The "iCarly" cast, including Miranda Cosgrove, are denouncing "all instances of hate and racism" after a new cast member from the upcoming Paramount+ reboot faced racially-charged harassment online.
Laci Mosley – a Black actress who will play the best friend of Miranda Cosgroves' Carly, Harper, in the revival – revealed on social media over the weekend she's experiencing cyberbullying by people who believe she's replacing Jennette McCurdy's Sam Puckett. (McCurdy, who has retired from acting, is not returning for the reboot.)
"Hi, I'm playing Harper on 'iCarly.' I'm not replacing Sam. Jennette McCurdy is a wonderful person. I've never met her but it's no shade," she said in an expletive-filled Instagram Story that has since expired.
"Please stop calling me (the N word) and being racist," she captioned the video, calling for people to "stay out of her comments" with racist remarks.
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Mosley tweeted that "being a Black woman is exhausting," adding on Instagram that although "racism isn’t new… it still hurts."
"I love being Black. I hate how Black people are treated on this planet," she wrote on Instagram Monday. "I took this role on iCarly because the room is diverse…our show runner @ali_schouten is so incredibly kind and caring and the cast is talented and some of the best people I’ve ever met. I was shocked when a celebration of all the hard work we’ve put into making this reboot was overshadowed by the most racism I’ve ever experienced in my life over the course of 72 hours."
Mosley continued: "Racism kills. I can’t beg you to love me or yourselves enough to be kind to people but I can block you and protect my peace… Black is beautiful and no amount of slurs or vitriol you dump online will change that."
Cosgrove reposted an unofficial statement from an "iCarly" fan page, which stated that "iCarly" is "proud to be racially diverse, not only in our crew but in our cast. We have recently seen reports of racism towards a member of our iCarly cast, and it is not acceptable!"
"iCarly" and Paramount+ issued a joint statement on Instagram Monday saying the television show "stands with the iCarly cast."
"Our company is proud to uphold the values of inclusivity and collaboration, where we work to embrace new and diverse voices, act with care and work together," the statement read. "The upcoming Paramount+ 'iCarly' series is one of many examples of this commitment, and we support our entire cast and crew and stand against all instances of hate and racism."
Jerry Trainor – who plays Spencer, Carly's older brother – shared the statement on his Instagram account. "I never wanna hear the phrase 'iCarly fans are racist,' ever again," he wrote. "I need the true fans to step up and drown out the hate."
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The writing staff for the "iCarly" revival, including comedian Franchesca Ramsey, shared an open letter on Twitter in response to the hateful messages Mosley received.
"We unequivocally denounce all racist attacks, anti-Black language and hate speech in the strongest possible terms," reads the letter. "iCarly is a joyous, inclusive show meant to promote kindness (and the occasional prank). Harassment and white supremacist ideology have no place in our show or the discourse around it. If that’s your preferred mode of communication, we suggest you watch something else."
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Paramount+'s revival of "iCarly," the Nickelodeon show that ran from 2007 to 2012 about a young teen's internet show going viral, is set to premiere on the streaming service June 17.
It will will feature original cast members Cosgrove, Trainor and Nathan Kress, who played Carly's best friend Freddie. Noticeably missing: McCurdy.
The 28-year-old retired from acting in 2017 to focus on writing and directing, according to her biography.
"My experience with acting is, I’m so ashamed of the parts I’ve done in the past,” she said in March during an episode of her "Empty Inside" podcast. "I resent my career in a lot of ways. I feel so unfulfilled by the roles that I played and felt like it was the most cheesy, embarrassing."
