Ariana Grande may be best known for being pop's biggest rising star right now but the "Problem" singer actually got her start on Nickelodeon TV series, and now her latest venture, the popular program Sam & Cat, has been cancelled after just one season following some behind-the-scenes drama between Grande and her co-star Jennette McCurdy.
According to Deadline and a recent promo for an upcoming Sam & Cat episode, the show's 36th episode will be its last. "Nickelodeon will not be producing more episodes of Sam & Cat," the children's network said in a statement to Deadline. "We are very proud of the show and its very talented cast and we wish them all the best."
The show, which combined former Nickelodeon hits Victorious and iCarly, was a massive hit for the network, which bumped up its initial order of the series from 20 episodes to 40 for the first season.
However, drama backstage soon took its toll in Sam & Cat, with Grande's music career taking off and McCurdy facing a nude photo leak scandal. The two former friends were also reportedly in battles with the network over compensation, with Grande reportedly making more money than her fellow lead actress.
The squabbles led to the show being put on a "permanent hiatus" earlier this year, but it's now officially never coming back.
Grande, who plays the ditzy yet sweet babysitter Cat Valentine on the show, wrote a heartfelt open letter to Nickelodeon and the show's fans, thanking them for her time on Sam & Cat, where she praises her character's optimism.
Read the full open letter below:
"So the news is out about Sam & Cat. I felt it wasn't my place to make any sort of announcement so I kept quiet until now. 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. I want to thank Dan Schneider (@DanWarp) for allowing me to play such a special, beautiful character who I hid behind for so long. What I mean by that is when I was younger, people loved Cat so much I used to pretend to be more like her. It took me a long time to be brave enough to separate myself and show people how different we actually are.... I think that's honestly because I admire her so much. Her appreciation for life and everybody she encounters. Her passion and genuine excitement for the little things that most people dread like school projects and work. She always saw negative obstacles as opportunities to make things good.
I will always hold Cat near and dear to my heart and appreciate her help in my personal growth from teenager to adult. I know she seems like a simple, daft character (and she is) but she played such a huge part in my life I just wanted to express my appreciation for her and share some of the things I love most about her. I think a lot of people could take a page out of her book...... she wouldn't judge anybody by their appearance.... she believed the best in people.... she wasn't afraid of anything or anybody.... she never let people's judgements hold her back from doing what she wanted, acting how she wanted, dressing how she wanted wanted, dying her hair however she wanted... she never held back her enthusiasm or joy for fear of appearing some sort of way or for fear of jinxing the good that is real (which is something I personally do all the time but I wish I could shake that and celebrate every little thing like she does).
One of my favorite things about Cat was that she never lost her sense of wonder. As we grow up we become more and more jaded and fearful of how we come across. We hold back a little more, protect ourselves a little more and although Cat goes through the same ridicule as anybody else does growing up, she never changed or lost her childlike wonder. To me that's the bravest, most special thing about her. She actually reminds me a lot of Frankie in that way.
So I know a lot of people will think this is a lot for some 'dumb' kids show character.... but to me she is actually a lot smarter, stronger and braver than all the rest of us.
Hopefully we'll find out one day if Cat & Robbie ever got married. If I had any say in the story from here on out I'd make sure they were happily married with sweet, eccentric, Jewish, artificially red headed babies. Cat would constantly find herself reminding Aunt Sam to leave the butter sock and other dangerous weapons out of the house. They'd live down the street from Jade and Beck, also happily married with purple and black haired, pale, grungy, beautiful, goth babies. :) Thank you to the cast and crew who I spent almost every day with for a good 4 or 5 years. Thanks for lighting us beautifully, shooting us beautifully, making the most incredible props, yelling at us when we were running late to set, keeping us on track and most of all for making it such a positive work environment. The guys behind the scenes couldn't have been more pleasant or hard working and I appreciate them for that so much. I can't imagine that there is a more pleasant or professional crew in Hollywood. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to a true friend of mine, Dan Schneider. I will never take these memories or lessons learned for granted.
Lastly, thank you to my fans who have been with me since all of this started... you are the most loyal, dedicated and continuously loving supporters I could ever imagine. We've been through so much and you are still here... and we've got a long way to go. :)
Thank you for believing in me, accepting me and loving me. I love you forever."
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