'Happier Than Ever': Inside Amanda Bynes' Secret Plot to Take Her Career Back
June 27 2024, Published 6:00 a.m. ET
Amanda Bynes is "happier than ever" as she plots her career comeback, RadarOnline.com has learned.
The former Nickelodeon star has largely stayed away from social media over the past year, but in December, Bynes took to Instagram to show off her new look.
In a short video, the What a Girl Wants star revealed she'd had a blepharoplasty procedure to remove extra skin holds around the eyes.
"It was one of the best things I could've ever done for my self-confidence, and it made me feel a lot better in my skin," she candidly explained. "It was one of the greatest things I could've ever done."
The change was part of her plan to move forward, an insider claimed.
Almost two years have passed since a judge agreed to end the nine-year conservatorship Amanda was placed under and "she seems to be taking back control of her life," a source told us, noting the 37-year-old debuted a podcast in December and has a coffee table book in the works.
The star later said the premiere episode "did really well," revealing podcasting ultimately wasn't her priority.
"Amanda even says she's considering writing a tell-all, just like Britney Spears," the insider added. "She has been inspired by Britney and how she's also gone through hell with her own conservatorship and come out the other side."
Though she last appeared on screen in 2010, "acting isn't out of the question either," the insider claimed of the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising graduate's fresh ambitions.
"She's more than ready to get back to work. That's where she's focusing all her energy."
Amanda also shared a life update on April 8, telling fans, "Since I haven't passed the board exam yet to get my manicurist license, I started back at school to study manicurist theory and to practice doing acrylics before I take the test again."
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While Amanda's upped confidence is a good thing, some of those close to the former child star are worried she might be overextending herself. After all, it was just last March that Amanda had planned to reunite with her onetime All That castmates at 90s Con in Connecticut — but a bizarre episode derailed her appearance.
In the days leading up to the event, co-stars lost contact with Amanda — and later news emerged that she'd been placed on a psych hold after being found wandering the streets of L.A. naked.
Then, in June, the troubled celebrity expressed thoughts of self-harm to police, which led to her spending a few weeks in a mental health facility.
"There are friends and family who think Amanda's beginning to take on too much," the source revealed. "She's been through a lot, so they're worried."
Amanda insists her mental health is her top priority, though.
"All of this stuff she's got going may seem like red flags, but Amanda says it's helping her stay on track," the tipster noted.
"Amanda sounds great and she says she's happier than ever."