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When you hear the name Amanda Bynes, your mind can go in two different directions. In one sense, her name conjures up the fond memories of her time on the Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That and its spin-off series The Amanda Show. On the other hand, Bynes’ reminds us of a series of legal troubles and mental health issues that landed her in an eight-year conservatorship.
Bynes joins a list of child stars like Shia LaBeouf, whose troubling behavior inserted them into headline after headline for all the wrong reasons. The former actress has most recently been placed on psychiatric hold after she was found roaming the streets naked. It may be a long time before fans can anticipate a comeback from the former teen idol but, hey, if Lindsay Lohan can get her life together— then perhaps Bynes can, too. In the meantime, here are all the stops Amanda Bynes has made from her days as a teen idol to a highly publicized celebrity delinquent.
11 Amanda Bynes Was Once A Successful Actress
Most of Amanda Bynes’ fans remember her from her iconic days on All That, where her segments “Ask Ashley,” “Whateverrr!,” “Captain Tantrum” deemed her one of the most talented cast members on the show. Her success on the Nickelodeon comedy series landed her with her own spin-off series titled The Amanda Show which aired from 1999-2002.
Bynes jumped from the small screen to the big screen in her first feature film debut in 2002 with the family comedy “Big Fat Liar.” Following her success in the film Bynes soon starred romantic comedies like “What A Girl Wants” in 2003 and “She’s The Man” in 2006.
Her reign on television continued as she starred opposite actress Jennie Garth in the coming-of-age TV series What I Like About You, from 2002-2006. Bynes had returned to the big screen a sought-after actress and from 2006 to 2010, starred in box office movies like Hairspray, Sydney White and Easy A.
10 Why Did Amanda Bynes Quit Acting?
While actress Emma Stone had a successful breakout opportunity with the 2010 film Easy A, the film had the opposite effect on Amanda Bynes at the time. In fact, it had been the determining factor in the actress deciding to give up acting altogether. Bynes revealed in an interview with Paper Magazine, that she hated her performance in the film.
“I literally couldn’t stand my appearance in [‘Easy A’} and I didn’t like my performance,” she said. “I was absolutely convinced I needed to stop acting after seeing it.”.
The actress continued saying, “I was high on marijuana when I saw that but for some reason it really started to affect me. I don’t know if it was a drug-induced psychosis or what, but it affected my brain in a different way than it affects other people. It absolutely changed my perception of things.”.
In 2010, the actress spoke further on the matter and, on her now-deleted Twitter account (via Entertainment Weekly) wrote, “Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem. If I don’t love something anymore, I stop doing it. I don’t love acting anymore, so I’ve stopped doing it. I know 24 is a young age to retire, but you heard it here first.”.
9 When Amanda Bynes’ Legal Troubles Begin?
In 2012, fans began to see Amanda Bynes on the news—and not for the right reasons. The infamous mugshot of the actress, with her hair dyed light pink began circulating the press. The mugshot came after Bynes was arrested for the first time, for a DUI after she clipped a sheriff’s deputy’s cruiser with her black BMW at around 3 a.m. Bynes was convicted of reckless driving in 2014 for the incident.
The incident also scored the actress three years of probation and three months of alcohol education classes.
It wasn’t long after the incident that Bynes was also charged with two hit-and-runs for incidents on April 10 and Aug. 4. The first of which occurred just days after her DUI arrest.
8 Amanda Bynes And The Bong Incident, Explained
Cops received a phone call from the superintendent of Amanda Bynes’ apartment building in New York City, and it wasn’t because of intrusive paparazzi. The call was made because the actress was reportedly puffing on the pipe in the lobby, according to The NY Post.
Bynes was hit with a felony charge after she hurled a bong from the window of her 34th-floor apartment on West 47th Street near Times Square. Bynes was ta ken out in handcuffs sporting a disheveled blonde wig that covered her face, signaling that the actress had begun to spiral out of control.
7 Amanda Bynes Became An Internet Troll On Twitter
For a while, the only way that fans could begin to (moderately) understand what Amanda Bynes was going through was by her (often) erratic behavior on social media. The former actress was very active on Twitter in 2013.
In tweets from her now-deleted account the former actress called the then-President (Barack Obama) of the United States and his wife, Michelle Obama, “ugly,”. She also seemed to demand justice for her previous arrests, imploring Obama to “fire the cop” who arrested her back in 2012.
Bynes also tweeted, “I need Nicki Minaj’s wig person stat!”, which came at a time when she was donning a slew of wigs and, on March 21, 2013, even tweeted a crass comment aimed at rapper Drake that writing, “I want Drake to murder my vagina.”.
6 Amanda Bynes Placed On Psychiatric Hold
Things seemed to be getting worse and worse in July 2013 when Bynes was arrested after allegedly setting a fire in an elderly woman’s driveway. The actress was hospitalized on a 5150 psychiatric hold after the incident.
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In October 2014, she was placed in a psychiatric hold again in Los Angeles after posting a series of cryptic tweets, where she claimed her father had sexually, physically and verbally abused her. She also accused him of putting a “microchip” in her brain— adding that the allegations were false, and the microchip was what made her spew them.
She then took to Twitter again, a month later, announcing that she had been diagnosed with bipolar and manic depressive disorder. In the tweets she added that she was seeing a psychologist weekly and wrote: “so I’m fine :D,”.
5 Was Amanda Bynes Placed Under A Conservatorship?
By August 2013, Bynes mother Lynn, was granted a temporary conservatorship over her, which a judge would later make into a permanent conservatorship in October 2014.
“[Amanda has been] spending large amounts of her savings,” the court documents stated per People. “It has been reported that she has recently made extensive purchases as gifts from jewelry stores, such as Cartier, for strangers.”
Following the overseeing of her finances, Bynes’ mother had requested to transfer control to a medical health professional and money manager, in hopes that it would give her and Bynes’ father a chance to have an actual relationship with their daughter.
4 When Did Amanda Bynes Start To Turn Things Around?
For a while after her parents were given guardianship and she was seeking psychiatric help, the actress seemed to be doing well for herself. For one, Amanda Bynes’ enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising in January 2014 and— though she was reportedly kicked out of the school for causing arguments with classmates— managed return in 2017 and graduate in 2019 after five years.
In 2018, the actress made a remarkable comeback with a cover story for Paper Magazine. The photo had showcased, what looked like, a very much put together Bynes after years and years of adversity. In the profile story, the former actress opened up for the first time about her drug use, which she said began with marijuana at age 16. She also said she used cocaine “three times.”.
Bynes also apologized for her 2013 stints on Twitter saying, “I’m really ashamed and embarrassed with the things I said. I can’t turn back time but if I could, I would.”.
3 Was Amanda Bynes In A Relationship?
Despite pinning after rapper Drake, Amanda Bynes managed to find love as she began to recover. On Valentine’s Day 2020, Bynes announced she was engaged and then posted a now-deleted photo of her “lover,”. Her lover was later identified as a man named Paul Michael, who she had reportedly met at an Alcoholics Anonymous AA meeting in late 2019.
However, the crazy seemed to continue as Bynes called off the engagement in 2021, after she initially alleged he was using cocaine and “looking at mom-and-son porn.” The former actress had later back peddled on her comments, taking to her Instagram story to clarify the story.
“Paul looked up MILFs. Moms and sons just popped up,” Bynes clarified on her Instagram Story while inside a car. “Also, I went to CVS, bought a drug test. Paul tested clean. Paul’s clean.
The pair reportedly broke up three months later, but were seen together in December 2022, running errands, prompting fans to speculate they’re still involved.
2 When Did Amanda Bynes Conservatorship End?
In February 2022, Amanda Bynes filed to end her conservatorship of the person and her estate for good after nearly nine years, a decision both her parents were in full support of.
Bynes’ lawyer David A. Esquibias told People that Bynes was in great shape to have the conservatorship terminated saying she was “doing great” ahead of her 35th birthday: “She lives by the beach, attends school and is enjoying meditation and Soul Cycle classes.”
On March 22, 2022, a judge ruled that the former actress’ eight-year conservatorship should be terminated.
1 Why Was Amanda Bynes Placed On Psychiatric Hold Again?
It seemed like Amanda Bynes was so close to turning her life around, but unfortunately she made headlines when she was placed on a psychiatric hold. The former actress was reportedly set to make an appearance at ’90s Con in Hartford, Connecticut, but dropped out at the last minute due to an undisclosed illness.
It was later revealed that the Easy A actress was placed on psychiatric hold, that weekend after she was discovered in Los Angeles wandering the streets naked and alone.
Per TMZ, Bynes was found on early Sunday morning, downtown without any clothes on. She waved a car down and told the driver she was just coming down from a psychiatric episode, after which she then called 911 on herself. Bynes was taken to a nearby police station, and the mental health team decided she needed to be place on a 5150 hold.
Though it appears she may still be struggling, Bynes’ behavior seems to point that—though she’s troubled— she may be on the right path to recovery.
