Amanda Bynes was one of the biggest stars of her generation. After rising to prominence as a child actor on Nickelodeon's All That and The Amanda Show, she transitioned to the big screen. Comedies like She's The Man and Easy A were huge hits at the box office, suggesting she had a long, promising career ahead of her.
However, following Easy A's release, Amanda struggled with depression and and drug addiction, and retreated from the public spotlight. In 2012, she was arrested for driving under the influence, and received two hit-and-run charges. In 2014, Amanda's mom, Lynn, was granted conservatorship, making her responsible for managing the actress' financial affairs, health decisions and daily life.
Last November, Amanda mounted a comeback with a cover story in Paper Magazine, where she opened up about her drug use. "I started smoking marijuana when I was 16," she said. "Even though everyone thought I was the 'good girl,' I did smoke marijuana from that point on." After progressing to "doing molly and ecstasy," she read that Adderall was "the new skinny pill," and became addicted on the set of the movie Hall Pass. "I remember chewing on a bunch of them and literally being scatterbrained and not being able to focus on my lines or memorize them for that matter," she confessed.
Due to her Adderall abuse, Amanda dropped out of Hall Pass. Then she saw herself in Easy A, and decided to retire from acting completely. "I literally couldn’t stand my appearance in that movie and I didn’t like my performance," she explained I was absolutely convinced I needed to stop acting after seeing it. 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.”
With the Paper interview, Amanda stepped back into the spotlight and expressed a desire to return to acting. However, according to reports from US Weekly, TMZ and People, she suffered a "relapse" in January and checked into a mental health facility. Sources say that the 32-year-old is receiving treatment from mental health professionals and addiction counselors for drug addiction and mental health issues.
"Amanda went to rehab in January after suffering a setback which was the result of feeling pressure of being back in the spotlight after her Paper magazine cover," an insider told US Weekly. "“Amanda is continuing treatment with the assistance of mental health counselors and addiction specialists." The source added that the 32-year-old is "responding very well to treatment and her team remains extremely optimistic about her future."
At the time the Paper interview was published, Amanda said she has been sober for four years. On social media, fans sent her messages of love and support, hoping she'll make her long-awaited comeback soon.
