Not too long ago, the public was all about freeing Britney Spears from her conservatorship. Former Nickelodeon starlet Amanda Bynes, famous for her roles onAll ThatandThe Amanda Show, did not have as strong of a public campaign to end her conservatorship, but the fact that she came out on top much as Spears did should make the public just as ecstatic.
Ventura County Superior Court Judge Roger Lund terminated Bynes' conservatorship, meaning that her parents no longer have any control over her life or financial decisions. The conservatorship, which had started nine years ago, was originally agreed to back in 2013 because of Bynes' well-publicized struggles with mental health and substance abuse.
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After ending the conservatorship, Lund wrote in thecourt document case, “the court determines that the conservatorship is no longer required and that grounds for establishment of a conservatorship of the person no longer exist.” Lund added that Bynes had shown competency to run her own life, which included managing her mental health and medical treatment. Even better, Bynes' parents fully supported ending the conservatorship, thus demonstrating that it was only agreed to in the first place to help their daughter.
At the time, Bynes' parents argued that they needed to assume control of her medical care and finances in order to prevent their daughter from hurting herself or others. Their agreement to end the conservatorship now demonstrates that they fully trust that what their daughter previously went through was something that won’t be repeated. Given that Bynes has not had any public issues of note since the conservatorship began, it’s more likely than not that their faith will be rewarded.
This whole ordeal should serve as a reminder of just how messed up life can become when you grow up a child star. We’ve seen countless examples of former child actors going off the rails as they entered adulthood. At first, it seemed as though Bynes would be one of the few exceptions as she willingly retired from acting back in 2010 without any trace of baggage. Hermental health issuesthat manifested themselves not too long afterward should not reflect on her character in the slightest, but more how that sort of fame and public pressure truly does affect a young person to the point that someone as talented as Bynes was not immune to it.
At the same time, the end of Bynes' conservatorship is a great sign that she has put whatever happened to her firmly in the past. Among the many child actors who have gone off the rails, not many can say that they got their house in order after that. Bynes' struggles back then were just as concerning as any other child star who went through similar issues, so she should be proud that she can say she picked up the pieces. Of course, this has been the case for several years now. The end of her conservatorship merely serves as concrete proof that Bynes is in a much better place now.
The Amanda Showcan currently be streamed on Paramount Plus.
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