The internet has a funny way of mashing people together. Sometimes it’s a red carpet couple we all saw coming, and other times it’s two names that feel like they belong in different universes. That’s exactly what happened with Eric Andre and Jennette McCurdy. If you spend enough time on Reddit or TikTok, you’ve probably seen the clips. People ask if they dated. They wonder if there’s some "secret" history there.
The truth is actually a lot weirder than a standard Hollywood romance.
When you search for them, you’re usually looking for one of two things: that incredibly uncomfortable 2016 interview or a case of mistaken identity involving a very different guy named Andre. Honestly, the confusion is understandable. But let’s clear the air.
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The Interview That Broke the Internet
In 2016, Jennette McCurdy appeared on The Eric Andre Show. If you’ve never seen the show, it’s basically a fever dream disguised as a public-access talk show. Guests are tortured. The set is falling apart. The host, Eric Andre, is usually screaming or doing something physically repulsive.
McCurdy, who was fresh off her Nickelodeon era, walked into this chaos in Season 4, Episode 10.
It was brutal.
Eric spent a significant portion of the interview staring at her in total silence. He got within inches of her face. He asked her about her "controversial" photos and her relationship with an NBA star. He even wrestled with his own microphone while declaring his love for her. It was the kind of television that makes your skin crawl, which is exactly what Eric Andre aims for.
A lot of people watching that clip today think they’re seeing a real "moment" between them. They’re not. It was performance art. McCurdy, to her credit, stayed relatively composed while Andre spiraled into his usual brand of scripted insanity. But this interview is the primary reason their names are linked in Google’s search bar.
The "Other" Andre: The Source of the Dating Rumors
Here is where things get messy. People often ask, "Did Jennette McCurdy date Eric Andre?"
The short answer? No.
The long answer? She dated a guy named Andre Drummond.
Drummond is a massive NBA center (he was with the Detroit Pistons at the time), and their "relationship" was one of the most bizarre social media events of 2013. It started because Drummond kept posting McCurdy as his "Woman Crush Wednesday" on Twitter. Eventually, she gave in. They met up, they held hands for the cameras, and they "dated" for what felt like about fifteen minutes.
Actually, it was closer to a week.
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In her later years, especially in her memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died and on various podcasts like Call Her Daddy, McCurdy has been pretty blunt about that time in her life. She admitted she wasn’t actually into him. She felt pressured by friends who told her he was a "big deal." She even famously described him as a bad kisser on a podcast shortly after the split.
Because both men are named Andre and both have public, somewhat awkward ties to Jennette, the internet’s collective memory has fused them together. But make no mistake: Eric Andre was the guy who made her uncomfortable for comedy; Andre Drummond was the guy who made her uncomfortable on a date.
Why Do We Still Talk About This?
It’s mostly about the contrast.
Jennette McCurdy has become a symbol of "the child star who survived." Her book was a massive, culture-shifting success that exposed the dark side of Nickelodeon and the abuse she suffered at the hands of her mother. When we see her in old clips—especially something as chaotic as The Eric Andre Show—we’re looking at her through a new lens.
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We see a young woman trying to navigate a "phony, bizarre sphere," as she later called it.
On the other side, Eric Andre represents the total deconstruction of celebrity culture. He mocks the very idea of the "talk show interview." Putting the "I'm Glad My Mom Died" author next to the guy who once birthed a full-grown man out of a sofa is a collision of two very different types of "realness."
What Most People Get Wrong
There is a common misconception that Jennette was "tricked" into the Eric Andre interview or that she hated him afterward. While it’s true that guests on that show are rarely told exactly what’s going to happen, most of them know the vibe.
Jennette is a writer and a creator herself. She’s smart. She knew she was walking into a bit. The tension you see on screen is the product of a very specific type of editing where an hour-long interview is cut down to three minutes of the most awkward pauses possible.
Key Takeaways on the Eric Andre and Jennette McCurdy Connection:
- They never dated. The dating rumors stem from her brief 2013 fling with NBA player Andre Drummond.
- The interview was Season 4. It remains one of the show's most "confrontational" segments.
- No bad blood. There’s no evidence of any lasting feud; it was just a job for both of them.
- Context matters. Viewing the clip now requires understanding Jennette’s history with the "Creator" and the pressures she felt to be "on" for the cameras during that period of her life.
If you’re looking to understand the real Jennette McCurdy, skip the Eric Andre clips and read her memoir. It provides the actual context for why she was doing those kinds of shows in the first place—and why she eventually chose to walk away from it all.
Next Steps:
If you want to see the difference between the "performance" and the reality, watch the Season 4 episode of The Eric Andre Show and then listen to Jennette’s 2026 appearance on Call Her Daddy. The shift in her voice and her agency is the real story here. You can also check out her latest book, Half His Age, which dives further into the complexities of her adult relationships and the aftermath of her childhood fame.