The ‘iCarly’ Episode Banned Due to Its Reported Insensitive Nature
Nickelodeon‘s iCarly was one of the most popular shows on the children’s television network. The series was irreverent, hilarious, and surprisingly mired in controversy. It was filled with innuendoes that, in hindsight, appear to be somewhat inappropriate for a kids’ television series. However, one iCarly episode remains banned to this day. Can you guess which one it is?
The ‘iCarly’ episode comically portrayed mental illness
In one of the show’s stranger plotlines, iCarly had the character of Sam Puckett (Jennette McCurdy) check herself into a mental hospital. The reason? Sam realized she was in love with Freddie (Nathan Kress).
The installment ‘iLost My Mind’ was the first episode of Season 5 and followed a Season 4 cliffhanger. After the events of the episode’ iOMG,’ in which Sam declared her love for Freddie, the series was left with what appeared to be unrequited love between the teenagers.
In the Season 5 opener, Sam was tracked by Carly (Miranda Cosgrove), Freddie, and Gibby (Noah Munck) to Troubled Waters Mental Hospital. While it appeared storyline appropriate for the character to believe she had mental illness for falling for her arch nemesis of so many years, the series appeared to take a light-handed approach to those who have mental illness.
Other theories are that the storyline was too similar to Britney Spears’s mental difficulties at the same time. Therefore, that particular episode was indefinitely pulled from reruns. It is also not available to stream on Paramount Plus, where the entire iCarly catalog is housed.
However, the episode remains on the series’ DVD box sets. It is also available on Apple TV+ and YouTube, but viewers must pay to watch the installment.
The episode contained questionable moments
On the iCarly Fandom website, further information regarding the episode was made available. More details surrounding the episode could explain why this particular installment isn’t readily visible in reruns.
According to the website, signs on the walls of the hospital include the following statements: “Friends don’t kill friends,” “Do not eat game pieces,” “Please don’t feed the patients,” “Urine is for restrooms,” “Please keep pants on,” and “Only bite food.”
Those signs tried to address what the show’s creators believed would be funny issues within a mental health facility. However, they were later deemed inappropriate and subsequently blurred out of the episode.
iCarly creator Dan Schneider was later accused of incorporating too-adult humor into his kids’ shows. Some of his former co-workers and child stars under his employ acknowledged he incorporated innuendo into his children’s programming to be funny in the docuseries Quiet on the Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.
‘iLost My Mind’ guest-starred ‘The Big Bang Theory’ superstar
The questionable episode had Gibby (Noah Munck) interacting with one of the residents of Troubled Waters Mental Hospital, a man named Caleb. He insisted he was from the future.
Caleb was played by Jim Parsons of The Big Bang Theory. He guest-starred on the series to share some exciting news with the iCarly gang.
As Caleb Parsons insisted, “In 2041, California is going to fall into the ocean,” and “in 2029, aliens will capture Ryan Seacrest.” He also told Carly (Miranda Cosgrove) that she would someday be the vice president of the United States.
The original iCarly series ran for five seasons on Nickelodeon, beginning in 2007 and ending in 2012. A reboot aired on Paramount Plus starting in 2021. The series was canceled in 2023.
How to get help: To connect with mental health resources near you, visit the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) website.
