According to Jennette, her eating disorders were exacerbated by her role as Sam, who ate ridiculous amounts of food on the show.
It's tragically hilarious," she told The Washington Post in an Aug. 5 profile. I was so anxious because my character was constantly eating."
Despite Jennette's efforts, it was difficult for her Nickelodeon bosses to understand why she was so opposed to changing this aspect of her character.
The producers asked if we could dial back on that stuff a couple of times, she said. 'I think there's so much more to Sam as a character, and I think she goes much deeper than this,'" I said.
Jennette did not want to face the reality of her eating disorder, so she was not ready to admit she had one. In addition, her mother insisted that she maintain a thin appearance.
Due to this, she said, "I couldn't say, 'hey, I'm actually really struggling with this. Can we not help?'"
Sam's relationship with food was such a major part of the character, fans coming up to Jennette in real life always referenced chicken legs and other snacks the character ate on-screen.
She felt as if life mocked her in every way. They didn't know what I was going through, but it felt as if they were poking directly into every insecurity and trauma I had.
Her role in Sam & Cat followed the end of iCarly in 2012. Jennette felt Ariana was treated preferentially, which upset her.
As a result of the pop star's frequent absences, Jennette had to put in more hours on set. Having endured so much frustration, Jennette was relieved when the show was canceled after just one season.