Amanda Bynes Speaks out After Her Conservatorship Is Terminated

Amanda Bynes is ready to move on to the “next chapter” after her conservatorship was officially terminated by a Ventura County Superior Court judge Tuesday. The What I Like About You actress, 35, expressed how happy she was in a statement to Entertainment Tonight via her attorney, David A. Esquibias.

Bynes said that after her conservatorship was terminated, “words can’t even describe how I feel — wonderful news.” She continued, “Following today’s decision by the judge to terminate my conservatorship, I would like to thank my fans for their love and well wishes during this time. I would also like to thank my lawyer and my parents for their support over the last nine years.”

When it comes to the future, the former child star added, “In the last several years, I have been working hard to improve my health so that I can live and work independently, and I will continue to prioritize my well-being in this next chapter. I am excited about my upcoming endeavors, including my fragrance line, and look forward to sharing more when I can.” That includes renting a Los Angeles-area home she “intends to share with [fiancé] Paul [Michael].”

Bynes has been the subject of a conservatorship on and off since August 2013, having had several encounters with police and being placed under an involuntary psychiatric hold. In October 2014, Bynes’ mom, Lynne Bynes, regained a conservatorship over her daughter and has since been in legal and financial control of the Big Fat Liar star’s estate. 

Lynne said in a statement via her attorney, Tamar Arminak, after her daughter’s conservatorship was terminated, “Lynn is very happy and proud of Amanda for everything that she’s done and come through, and how she’s stronger and better on [the] other side of this conservatorship. Lynn is looking forward to Amanda’s engagement and everything that follows, and to having a mother-daughter relationship rather than a conservator-conservatee relationship.”

When it comes to a possible return to acting, Esquibias told Entertainment Tonight he wouldn’t rule anything out for Bynes creatively.  “She is very creative, so she’s trying to find an outlet for that. I have not heard her say that she’s interested in returning to becoming an actress, but I wouldn’t rule that out,” he said. “She has a new life ahead of her and she is so young… She was a great actress. I’m sure many people would love to see her return to acting.”