Amanda Bynes’ complex dynamic with her parents can be traced back to when she was a child star. In 2003, Variety reported that Amanda tried to seek emancipation from Rick and Lynn Bynes, which led to her father firing her agents and managers. “We just didn’t need any at the time, so we decided to not have any,” he said. But what’s interesting is that Amanda also hid her plans from both of them, causing them to feel like their daughter crossed them.
While Amanda eventually withdrew the petition, there was already palpable tension between her and her parents. She then tried seeking solace elsewhere, which she found in Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider and his wife, Lisa Lillien. “She was spending a lot of time with us,” Lillien told People. “But she never left her [family’s] house.” A source also shared with the outlet that Amanda’s parents were very, very strict” and that “her dad called all the shots and was very controlling.”
What’s more, in 2014, Amanda made serious accusations against her dad on Twitter, claiming that he was “verbally and physically abuse [sic] to me as a child.” She retracted her statements days later, saying, “the microchip in my brain made me say those things but he’s the one that ordered them to microchip me.” Meanwhile, her mother issued a response telling E! News, “Rick has been the best father and husband a family can ask for. He has never abused Amanda or our other children physically or sexually.”
