Amanda Bynes Announces She's Pregnant With Her First Child
It's been a tough decade for Amanda Bynes. The former Nickelodeon starlet and early-aughts "It" girl was once at the top of the A-list — until she suddenly announced her retirement on Twitter in 2010. "I don't love acting anymore so I stopped doing it," she wrote (via The Wrap), adding, "I know 24 is a young age to retire but you heard it here first."
From there, the actress' downfall has been heavily documented. What started off with the public being amused by her erratic online persona quickly turned serious. And no jokes were had in 2012 when the celeb was arrested for an alleged DUI and subsequently lost control of her finances one year later, causing her mom to step in to be granted temporary conservatorship. If that's not all, by 2014 Bynes was hospitalized under psychiatric hold, as reported by CBS News.
After four years of laying low, Bynes finally opened up about her mental health and substance struggles in an interview with Paper in 2018. "I don't know if it was a drug-induced psychosis or what, but it affected my brain in a different way than it affects other people," she explained, later announcing she wanted a comeback on the big screen.
While her return seemed promising, the Hairspray star reportedly relapsed in 2019 and started staying in a sober living home. Bynes made tabloids yet again a year later when she announced she was pregnant with her first child. Let's take a look.
Amanda Bynes recently celebrated her sobriety
Amanda Bynes' history with drug abuse is one that we all, unfortunately, watched play out on social media, since her bizarre tweets were actually hiding even more disturbing news. "I just had no purpose in life," the former child star told Paper in 2018. "I got really into my drug usage and it became a really dark, sad world for me ... [I] was just stuck at home, getting high, watching TV and tweeting."
After her various hospital and rehab stints, the She's the Man actress announced on her Instagram account in March 2020 that she was "Celebrating being sober a year and two months." While that's great news, there have still been a few bumps in the road.
A few months prior to that celebration, the Daily Mail claimed the starlet "fled" the sober living space she was staying at to move in with her parents — and also made time to get a "lopsided face tattoo" in the shape of a heart. While there's nothing wrong with getting ink done on your face (Post Malone, for example, has plenty), what has fans mostly worried is Bynes' potential mental state. As one person tweeted, "Is Amanda Bynes okay? I ask because she got a messed up heart tattoo on her face and that's usually the first cry for help."
One person who doesn't seem to mind the fresh ink? Bynes' fiancé, Paul Michael. Let's dig further.
Amanda Bynes' engagement has been on-again/off-again
So, who exactly is Amanda Bynes' fiancé? For those of you who didn't even know the actress was off the market, it turns out that the pair hasn't even been dating for that long. Their whirlwind romance first caught fans' attention in February 2020 when Bynes posted a since-deleted photo to her Instagram of her hand on top of someone else's — with a massive diamond ring.
After doing some digging, E! News confirmed her mystery beau's identity as that of Paul Michael. As the outlet noted, "According to a source, the 33-year-old star met Paul while she was in rehab and they've been dating for about two to three months."
The Blast did further digging, speaking to sources close to the starlet and finding out that Michael is in his 20s and the couple met at an Alcoholics Anonymous meeting. Although the groom-to-be is still in school, insiders claim "his family has connections in the Hollywood television industry." Hmm, perhaps these two are gearing up to be Tinseltown's new power couple?
Not so fast. Only a few weeks after Bynes' announcement, E! News received intel that the couple had broken up. To make matters even more confusing, they then got back together, with Bynes posting a selfie with Michael on her Instagram page. At the time of this writing, it's unclear whether or not their engagement is back on, but sources close to the actress told E! News that a wedding "[seems] unlikely."
Amanda Bynes posted (and quickly deleted) a pregnancy announcement
Amanda Bynes just can't stop making headlines in 2020, and a month after her engagement announcement with fiancé Paul Michael, she took to her Instagram yet again with surprising news: She's apparently pregnant with her first child.
The jaw-dropping announcement came in the form of a photo of an ultrasound, while her beau posted the same one, with the caption, "Baby in the making." Although both images were taken down almost immediately, Bynes' attorney, David A. Esquibias, released a statement to E! News regarding her health: "Any reports that Amanda is suffering from drug or alcohol addiction issues are completely false. She is seeking treatment for ongoing mental health issues. We ask for privacy during this time, and for any speculation about her personal life from the public and the media to cease so Amanda can focus on getting better."
While the statement is certainly helpful, it doesn't really explain much regarding the bun in the oven. "It's true," a source revealed to the publication, adding, "She's very, very early. Her parents know." Fans will just have to wait to see if Bynes shares any further updates. Regardless, we just wish the former Nickelodeon starlet all the best.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse and mental health, please contact SAMHSA's 24-hour National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).