When Sam & Cat aired on Nickelodeon from 2013 until 2014, Jennette McCurdy and Ariana Grande seemed like the best of friends. But when the show was canceled after one season on the air, rumors of a feud between the show’s stars started swirling.

Following the cancellation news in July 2014, Ariana shared a lengthy Twitter message about the show coming to an end. “I want to thank Nickelodeon for making a childhood dream of mine come true, for being a family to me, for being so accommodating and supportive of my multitasking with my music career and for, of course, introducing me to many of my fans however many years ago,” the songstress wrote at the time. Her followers were quick to notice the absence of Jennette’s name in the statement and wondered if there was bad blood between them.

However, when chatting with E! News months later, Jennette set the record straight about their rumored feud. “I just feel that, you know Ariana and I were and are extremely close and very like-minded in a lot of different ways and then, sorta as the show dissolved, everybody wanted to find some sort of hidden meaning in our relationship,” the actress said in March 2015. “I think we butted heads at times, but in a very sisterly way. She knows me so well and I know her so well that I think it was unfortunate that things kind of got misconstrued.”

Jennette went on to explain that when working 16 hours a day with the same person “it’s just natural that you’re gonna have ups and downs.” When it came to her bond with Ariana, and fellow former iCarly actress Miranda Cosgrove, she called it “impenetrable.” In fact, she even wished the “Thank U Next” songstress the best in June 2018 following her now-broken engagement to Pete Davidson. “I’m super proud of her and excited for her,” Jennette told Entertainment Tonight at the time. “I hope that she’s super happy.”

The former Netflix star — who announced her decision to quit acting in March 2021 — also spoke about the bond with her former Nickelodeon costars during an interview with Elite Daily in April 2020. “I would not have such an enjoyable life if these people weren’t in it,” Jennette said at the time. “The human connections you have with people is always what determines whether, ultimately, something is a good or bad experience.”

Scroll through our gallery for a timeline of Jennette and Ariana’s friendship, including their rumored feud.

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