14 DAY TRIAL // Ariana Grande and Jennette McCurdy are not feuding over money because of their contracts with Nickelodeon for their hit series “Sam & Cat,” despite what else you might have read online. Ariana herself is taking a few moments off work to deny the rumors on her Facebook.
The other day, reports emerged to offer an explanation for why Jennette wasn’t at the Kids’ Choice Awards 2014 last weekend, even though the gala was organized by Nickelodeon and she was one of the network’s biggest stars.
They claimed that her absence there had nothing to do with last month’s compromising photo leak scandal in which she’d been involved, but rather with the fact that she was paid less than Ariana and believed she deserved just as much money as she earned.
Ariana calls bluff on all talks of money.
“I hate addressing rumors and I hate gossip but this is really bothering me. Jennette and I agreed upfront that we would be treated equally on this show in all regards (as we should be, considering we each work just as hard as the other on this show),” she writes.
“The rumors circulating about our contracts and our salary not being equal are absolutely ridiculous and false. I don't know who's putting these idiotic quotes out there but I thought I'd straighten it out and try to end this nonsense. As far as the show goes, I don't know what's happening because I'm not directly involved with the problem but I just wanted to address this one rumor in particular because I am NOT making more money than my costar, nor do I think I should be,” she continues.
Ariana insists she would have never even agreed to do the series if she and Jennette didn’t have equal pay because she believes in fairness and equality, and, more importantly, likes to practices what she preaches.
Though it doesn’t address it, her statement is also meant to rubbish the report that, by asking more money, Jennette was holding up the second season of the show. McCurdy wanted a salary as big as Ariana’s, it said, but Nickelodeon bosses didn’t even want to consider.
Negotiations had reportedly arrived at a dead-end, with the network thinking canceling the show or replacing Jennette would be a more profitable option to giving her a raise.
Now that Ariana has spoken on the matter, fans can breathe easy. Worst case scenario, if the second season never sees the light of day, at least it won’t be because of Jennette.