This American actress starred in popular teen comedies of the 2000s. But now she's unrecognizable

Amanda Bynes in 2009 (left) and now. Photo: Wikimedia Commons, personal Instagram page

Amanda Bynes was born on April 3, 1986, in California to a dentist and a medical assistant. She was the youngest of three children.

Fame came to her in her teens — thanks to the show All That and her own program The Amanda Show on Nickelodeon. Amanda soon became one of the most popular young TV stars in the USA.

In the 2000s, the actress successfully transitioned to the big screen. She gained widespread recognition for her roles in the films "What a Girl Wants" (2003), "She’s the Man" (2006), "Hairspray" (2007), and "Easy A" (2010).

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Amanda Bynes in the comedy "Love Wrecked"

In 2006, Teen People magazine included Amanda Bynes in its list of 25 Most Attractive Young Celebrities Under 25. The following year, Forbes recognized her in its ranking of the five highest-paid stars under 21, estimating the actress's annual income at $2.5 million.

But in 2010, Amanda unexpectedly announced her retirement from acting. It later became clear that serious personal problems were behind this. Bynes increasingly appeared in the news not because of premieres, but due to legal incidents and mental health issues. In 2013, after a series of crises, she was hospitalized.

At the same time, by court order, the girl was placed under conservatorship: her mother controlled her finances and part of her life decisions. In 2022, the conservatorship was terminated.

What happened?

In 2018, Amanda gave a major interview to Paper magazine. She admitted that during the filming of "Hairspray," she began using Adderall — a drug used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and narcolepsy (a sleep disorder). According to the actress, she read in a magazine that women take Adderall to stay thin. Mimicking ADHD symptoms, she went to a psychiatrist and got a prescription.

The actress recalls that she took the drug by the handful, and this affected her behavior on the set of the film "Hall Pass" in the spring of 2010. She was distracted, couldn't concentrate on her lines, and had trouble remembering them. As a result, the film was released without her involvement. Moreover, she didn't like her appearance at all.

After leaving the acting profession, according to Bynes, she felt lost because she had given up something she had effectively dedicated her whole life to.

"I had a lot of free time, I would wake up, immediately use marijuana, and literally stay under its influence all day," she said.

Around the same period, she said, she started "hanging out with a more questionable crowd and became very isolated... I got very into drug use, and it became a very dark and sad world for me."

She describes that stage of her life as: "I was just sitting at home, high, watching TV, and tweeting."

In November 2018, Amanda told reporters that she had celebrated four years of sobriety, emphasizing that she owed a significant part of her success to the support and care of her parents. However, like many others, her path to recovery was not smooth.

In January 2019, she re-entered a rehabilitation center after a stress-induced relapse. Mental health problems continued later.

Bynes sought herself in various fields. In 2019, she completed her studies at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising (FIDM) in Los Angeles and planned to develop a career in fashion.

In 2023, Bynes launched the "Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski" podcast, but the project stopped after the first episode. She later explained that she wanted to get a manicurist license and have a more stable job outside the entertainment industry.

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Amanda Bynes in September 2024. Photo: BG025 / Bauer-Griffin / GC Images via Getty Images

In October 2024, together with designer Austin Babitt (Asspizza), she released a capsule clothing line — a T-shirt and shorts with her own art design. In December of the same year, Bynes appeared at a temporary exhibition and presentation of the collection in Los Angeles — it was her first public appearance in more than ten years.

How she lives now

In recent years, the actress's appearance has changed significantly — new hairstyles, tattoos (including on her face), and experiments with style. For many who remember her from her roles in the 2000s, today's image of Bynes looks completely different.

Bynes leads a rather private life and rarely appears in public. From time to time, she shares updates on social media and, by her own account, strives to focus on health and personal stability.

In 2023, Bynes announced on social media that she had undergone blepharoplasty because she wanted to improve her self-esteem. In 2024, she shared on Instagram that she had gained weight due to mental health issues and medication. According to her, this affected her well-being and self-confidence.

In April 2025, Amanda created an OnlyFans page, emphasizing that she uses it to communicate with fans, not for provocative content.

In June of the same year, she revealed in her Instagram stories that she had started using the drug Ozempic for weight loss.

"I currently weigh 173 pounds (78 kilograms) and hope to lose approximately 130 (59 kilograms), which would be great so I look better in paparazzi photos," she wrote.

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Amanda Bynes in August 2025. Photo: DUTCH / Bauer-Griffin / GC Images via Getty Images

In January 2026, Bynes hinted at a possible new direction — music production. On Instagram, the actress published a snippet of an electronic dance music track created with friends.

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Amanda Bynes with her boyfriend. American tabloid TMZ wrote that Bynes is dating the owner of an event and security company. Photo: amandapandapandapanda1 / Instagram

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