Amanda Bynes was once the face of Nickelodeon and a staple of early 2000s teen comedies, but after years of very public struggles, it seems the former child star might be entering a quieter, more hopeful chapter. The ‘What A Girl Wants’ actress appears to be “turning a corner”, with insiders saying the move comes down to a mix of lifestyle changes and a new relationship. Between her Ozempic-assisted weight loss journey and the arrival of a new man in her life, sources say those close to Amanda Bynes are hoping she returns to her old self.
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Amanda Bynes’ new boyfriend is credited for a quieter chapter
Much of that optimism, they say, has to do with her new boyfriend, 40-year-old business owner Zachary Khan, who has been described as “level-headed” and with a calming presence. Sources also told the Daily Mail that he gave Bynes “some stability,” about two years after her whirlwind engagement to ex-fiancé Paul Michael.
And while the relationship isn’t being touted as an accelerated romance, a source stressed that it’s ongoing. “It’s still happening,” the source told the outlet. “It’s not a big deal, like they’re not going to get married right away, but he’s really supportive, he’s really nice to her.”
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This apparent stability is described as a welcome change for Bynes, whose personal life has been closely scrutinized over the years. In 2013, she was placed under conservatorship by her parents, Rick and Lynn Bynes, after a period marked by erratic behavior, legal problems and substance abuse. The guardianship lasted nine years.
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Bynes’ Nickelodeon Rise Revisited as Dan Schneider Controversy Persists
Bynes’ rise to fame began early. She got her big break at just 10 years old in 1999 on the Nickelodeon sketch series “All That.” Its success soon extended to its own spin-off, “The Amanda Show,” which ran from 1999 to 2002.
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His past ties to the Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider, who left the network in 2018 amid allegations that included fostering an abusive and toxic work environment, gender discrimination, and the sexualization of child actors. “I wish I could go back, especially to the early years of my career, and bring the growth and experience that I have now and just do a better job and never feel like it was okay to be an asshole to anyone,” Schneider said following allegations of verbal abuse and a toxic work environment highlighted in the documentary series “Quiet On Set.”
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Dan Schneider calls for cuts as Amanda Bynes’ Amanda Show jokes spark debate
Schneider also responded to criticism regarding adult jokes that viewers said exceeded the boundaries of children’s shows, arguing that if something bothers the audience, it should not remain in the final cut. “Let’s remove these jokes from the show, just like I would have done 20 or 25 years ago,” Schneider said in the interview.
One of the jokes he was referring to revolved around Penelope Taint, a character played by a young Amanda Bynes on “The Amanda Show.” For those who don’t know, “taint” is common slang for “the area between the an-s and the posterior part of the external genitalia.” According to insiders, Schneider told writers to keep quiet about it.
“I want my shows to be popular. I want everyone to like [the shows]the more people who liked the shows, the happier I am,” Schneider added. “So if there’s something that needs to be cut because it bothers someone, let’s cut it.”
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Bynes’ public spiral included a dramatic transformation, drunk driving arrests and a bipolar diagnosis
As Amanda Bynes’ struggles intensified, she underwent a dramatic physical transformation, including platinum blonde hair, a heart tattoo on her cheek, lip fillers and a blepharoplasty to lift her eyelids. Her changing appearance was accompanied by increasingly erratic behavior on social media, which included bizarre posts and the infamous moment she asked Drake to “kill” her vagina.
His legal problems also grew. Bynes was arrested twice for drunk driving, once in 2012 and again in 2014. She was sentenced to three years of probation for her first drunk driving, while the Los Angeles city attorney decided not to prosecute her for the second arrest.
In 2014, Bynes publicly announced that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
The Post-Conservative Struggles of Amanda Bynes
In March 2022, a California judge granted Bynes’ request to end his conservatorship, but his mental health issues reportedly continued. A year later, she was placed on psychiatric hold after being found “wandering the streets, naked and alone,” TMZ reported at the time. She was later released from a mental health facility after a three-week stay.
Now, with a reported new support system and a relationship described as stable and supportive, the narrative around Bynes appears to be changing, at least for those closest to her.
