you're saying, and I'll try to run with it, and I'll try to make it into some semblance of power.' If you're that desperate for it, you will take the bait. And I think I did," McCurdy added.
The relationship exhausted her because she spent all her energy pretending to like things she hated just to please him.
She thought she was making an adult choice to date an older man.
The reality was she was 18 years old being manipulated by someone with decades more life experience.
Half His Age author warns young women about Hollywood's predatory pattern
McCurdy's story isn't unique in Hollywood.
Courtney Stodden married 50-year-old actor Doug Hutchison when she was just 16 years old back in 2011.
The marriage was legal in Nevada with parental consent, but Stodden later came forward to say she'd been groomed and manipulated during their nearly 10-year marriage.
Hutchison used the same playbook, telling the teenage Stodden she was "beyond her years."
Stodden's divorce was finalized in 2020, and she's since become an advocate against child marriage in America.
The pattern is clear.
Older men target young women in vulnerable positions and use flattery about maturity to justify the age gap.
McCurdy admits the book comes from unresolved anger she didn't realize she was still carrying years later.
The relationship ended around the time McCurdy's mother Debra died in 2013 after battling cancer.
McCurdy had already detailed her abusive childhood and eating disorders in her 2022 memoir "I'm Glad My Mom Died."
Now she's adapting that book into a TV show starring Jennifer Aniston as her controlling stage mother.
McCurdy's willingness to speak out about age-gap relationships helps other young women recognize the warning signs before it's too late.
The "you're so mature for your age" line isn't a compliment.
It's a red flag that a predator sees an easy target.
Sources:
- Lauryn Overhultz, "Former child star Jennette McCurdy reveals grooming 'red flag' she missed dating older man at 18," Fox News, January 11, 2026.
- "Courtney Stodden finalizes divorce from Doug Hutchison," Yahoo Entertainment, March 4, 2020.
- "Jennette McCurdy reveals how teen relationship with older man began on set," Newsweek, January 8, 2026.