Amanda Bynes

Amanda Bynes is a former child star best known for her work on Nickelodeon and in teen comedies including She’s the Man and Hairspray. Born in Thousand Oaks, California, Bynes developed an interest in acting, illustration and fashion as a child and began performing professionally at age 7. She attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, earning an associate’s degree in merchandise product development in 2018. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree from FIDM the following year.

Bynes rose to fame after joining Nickelodeon’s All That in 1996. She went on to star in The Amanda Show from 1999 to 2002. She later starred alongside Jennie Garth in What I Like About You from 2002 to 2006 and became a leading teen movie star.

Her notable film credits include Big Fat Liar (2002), What a Girl Wants (2003), She’s the Man (2006), Hairspray (2007), Sydney White (2007) and Easy A (2010). She later briefly ventured into podcasting and cohosted “Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast.” In 2026, she pivoted to music, signing with Create Music Group and releasing her debut single, “Girlfriend.”

Bynes was placed under a conservatorship in 2013 after several legal and mental health issues. A court terminated the guardianship in 2022.

Bynes briefly dated Seth MacFarlane in 2008. She began dating Paul Michael in late 2019 and announced their engagement in 2020, but they ultimately split in 2022. In 2025, she began dating Zachary Khan.