‘iCarly’ Is Coming to Paramount Plus Without Two of Its Original Stars

Now that the Paramount Plus revival of iCarly has a premiere date, fans of the original Nickelodeon series have questions: Why is Sam not coming back to iCarly? And for that matter, why isn’t Gibby?

After all, the revival features three of the original iCarly stars: Miranda Cosgrove as vlogger Carly Shay, Jerry Trainor as older brother Spencer Shay, and Nathan Kress as buddy Freddie Benson. But Jennette McCurdy and Noah Munck aren’t involved in the new show, Deadline reports.

In the Nickelodeon comedy, which aired from 2007 to 2012, Jennette McCurdy played the role of Sam Puckett, Carly’s friend and co-host of the “iCarly” vlog.

But Jennette, who later starred in the spin-off Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, retired from her acting career a few years ago, as she revealed in a February episode of her podcast, Empty Inside.

“I quit a few years ago because I initially didn't want to do it,” Jennette said on the podcast, per E! News. “My mom put me in it when I was 6, and by sort of age, I guess, 10 or 11, I was the main financial support for my family. My family didn't have a lot of money, and this was the way out, which I actually think was helpful in driving me to some degree of success.”

Jennette also said that acting was “always, always, always” difficult because of her nerves. “Once I started to get the nerves under control was when I started to actually get some traction, but I ultimately quit after my mom passed away because with her death kind of died a lot of her ideas for my life, and that was its own journey, and a difficult one for sure,” she added.

In December 2020, producer Jay Kogen — who was then the co-showrunner of the iCarly revival — tweeted that it was Jennette’s call after a fan asked if the former actress would be involved in the new show.

Around the same time, Jay — who left the project this February amid reports of creative differences with Miranda — tweeted that the producers had “approached” actor Noah Munck about reprising the role of Gibby, Carly and Sam’s oddball friend.

Unlike Jennette, Noah is still an active actor: He has appeared in more than 80 episodes of The Goldbergs to date, playing “Naked” Rob Smith, one of Barry’s (Troy Gentile) pals in the ABC sitcom.

So, if Noah was approached for the revival but isn’t participating, we can assume he had schedule conflicts or wasn’t interested in returning to the Gibby role.

On Friday, May 14, Paramount Plus announced that the revival will premiere on June 17. In addition to Miranda, Jerry, and Nathan, the cast also includes Florida Girls’ Laci Mosley as Harper, Carly’s roommate and best friend, and The Affair’s Jaidyn Triplett as Millicent, Freddie’s social media star stepdaughter, according to Deadline.

Paramount Plus also gave fans a hint about what the characters are up to in the revival: “Ten years after signing off of one of TV’s most iconic shows, Carly, Spencer, and Freddie are back, navigating the next chapter of their lives, facing the uncertainties of life in their twenties.”