Even among the sea of child stars, Amanda Bynes is a standout. In the late ’90s and early 2000s, Amanda Bynes dominated Nickelodeon with her kid-friendly jokes and garnered millions of admirers. Using her charm and talent, Amanda entered adulthood much easier than many of her peers. However, by the 2010s, trouble started brewing in her personal life. Numerous challenges were plaguing Bynes, dramatically altering the course of her once-promising career.
To understand what exactly went wrong, we must take a closer look at Amanda Bynes’ major life changes over the years.
1. Amanda Bynes’s early breakthrough
Amanda’s acting career started with a few Taco Bell and Mattel commercials when she was 7. But her big break came in 1996 when she joined Nickelodeon’s “All That,” a sketch show often compared to Saturday Night Live for kids.
2. The Amanda Show
Imagine being so popular that Nickelodeon gave you your own comedy sketch show. That’s pretty much what happened to Amanda Bynes in 1999, when Nickelodeon created The Amanda Show just for her. The show ran for three seasons, becoming known for a handful of memorable sketches, including “Judge Trudy” with the famous line, “Bring in the dancing lobsters!” It also marked the start of her professional relationship with Drake Bell.
In 2002, Amanda landed a big role in What I Like About You—another hit show. This was her official transition from child star to teen actress. The show ran for four seasons and remains one of Bynes’ favorite projects.
3. Amanda Bynes—the movie star!
Amanda’s film career took off after What I Like About You ended. In 2006, she starred in She’s the Man alongside Channing Tatum. While audiences loved that cheesy movie, Bynes later revealed that looking at herself dressed as a boy caused her a deep depression for months. In 2007, Bynes joined John Travolta, Queen Latifah, and Zac Efron in Hairspray, which was a huge deal for the young actress. In 2010, Bynes appeared in Easy A with Emma Stone, marking her last acting project before stepping away from acting.
4. From acting to a fashion icon
In the early 2010s, Amanda Bynes shocked her Twitter followers with a post saying, “I don’t love acting anymore, so I’ve stopped doing it.” Many fans were skeptical about such an abrupt announcement, but Bynes stuck to her decision and left Hollywood, shifting her focus to fashion. Amanda enrolled in California’s Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, impressing her instructors with her dedication and intelligence. She even discovered a newfound interest in subjects like merchandising math, of all things. Bynes’s creative juices started flowing again until her life took a bad turn.
5. Arrested for DUI
Amanda Bynes faced a DUI arrest in Los Angeles in 2012 following a minor car accident. The case dragged on, but by 2014, she reached a plea deal requiring probation, a fine, and alcohol education classes. The DUI charges were eventually dropped. However, Bynes ran into more trouble in 2013, getting charged with reckless endangerment and marijuana possession in New York. 2014 also saw the dismissal of these charges. During this turbulent time, Bynes became known for posting bizarre and troubling tweets, including a controversial message to rapper Drake. Later, she explained that substance abuse led to her erratic behavior, saying that it messed up her brain and that she’s actually a nice person.
6. Mental health
In 2013, Amanda’s mental health issues became public as she was placed under a two-week psychiatric hold after she lit up someone’s driveway. Because of that, she spent six months in rehab. Bynes later made shocking claims on Twitter, accusing her father of abuse, only to retract them, saying a brain microchip was responsible for her outburst. Amanda revealed she was diagnosed with bipolar disorder but attributed much of her erratic behavior to drug use.
In 2022, Bynes seemed to have successfully sorted everything out with herself and her parents, but in 2023, she went into a 72-hour psychiatric hold after walking naked in Los Angeles. In June, she was hospitalized again over concerns for her safety, and by July, she had a care plan in place.
7. Amanda’s big comeback?
In late 2023, Amanda Bynes launched a podcast with Paul Sieminski, but it didn’t last long, as the first episode was also the last one. She later shared on Instagram that she wants to be a manicurist. Around the same time, Bynes joined TikTok, addressing concerns about her appearance. She explained that plastic surgery and weight gain from depression had changed her looks. Aside from a couple of updates on that manicurist career, Bynes remained relatively quiet in 2024, but things seem to be looking up for her.
