Jennette McCurdy was born in Garden Grove, California with three older brothers. She started her acting career at the age of eight. Her first appearance was in 2000 on MADtv at eight years old. Since then she has been featured in many TV episodes, including CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, Malcolm in the Middle, Lincoln Heights, Will & Grace and Zoey 101. In 2005 she was nominated for a Young Artist Award for Best Performance in a Television Series - Guest Starring Young Actress for her performance in Strong Medicine.

Since 2007 she has had a starring role in the Nickelodeon, Dan Schneider-produced TV series iCarly, as Carly's best friend Sam Puckett, alongside with series star Miranda Cosgrove costar Nathan Kress and Jerry Trainor. In 2008 she was nominated for Young Artist Awards for her work in iCarly, and for her performance as Dory Sorenson in the TV aired movie The Last Day of Summer.

As early as June 2008, McCurdy let fans know on her official web site that she was working on her debut album, due for a 2009 release. She said she is not signed to Nickelodeon's label, and the album is not affiliated with Nickelodeon at all. It was announced on January 19, 2009 that her first single will be called "So Close", and was released on March 10, 2009 and is now on the iTunes store.