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Jennette McCurdy acted on Malcolm in the Middle before her iCarly role. Here’s what she wrote in I’m Glad My Mom Died about working with Frankie Muniz and her crush on the actor.

Jennette McCurdy appeared on the ‘If Boys Were Girls’ episode of ‘Malcolm in the Middle’

Actor Jennette McCurdy attends the Spring 2009 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week
Actor Jennette McCurdy attends the Spring 2009 Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week | Jesse Grant/Getty Images for IMG

Most know this actor from her time with Nickelodeon. McCurdy also appeared on one episode of Malcolm in the Middle titled “If Boys Were Girls.” Without knowing her baby’s gender, Has asks Lois if she would rather have a boy or a girl. After raising four boys already, the answer seemed obvious.

​​”The episodes is about the mom character dreaming of having girls instead of boys. I played the female Dewey aka Daisy,” McCurdy wrote in her memoir I’m Glad My Mom Died. 

By the end of the episode, Lois realizes how lucky she is to have boys — even if she secretly hopes her next child is a girl. Years later, McCurdy shared her experience of being on set and portraying the adorable yet mischievous Dewey. 

“They put hard wax behind my ears to make them poke out more because they said the trademark of Dewey is that he has big ears that poke out and that I have small ones,” she noted. “The wax was bulky and made the backs of my ears really sore but I liked the studio where we shot the episode, and the producer was very kind to me.”  

Jennette McCurdy said she ‘loved’ Frankie Muniz from ‘Malcolm in the Middle’

One of the main takeaways from Malcolm in the Middle was her experience with Frankie Muniz — the star of the sitcom. Although this was one of the few times these stars worked together, McCurdy said it was a positive experience. 

“I thought Frankie Muniz was nice to look at, and I liked when he said hi to me in the hallways,” McCurdy wrote. “I felt like I was being pretty discreet about my feelings until Mom snapped at me. ‘Don’t even think about it. He’s way too old for you. And more important not Mormon.'”

McCurdy even shared a picture from her Malcolm in the Middle days. She captioned an Instagram post, “10-year-old me, sad to be done with shooting an episode of Malcolm in the Middle. I loved Frankie Muniz and just wanted him to love me back!!”

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Jennette McCurdy detailed ‘iCarly’ and ‘Sam & Cat’ in ‘I’m Glad My Mom Died’

I’m Glad My Mom Died detailed McCurdy’s experience on several television shows, including her Nickelodeon spinoff Sam & Cat. The memoir also described the actor’s complicated family life, which became even more strained due to her mother’s cancer diagnosis. 

After being sold out at most retailers, McCurdy’s book is now stocked at Barnes & Noble and other bookstores. Fans can also purchase physical and digital copies of I’m Glad My Mom Died on Amazon.