Many fans have wondered about Amanda Bynes' 2024 whereabouts as the actress has taken an extended time away from the limelight.
In 1996, when she was just 10 years old, Amanda Bynes made a name for herself with American kids when she was added to the cast of Nickelodeon’s hit sketch comedy series All That.
Three years later, Bynes was the recipient of a sketch show of her very own, The Amanda Show, which also served as a launching pad for other successful Nickelodeon personalities.
Where Has Amanda Bynes Been?
Amanda Bynes' rise to fame began in the mid-1990s when she was added to the cast of 1996's All That. Her star power only multiplied when The Amanda Show began in 1999.
Her work on Nickelodeon netted her six Kids' Choice Awards and she also appeared in several feature films around this time, including Big Fat Liar and What a Girl Wants.
Bynes was a household name in the late '90s and early 2000’s, but in 2010, she announced her retirement from acting and dropped out of several film roles. At the time, she published a collection of very telling tweets that served as a window into the actress’ inner thoughts (via Entertainment Weekly).
"Being an actress isn’t as fun as it may seem," she wrote in 2010. She additionally tweeted the following around the same time, as an informal announcement that she was walking away from Hollywood:
"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."
Since that time, Amanda Bynes has struggled with alcohol and substance abuse issues. She also landed herself in some legal hot water with multiple infractions incurred while she was behind the wheel. In 2013, her parents filed for conservatorship over her and she was diagnosed as bipolar in 2018.
Rick and Lynn Bynes gained conservatorship over their daughter and this order remained in place until 2022 when she was 36. She had been in treatment for several years prior and a judge ruled that the conservatorship was no longer necessary (via Deadline).
In 2017, Bynes, then three years sober, was a guest on Good Morning America, where she expressed an inclination to give acting another go:
“I do miss acting and I actually have something surprising to tell you, I’m going to start acting again.”
This desire has yet to come to fruition for Bynes and she has not appeared in any film or television projects since she made this announcement.
What Has Amanda Bynes Been Up to Lately?
In January 2023, Bynes was set to appear alongside her All That cast mates for a reunion, which was to be her first public appearance since the dissolution of her conservatorship.
Unfortunately, this did not come to fruition for Bynes. Her struggles with mental health seemed to have gotten the best of her.
Shortly after that in March 2023, Bynes was admitted to a psychiatric hospital after she was found roaming the streets without any clothes on. She checked out of the facility in July 2023 (via TMZ).
In late 2023, Bynes took another stab at capturing the spotlight when she announced a podcast: Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast. Her co-host, Sieminski, is Bynes’ best friend. However, the show was canceled after a single episode.
Since then, Bynes has kept her fans updated through occasional Instagram posts. In a story post published in March, she made it clear that she's "doing a lot better now." (via Buzzfeed)
In the intervening months heading into 2024, Bynes has been mostly quiet, continuing to post infrequent updates on Instagram at the handle @amandaamandaamanda1986.
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