Miranda Cosgrove Got Real About The Pressure iCarly Fame Put On Her As A Child

Growing up is scary, but growing up in front of millions of people is even scarier. Just ask former Nickelodeon sweetheart Miranda Cosgrove, who spent her formative years on screen. Her biggest show, iCarly, is now getting the reboot treatment (premiering Thursday, June 17, on Paramount+), and stans are so hyped to see their childhood faves return to the screen. But its star is grown AF, now, and Miranda Cosgrove’s quotes about the pressure of childhood stardom are so eye-opening.

Like any wildly famous child actor, Cosgrove (who’s now 28 years old) had an unusual childhood. In 2003, she stole hearts in School of Rock, and beginning the year after, her comedy chops were on full display on Drake & Josh for three years. By that point, Cosgrove was already a recognizable name amongst kids and teens across the U.S., so her performance on iCarly was yet another testament to her talent as a child actor. (Her paychecks matched her skills, too. Rumor has it she earned $180,000 per episode at iCarly’s peak, making her one of the highest-paid child actors at the time.)

However, in a recent interview with People, Cosgrove got super real about her child star experience. For her, one of the most difficult aspects was dealing with other people’s expectations.

“I feel when I was little and people would call me a role model, I think it always was really flattering, but it's also scary because when you're a little kid and someone's calling you a role model, it's like, 'Oh no, I don't want to let anyone down,” she said in the June 15 interview. “But you also aren't fully formed and you don't really know how to be a role model. So there are nice things about it but it's also challenging.”

Cosgrove also noted how her awkward phase (we all had one!) was broadcasted for everyone to see. “I think one of the most challenging things growing up making iCarly, I went through my awkward phase and completely grew up on the show," she confessed. “So when I look back at all the episodes, even though I remember the fun times and I can laugh, sometimes when I see the outfits I'm wearing, I just know how I felt during those moments in some of the episodes. It's so weird to think that when you're a kid growing up on TV, people are watching you go through all that awkward stuff and figuring out who you are.”

In a new interview with MTV, the actor actually said she had her first kiss ~ever~ while playing Carly, which further speaks to how unique her coming-of-age experience was.

TBH, Cosgrove deserves major props for being a good sport about the downsides of childhood fame. Hopefully, she knows our lives were *way* better with her around!