The release of the ID docuseries Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV has sent an entire generation of former Nickelodeon viewers reeling from the devastating revelations of the child abuse Drake & Josh star Drake Bell, as well as others, suffered during his time as a child star for the network.
Naturally, this has led to concern for Bell’s co-stars on Drake & Josh. Josh Peck, for instance, was initially silent following the docuseries’ airing, before he ultimately shared a message condemning Bell’s abuser Brian Peck (no relation) and offering love and support. The other major child actor on the show was of course Miranda Cosgrove, who played Drake and Josh’s little sister, Megan.
Like Peck, Cosgrove has never come forward about any instances of abuse suffered during her own experience as a Nickelodeon star, so her experience with fame at a young age seems to have been very different and much more rewarding than Bell’s. For those wondering what’s happened to the iCarly icon in the years since her kids TV heyday, however, here’s what you need to know.
What has happened to Miranda Cosgrove since her Nickelodeon career ended?
Guys, come on, don’t act like you haven’t heard Miranda Cosgrove’s name in years. Unlike many of her contemporaries, such as her former co-star Jennette McCurdy, she’s remained in the acting industry since iCarly ended its original Nickelodeon run back in 2012. That’s putting it lightly, in fact, as Cosgrove has managed to remain a famous name thanks to her numerous screen acting and voice acting gigs in major productions over the past decade.
Notably, she plays Margo in the never-ending, all-consuming Despicable Me franchise. What’s more, she returned to the role of Carly Shay for Paramount Plus’ iCarly revival, which lasted for two seasons before being controversially canceled in 2023. As a sign of how in-demand she remains, Cosgrove has three new movies coming out in 2024: crime comedy Drugstore June, Netflix romcom Mother of the Bride, and yes, Despicable Me 4.
Cosgrove has managed to keep her love life private so she’s not one to grab column inches for her romantic highs and lows. Likewise, as someone who abstains from drinking and smoking and is known for her philanthropy and associations with children’s hospitals and cancer research charities, Cosgrove has avoided any of the scandals that have swallowed up the public image of some of her contemporaries, even if she may not have reached Ariana Grande levels of post-Nickelodeon success.
Nevertheless, there’s one alarming incident in Cosgrove’s past that’s worth noting.
Miranda Cosgrove’s stalker and his death, explained
In September 2014, Miranda Cosgrove filed a restraining order against a stalker who had followed her, sent her unsolicited gifts, and threatened suicide. By May 2015, the unidentified man had broken the order and was sentenced to three years probation. Unfortunately, things escalated to an alarming and tragic conclusion in 2016. On a night when Cosgrove thankfully happened to be out on a date, the stalker broke into the actress’ backyard and shot “six times” at a woman in a car that it’s believed he thought was Cosgrove. When the woman drove away, he lit himself on fire and shot himself simultaneously.
Cosgrove, who decided to stay at her parents’ house after her date, was naturally shocked when she got a call from the police at 3 am to tell her “a man had died” on her property. “It was the weirdest thing ever because they had caution tape up and you know, it was right in my front yard,” Cosgrove recalled to Whitney Cummings in 2020.
“He was just pacing in my backyard. I have security cameras so later when we looked we figured out he was back there for like six hours or something waiting,” Cosgrove continued. Inspection of the security footage of the prior few days revealed that the stalker had been on the property for the previous three nights and had buried various items in the yard, including knives, ropes, and “a lunchbox with a milk chocolate inside.”
“I guess he’d been in my backyard, hanging out there and burying things – why I didn’t notice I don’t know,” Cosgrove admitted. “I’m just apparently not very observant.”
