Miranda Cosgrove Reflects On Relationship With Former Co-Star

In a new interview with PEOPLE, Cosgrove reflected on the time she and McCurdy shared on the set of the Nickelodeon show.

“We had each other,” the actress said, also pointing to her male co-star, Nathan Kress. “I’ll always love them, and they’ll always be family to me, because we grew up together for so many years.”

Cosgrove recalled navigating the fame that became “so much at once” alongside her two co-stars. She even admitted to being “bummed” about leaving public school, but quickly shifted her perspective after realizing the three of them would be homeschooled together.

“So I do feel really lucky that I had them,” she said.

After “iCarly” concluded, Cosgrove explained how she took some time to explore different parts of herself. More specifically, Cosgrove went back to school to study psychology at the University of Southern California.

“I was trying to find something else that I was really interested in or passionate about,” Cosgrove said. “And I feel like I never really found that. But I’m still really happy I did it, because I think I would’ve always wondered if there was something else.”

Cosgrove then spoke about McCurdy, who famously left acting behind years before publishing her bestselling memoir, “I’m Glad My Mom Died,” saying she was glad her former co-star has found a new passion in writing.

“And I feel like that’s amazing, because her path led her to the thing that she loves. So I’m really happy for her,” Cosgrove said.

And while the pair spent years together on the hit Nickelodeon show, Cosgrove admitted they aren’t as close today, sharing that she doesn’t “really see her as much now.”

Cosgrove added, however, “I always know she’s out there, and that if I really needed her I could call her, and I hope she knows the same. … I’m always going to be cheering for her.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Cosgrove reflected on the unique pressures of being a child star and the role parents can play in the lives of young performers.

“It’s like an adult job in an adult world, and a kid’s in it. That makes it really strange,” she said. “So many kids end up acting since their parents wanted them to do it, and I think that’s where it gets really messy and complicated because then it’s way more about the parent than it is the child.”

Cosgrove’s message is similar to McCurdy’s, who spoke openly about the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother during her time as an actress.

“My earliest memories of childhood were of heaviness and chaos,” McCurdy explained in an interview with PEOPLE. “My mom’s emotions were so erratic that it was like walking a tightrope every day. The mood fluctuations were daily.”

“My mom had always dreamt of being a famous actor, and she became obsessed with making me a star,” she added. “I felt like my job was to keep the peace. And I wanted to make my mom happy.”

The success of McCurdy’s memoir led to the development of a newly scripted series, starring Jennifer Aniston, on Apple TV+. The streaming giant announced that the book will be adapted into a 10-episode dramedy, with McCurdy serving as showrunner and writer.

McCurdy’s book was first released on August 9, 2022, and spent more than 75 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List.