‘Disturbing’ video shows Ariana Grande being ‘sexualized’ as a teen in Nickelodeon’s Victorious

Nickelodeon has come under furious fire after a ‘disturbing’ video of Ariana Grande being ‘sexualized’ as a child star in the TV show Victorious resurfaced online.

The clip was shared amid allegations made by Ariana’s Sam & Cat costar Jennette McCurdy, now 30, who claimed that she was photographed in a bikini, given unwanted massages, and told to drink alcohol by someone she referred to as ‘The Creator’ when she was working on the network as a teen in her brand new memoir, I’m Glad My Mom Died.

Now, one social media user called Ariana, now 29, a ‘victim’ too, while sharing a series of ‘horrifying’ clips of her from her time in the show – which featured her sticking her hand down her throat, putting her toes in her mouth, and talking about being ‘soaking wet’ at the age of 16.

Other parts also showed Ariana trying to get juice from a potato – which involved her squeezing it as hard as possible and letting out loud moaning noises – and attempting to drink water upside down in a provocative position – which resulted in it spilling all over her head and chest.

Ariana famously starred as Cat Valentine in the series, which premiered in March 2010 – when she was just 16 – and went on for four seasons before it ended in February 2013 – when she was 19.

Afterwards, she reprised her role for the spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Jennette – who played Sam Puckett in the series iCarly before they came together for Sam & Cat; it came out in June 2013 and lasted for one season. 

During the height of its popularity in 2010, Victorious launched a website called The Slap, in which Nickelodeon shared behind-the-scenes footage and extra content from the show.

One segment, called Cat’s Random Thoughts, featured Ariana’s character sharing her opinions on various subjects. It was eight episodes in total, all of which were written and directed by Dan Schneider.

Now, a Twitter user shared some moments from Cat’s Random Thoughts that left many people on the web uncomfortable.

‘Have you ever said something, like, a sentence and thought to yourself, “Wow, I bet no one on Earth has ever said those exact words that I just said,”‘ Ariana said in one part of the show.

‘That happens to me a lot. Now, just for fun, I’m going to say three sentences that I bet not one person has ever said before in the history of man kind.’

The first sentence was, ‘Oh man, my uvula got stuck between those hamsters toes.’

Ariana explained: ‘See, that could never happen because your uvula is that swingy-thing in the back of your throat right here,’ as she stuck her fingers inside her throat. ‘So there’s no way you can get it stuck between a hamster’s toes.’

The God is a Woman songstress proceeded to state her second sentence, which was, ‘I’m soaking wet! Quick, somebody bring me the ocean!’

‘No one would ever say that. Why? Because if you were soaking wet and you were upset about it, the last thing you’d want is for someone to bring you the ocean,’ she continued. ‘The ocean is even more wet than the wettest person in the world.’

Other segments featured her trying to fit her whole big toe in her mouth, and trying to produce liquid from a potato.

‘Sometimes I wonder if you can get juice from a potato,’ she said, before holding it in both hands and squeezing it, while letting out grunting noises.

‘It is possible for a teenage girl to drink water upside down?’ she then asked. 

Ariana laid on her back on the edge of her bed while looking up at the camera and said, ‘Mmm, I’m thirsty,’ before opening her mouth.

She then started pouring water all over herself while attempting to drink it. She then reported, ‘It’s not possible.’

The montage quickly went viral – gaining more than three million views in a matter of days – and it sparked severe scrutiny against the network, with one person online calling the people at Nickelodeon ‘sick mother f**kers.’

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Others branded the clip as ‘horrifying’ and ‘disturbing,’ and stated that creator Dan deserved ‘jailtime.’

‘Arrest everybody involved,’ wrote one person, while another added, ‘[It’s] insane they got away with this.’

‘How did any rational adult sit there and let this be filmed?’ asked someone else. ‘Disgusting from everyone involved. 

‘You can blame one guy but anyone involved with taping this could’ve spoke up against this.’

‘This genuinely imitates fetish content,’ a different user pointed out. ‘[Dan] truly made kids do fetish content hidden in plain sight, he’s DISGUSTING he also needs to go on trial.’

Another tweet read, ‘Even as a child without understanding the full implications of these I used to find them super weird and uncomfortable.

‘How was this ever allowed to reach the internet? Not one single adult involved thought, “Hmm, maybe this is not such a good idea?” They all need to be jailed tbh.’

Others called it ‘hard to watch’ and said it made them ‘sick to their stomach.’

The same Twitter user then shared another clip from the show Victorious that featured Ariana having a water gun fight with a group of guys in nothing but a skimpy bikini and tight, jean shorts.

Throughout Jennette’s book, which hit stands on August 9, she spoke in detail about her time on Nickelodeon, and she alleged that she was subjected to inappropriate behavior from an unnamed Nickelodeon staffer.

She said she was required to her pose in swimsuits and offered alcohol from someone she referred to as ‘The Creator’ during her time on iCarly, which first aired when she was 15 – in September 2007 – and concluded when she was age 20 – in November 2012.

‘My whole childhood and adolescence were very exploited,’ she told the New York Times, while discussing the book. ‘It still gives my nervous system a reaction to say it. 

‘There were cases where people had the best intentions and maybe didn’t know what they were doing. And also cases where they did – they knew exactly what they were doing.’

She also wrote in her book that she was forced to film a kiss scene with her costar Nathan Kress seven times while ‘The Creator’ yelled things at her like, ‘Move your head around a bit more.’

She added that it was first time ever locking lips with someone, and that she was severely uncomfortable doing it in front of so many people and cameras.

‘My mind is saying who cares that this is your first kiss, that your first kiss is on-camera. Get it over with. Do what you’re told,’ she wrote.

‘My body is saying no, I don’t want this. I don’t want my first kiss to be like this. I want my first kiss to be a real first kiss, not a kiss for a TV show.’

She also claimed that she was ‘terrified of being looked at as a sexual being’ and that ‘The Creator’ once gave her a shoulder massage against her wishes. 

Many people have speculated that she was referring to Dan, who was also behind shows All That, The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101, and Henry Danger for the network. 

Dan left Nickelodeon in 2018; at the time, he said he was parting ways to pursue ‘other opportunities and projects,’ however, the Times reported in 2021 that the network cut ties from him due to evidence of ‘verbal abuse’ towards colleagues.

While speaking to the outlet in 2021, Dan called claims that he ‘sexualized’ the stars in his shows ‘ridiculous lies.’

‘The comedy was totally innocent,’ he said. ‘I couldn’t, and I wouldn’t have the long-term friendships and continued loyalty from so many reputable people if I’d mistreated my actors of any age, especially minors.’

In her autobiography, Jennette also admitted that she was ‘jealous’ of Ariana and that she was left frustrated after being told by Nickelodeon that she wasn’t allowed to pursue any other career opportunities during her time on the show, while Ariana’s career flourished on the other hand.

‘What finally undid me was when Ariana came whistle-toning in with excitement because she had spent the previous evening playing charades at Tom Hanks’s house. That was the moment I broke,’ she recalled in her book.

After Sam & Cat ran its course, Jennette said Nickelodeon offered her $300,000 to never speak about her experiences on the network, which she turned down.