Miranda Cosgrove became a bona fide star from the TV series “iCarly,” but what happened when
the actor-singer took a break from showbiz? Did she crash and burn like other child
stars before her? Here's what Miranda Cosgrove has been up to since "iCarly" ended in 2012.
Though acting remained in her path after "iCarly" ended,
Miranda Cosgrove initially took a hiatus and enrolled in college. The former child
star attended the University of Southern California, where she majored in film.
Although she entered college, she did so with the intention of remaining in the entertainment
industry, as evidenced by her major. She told USA Today of her time at the university:
"I definitely want to act. That's why I want to major in film. The most
important thing is to find a good story. It's hard when you're coming from a TV
show. [...] I wouldn't want to rush and do something that wasn't right."
Cosgrove did not finish in the same major as she started, though. The actor took to "Live
with Kelly and Ryan" in 2017 to give an update on her studies and revealed that she had switched
majors to psychology. While Cosgrove reportedly graduated the following year, she previously
told ABC News in 2014 how much pursuing higher education impacted her personal life, saying,
"College really does help you grow up and figure out who you are. So,
it's just helped me grow as a person."
Miranda Cosgrove has also been busy recording voiceover work for what
became the highest-grossing animated film franchise of all time in 2017,
"Despicable Me." The first installment, which was released while Cosgrove was still
starring on "iCarly," stars Steve Carell as a supervillain who adopts three precocious girls.
"Just so you know, you're never gonna be my dad."
"Hm. I think I can live with that."
Fans fell in love with the movie, especially the adorable — and sometimes maddeningly
popular — yellow creatures known as Minions. After "iCarly" ended,
Cosgrove was still involved with the franchise and reprised her role for
two more installments. For the longtime Nickelodeon star, though, it wasn't too
much to handle when balancing her studies at USC. She told Movies Games and Tech in 2017,
"Basically it's been really easy, because I haven't ever done both at
the same time. I'm either at school or taking a semester off to act."
Taking the time off was worth it for Cosgrove, as she earned a Kids' Choice
Award for her work in "Despicable Me 2" in 2014. Cosgrove is set to play Margo for a
fourth installment of the series, which is expected to premiere in July 2024.
Miranda Cosgrove didn't just stick to animated features, however.
The actor has also shown her acting chops in live-action movies, like the 2015 horror
film "The Intruders," which she starred in with Austin Butler. The movie was filmed in Canada,
and Cosgrove noted to Teen Vogue how the location helped her get into character. She said,
"I was away from my family in Canada making the movie. I was feeling a lot
of feelings that the character was feeling. That definitely helped."
Unfortunately, the film didn't perform well among critics and audiences, earning a 17%
on Rotten Tomatoes. Seemingly undeterred,
Cosgrove ventured into another television role, starring in the short-lived comedy
"Crowded" the following year. Although she'd worked in various shows since she was a child,
this was a little different due to the live studio audience. Cosgrove told Showbiz Junkies,
"I was actually really nervous about that at first because I've never done anything
like that before. I was like, 'Oh my gosh, if it's not funny, they're not going to laugh.'"
The sitcom about adult daughters who want to move back in with their parents was canceled
following one 13-episode season. But Cosgrove continued racking up credits on both the big
and small screens, including appearances in "3022" and "North Hollywood" in theaters.
In addition to child star, pop singer, and college student,
Miranda Cosgrove can also add Emmy nominee to her list of accomplishments. Not that a Kids' Choice
Award is anything to snuff at, but this one has got to feel a little more prestigious. In 2019,
Cosgrove began working on "Mission Unstoppable with Miranda Cosgrove," an educational television
show. Geena Davis, one of the show's executive producers, noted in a statement to Variety,
"‘Mission Unstoppable’ strives to empower young women and showcases
the many ways they can impact the world through careers in STEM."
As of 2022, the show has run for three seasons
and even earned a nomination for outstanding educational or informational series at the
2020 Daytime Emmy Awards. The show has, of course, featured lots of impressive women,
and Cosgrove has been impacted herself. She told Seventeen about her time on the show,
"I love hearing the inspiring stories people have shared on the series and
the unique paths each person has taken to make their STEM dreams a reality."
Not only has Miranda Cosgrove earned herself a Kids' Choice Award, but she's also hosted the
show. In March 2022, the former child star and Rob Gronkowski teamed up to host one of
the most exciting events of the year for kids. Cosgrove announced, as reported by Deadline,
"Nickelodeon has always been my family and to co-host this
iconic show alongside Gronk will be a blast."
Cosgrove was doubly busy the night of the event, as she also attended the show
as a nominee. The reboot of "iCarly" was up for favorite family TV show,
while Cosgrove received a nod for favorite female TV star—and both ended up winning
the coveted orange blimps. Cosgrove noted in an Instagram post following the event,
"KCA's 2022 were a blast! Still recovering from all the slime."
Nickelodeon was clearly pleased with her hosting duties, as the network commented on her post,
thanking Cosgrove for being an amazing host.
Miranda Cosgrove is already familiar with unprecedented stardom thanks to
her time on "iCarly." But in the age of TikTok,
it seems like nothing can prepare you for the storm that is viral fame, even if you
played the character who wrote the fictional playbook on navigating that kind of attention.
In 2022, an interview Cosgrove did on Whitney Cummings' "Good for You" podcast from a couple
of years prior resurfaced and took TikTok by storm as a sound on the video-sharing app. In the clip,
Cosgrove admitted to the comedian that her vocabulary wasn't always family friendly.
"I do, I actually do cuss a little."
"Do You?"
"Also, yeah."
"What's your favorite curse word?"
"Probably F--k."
When Cosgrove revealed the F-bomb is her word of choice, it solicited a loud laugh from Cummings,
which many users misattributed to Cosgrove. TikTok creators have used the sound to dub
over with their own videos, including the likes of Lizzo and Cosgrove's friend and former "Drake
and Josh" costar, Josh Peck. ET asked Cosgrove about the sound in March 2022 and she replied,
"Everyone on TikTok thinks it's me laughing,
but it's my friend Whitney laughing, and I keep texting her, like, 'You framed me!'"
In the age of nostalgia we seem to be living in, it's probably no surprise that a show
as successful and beloved as "iCarly" was rebooted. Paramount Plus revived the series,
which premiered in 2021 and featured Miranda Cosgrove reprising her role as Carly,
as well as fan favorites Nathan Kress returning as her friend, Freddie, and Jerry Trainor as her
brother, Spencer. Sam Puckett, played by Jennette McCurdy, was noticeably absent,
but the revival included a cast of new characters to help fill the void. Cosgrove also got a new
role behind the scenes this time, serving as an executive producer. She said to People,
"I'm getting to help edit all the episodes. I've never edited
anything in my life. ... These are all things that I've never done before. So
it's just been a real learning process and I've enjoyed every second of it."
In a case of art imitating life, Cosgrove added,
"It's kind of funny because in the show 'iCarly,' Carly's character goes to college after she is in
Italy with her dad for a few years [...] and then she ends up coming back to the show. 'iCarly' was
like me in real life. And she starts up the show for the first time in 10 years."
Fans were pleased enough with the reboot for Paramount+ to renew it for a second season,
which aired in the spring of 2022.
In addition to all the work she gets paid for, Miranda Cosgrove keeps herself busy by
volunteering. The "iCarly" star has a number of causes she's passionate about and often teams
up with various brands to move the needle. Back in 2011, for example, Cosgrove collaborated with
Neutrogena for a grant worth $10,000 to provide children with music education at a public library
in Los Angeles. The cause is understandably close to the actor and singer's heart.
"Education and music are two of the most important things in my life."
Cosgrove is also passionate about saving the environment,
and she shared with Green Matters that she hopes her actions will spark action
against climate change in others. In December 2021, the Nickelodeon actor
partnered with HP's Girls Save the World to host innovation challenges, noting,
"I feel like this is going to get a lot of young girls thinking, and coming up with ideas,
and realizing their potential when it comes to helping the environment."
Given that she's starred in a hit television show, among various other high-profile
projects like "School of Rock" and "Drake & Josh," it makes sense that Miranda Cosgrove
is impressively worth an estimated $10 million these days, per Celebrity Net Worth. Although,
according to former Nickelodeon co-star Josh Peck's March 2022 appearance on "CNBC Make It,"
stars of children's shows are not as well compensated as one might think.
At any rate, Cosgrove has earned a laudable sum of money as an actor,
and it has only increased since "iCarly's" first run ended in 2012. Cosgrove's status
as a young mogul was cemented when Forbes placed her on their 2021 list of 30 Under 30.
The actor, singer, and producer shared with the outlet the advice she now gives
children who want to follow a similar career path and achieve showbiz success.
"I always tell them like, 'You got to do what actually feels good to you.
You got to be yourself. You can't change yourself to try to get a part or something.'"
Cosgrove said that was a lesson that took her some time to learn.
Check out one of our newest videos right here! Plus,
even more Nicki Swift videos about your favorite stars are coming soon.
Subscribe to our YouTube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one.