When you think of Jennette McCurdy, you probably picture the ham-loving, sarcastic Sam Puckett from iCarly. But if you've read her memoir, I'm Glad My Mom Died, or listened to her recent interviews in early 2026, you know the bubbly Nickelodeon persona was basically a mask. Underneath the fame, her personal life—and specifically her romantic life—was a chaotic mess of "red flags," power imbalances, and survival tactics.
People always want to know who she’s dating, but the reality is that a Jennette McCurdy relationship has rarely been about simple romance. For years, her dating life was dictated by her late mother's control or her own desperate need to feel "special" after a lifetime of being told who to be.
Honestly, looking back at her timeline is kind of heartbreaking. It’s not just a list of exes; it’s a map of a young woman trying to find her footing while everything around her was sinking.
The Toxic Secret: Dating an Older Man at 18
Early in January 2026, Jennette sat down on the Call Her Daddy podcast and dropped some truth bombs that had social media buzzing. She opened up about a relationship she had when she was around 17 or 18 with a man in his mid-30s. At the time, she was starring on iCarly, and he was a script manager named Paul Glaser.
While she didn't explicitly name him on the podcast, she’s spoken about him before, and the details align perfectly. It’s a classic, creepy story of grooming that she’s now using as inspiration for her new novel, Half His Age.
🔗 Read more: Justin Bieber Tattoo of Selena Gomez: What Really Happened to the Angel on His Wrist
She described the dynamic as "exhausting." This guy would play her music and show her movies like Dazed and Confused. Jennette admitted she actually hated the stuff, but she’d nod along and pretend to love it just to keep him interested.
Red flags were everywhere:
- He had a live-in girlfriend while they were "dating."
- He showed up to her apartment "drunk off his ass" with beer stains on his shirt.
- He used manipulative language like "I have needs" to pressure her into sexual situations.
At 18, Jennette had never even had a sip of alcohol. She didn't know how many drinks it took to get someone "that" drunk. She was also still navigating her Mormon upbringing, which made the whole sexual aspect incredibly confusing and high-pressure. She felt "special" because he told her she was "so mature," which is basically the oldest line in the book for guys who prey on teenagers.
The Andre Drummond Week: A Social Media Whirlwind
If the relationship with Paul Glaser was a dark secret, her 2013 "fling" with NBA star Andre Drummond was the complete opposite. It was loud, public, and—frankly—a bit of a disaster.
It all started on Twitter. Drummond kept posting her as his "Woman Crush Wednesday," and Jennette, flattered by the attention, eventually agreed to meet him. They went to Disneyland and laser tagging. But the "spark" just wasn't there.
She later famously described their first kiss on a podcast as "not great." She even had to stand on a chair to reach him! It lasted about a week, but the fallout was huge. Not long after they broke up, some personal photos of Jennette leaked online. She hinted that she’d only sent them to one person, leading everyone to assume it was Drummond, though he denied it. It was a messy end to a relationship that probably should have just stayed a DM conversation.
Finding Stability with Jesse Carere
Around 2015, things seemed to settle down a bit when she started dating her Between co-star, Jesse Carere. This felt like her first "normal" adult relationship. They were close in age, worked together, and actually seemed to like each other.
🔗 Read more: Is Lynne Garber Still Alive? What Most People Get Wrong
They were together for about a year. Jennette even told Vulture back then that she "certainly loved him." But as she started pulling away from acting and focusing on her recovery from eating disorders and the trauma of her mother's death, the relationship eventually fizzled out.
Where is Jennette McCurdy Now?
So, who is Jennette McCurdy dating in 2026?
The truth is, she’s been incredibly tight-lipped. After years of having her life Picked apart by the public and controlled by her mother, she’s reclaimed her privacy. There were rumors a while back about her and Joe Santagato, but nothing was ever confirmed.
Currently, she seems more focused on her career as a writer and her mental health than finding a "plus one." She recently mentioned that she’s "fully recovered" from her eating disorders, but she’s also been candid about the fact that she doesn't want kids.
Dating after trauma is a minefield. When your first experiences with "love" involve power imbalances and secret-keeping, it takes a long time to rewire your brain to recognize what a healthy connection actually looks like.
Actionable Insights for Navigating Complex Relationships
If you’ve followed Jennette’s journey and found it hitting a little too close to home, here are a few takeaways to keep in mind for your own life:
📖 Related: Amy Slaton New Boyfriend: What Most People Get Wrong About Her Fiancé Brian
- Trust your gut on the "mature" compliment. If someone significantly older tells you you’re "so mature for your age," it’s often a tactic to make you feel like an equal when there is a clear power imbalance.
- Privacy is a boundary, not a secret. There’s a difference between keeping a relationship private because you value your peace and keeping it secret because you’re ashamed or afraid of what people will say.
- Healing isn't linear. You can be "over" a relationship and still feel the "shame shivers" years later when you remember certain details. That’s a normal part of processing.
Jennette McCurdy has turned her "exhausting" past into a platform for truth. Whether she’s single or secretly dating someone amazing, the most important relationship she’s fixed is the one with herself.
Keep an eye out for her new book, Half His Age, which hits shelves later this month. It’s likely to be the closest look we’ll get at the "older man" chapter of her life, told through the lens of fiction.
Next Steps: You might want to check out Jennette's 2026 appearance on Call Her Daddy for the full, unfiltered audio of her discussing these red flags. It’s a masterclass in recognizing manipulation in real-time.