A recent judicial decision resulted in the termination of actress Amanda Bynes' conservatorship. The actress was mostly known for her work on Nickelodeon when she was young as well as hit movies like She's the Man and What a Girl Wants. The conservatorship lasted about nine years and began shortly after a series of concerning public events and social media posts from the actor.
The conservatorship began when Bynes allegedly set a driveway on fire and was forced to enter a psychiatric hospital for evaluation. Following this event, her parents stated that the reasoning behind the conservatorship was to protect Bynes from herself as they worried about her physical and mental wellbeing. They claimed that Bynes was paranoid about being watched, underwent unnecessary procedures, and engaged in frequent drug use.
What We Know About Stars And Their Conservatorships
Britney Spears famously was able to terminate her longstanding conservatorship, leaving fans to wonder whether Amanda Bynes would be next. Spears' conservatorship restricted much of her personal life and her career, causing fans concern over her artistic freedom and mental wellbeing. Historically, conservatorships have drawn controversy over what some see as using a star's fame or influence to control or manipulate the artist for personal and financial gain.
Fans have called the general idea of a conservatorship into question as the #FreeBritney movement gained traction.
The official reasoning behind conservatorship use is in cases where someone is unable to meet their basic needs and is deemed disabled by the court. This means that the party may be under some kind of duress that contributes to difficulties involving making decisions on their own behalf.
Why Did Bynes' Conservatorship End?
Despite the frequent connections made between Spears' and Bynes' conservatorship, various legal and personal factors separate the actress from her counterpart. Bynes has struggled with her mental health and substance abuse in the past, both factors ultimately contributing to the creation of conservatorship in 2013. And while Spears has also had instances of mental health struggles, Bynes' conservatorship seemed more dependent on the status of her wellbeing whereas Spears' represented a longstanding legal battle.
Additionally, Bynes' financial situation is vastly different from Spears' whose estate represented much more wealth. This contributed to claims of abuse against the singer's father. In general, Bynes' experience with conservatorship garnered far less national attention than Spears', possibly contributing to the simplified legal process. It was reported that Bynes' parents were initially reluctant to enter a conservatorship agreement but felt as if they were forced to due to their concern for their daughter.
At the height of her struggles with mental illness and sobriety, Bynes did at one point accuse her father of abuse, but she later recanted her statement.
Since then, Bynes has gotten sober, repaired relationships with family members, and even got engaged. Additionally, in 2017, she regained control over her personal finances. This allegedly went hand in hand with her improvement in terms of mental health and stability. Since then, her conservatorship was in a state of transition.
While many may see Bynes' end of conservatorship as a positive step forward in securing artistic and personal rights for their favorite celebrities, some have suggested that her case is unique and shouldn't be applied to other scenarios. Bynes' conservatorship ebbed and flowed alongside her mental health and sobriety journey. She underwent drug testing, got a degree, and was able to demonstrate that she was not a danger to herself.
Additionally, the creators of her conservatorship, Bynes' parents, agreed that it was time for the conservatorship to end. This is a far cry from Spears' experience where her father refused to give up his role despite improvements in Spears' wellbeing. There really hasn't been much sense of hostility or greed in the legal decisions made over Bynes' conservatorship. Going into the court proceedings, fans speculated that there would be no real reason for the judge to deny the request to end the conservatorship.
The judge reportedly decided that the original grounds for Bynes' conservatorship were no longer relevant, citing her improved mental state and overall health and wellness. This is vastly different from Spears' experience where the star was considerably more healthy, yet was denied most basic freedoms like financial independence and even setting her own schedule.
What Will Bynes Do Next?
Bynes has stated that she has enrolled at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. And following her announcement that she has been sober for several years, things are certainly looking up for this former child star.
