Amanda Bynes said she’s focused on achieving her new goal weight.
The 37-year-old former child star — who was reportedly approached to tell her story on the Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV documentary but declined — took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday to give fans an update on her health journey.
‘I’ve gained over 20lbs in the past few months from being depressed,’ she wrote. ‘I’m doing a lot better now and have learned to do opposite action when I don’t feel like working out or eating clean.’
She concluded: ‘I weigh 162lbs right now and want to get back to 110lbs.’
The All That alum, who is five-foot-seven, previously admitted that she turned to the prescription drug Adderall to maintain a certain weight.
Amanda Bynes took to her Instagram Stories on Thursday to give fans an update on her health journey
‘I’ve gained over 20lbs in the past few months from being depressed,’ she wrote
‘I definitely abused Adderall,’ she told Paper in 2015.
Around the time she was filming 2007’s Hairspray, Amanda recalled ‘reading an article in a magazine that [called Adderall] “the new skinny pill” and they were talking about how women were taking it to stay thin. I was like, “Well, I have to get my hands on that.”‘
The star told the outlet that she was able to get a prescription after going ‘to a psychiatrist and faking the symptoms of ADD.’
At the time of the Paper interview, Amanda had been four years sober.
The star’s latest post regarding her weight gain comes after she and her parents were allegedly asked to do an interview about her experience as a child star for Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, according to a report by TMZ on Friday.
The insider added that Bynes — who was seen recently in disturbing footage as a bikini-clad 16-year-old in a hot tub with alleged abuser Dan Schneider — is grateful for Nickelodeon as it launched her acting career.
According to a source cited by the outlet, Amanda, who gained prominence as a cast member of Nickelodeon’s beloved children’s variety show All That, declined an offer because she felt she lacked meaningful input for the project.
The same source informed the outlet that Bynes had not viewed the documentary, which delves into the previously undisclosed narrative of the toxic and abusive environment within ’90s children’s television, as recounted by former child stars and crew members.
‘I’m doing a lot better now and have learned to do opposite action when I don’t feel like working out or eating clean,’ she wrote, before adding, ‘I weigh 162lbs right now and want to get back to 110lbs.’; pictured left in 2024, right in 2009
The All That alum previously admitted that she turned to the prescription drug Adderall to maintain a certain weight; pictured in 2010
Around the time she was filming 2007’s Hairspray, Amanda recalled ‘reading an article in a magazine that [called Adderall] “the new skinny pill” and they were talking about how women were taking it to stay thin. I was like, “Well, I have to get my hands on that.”‘; pictured 2003
Regarding her parents, Lynn Organ and Rick Bynes, the source disclosed to the outlet that they did watch the documentary and were ‘saddened and disgusted’ by the allegations.
They reportedly turned down the request to interview because they are private people, who wanted to stay out of the spotlight.
Despite declining to participate in interviews, Amanda remains a central figure in the series.
One episode was dedicated to her journey as a former child actress and her discovery at the Laugh Factory in the 1990s.
The source claimed that Amanda and her family did not undergo the same experiences as some other child actors associated with the network.
Amanda previously appeared on Nickelodeon’s sketch comedy series All That from 1996 to 2000.
She subsequently starred in her own spin-off series, The Amanda Show, from 1999 to 2002, and later gained prominence in leading roles in teen romantic comedies.
Her former co-star on the show, Drake Bell, recently revealed ‘brutal, unspeakable abuse‘ he experienced at the network and claimed he was abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck.
The star’s Thursday post regarding her weight gain comes after she and her parents were allegedly asked to do an interview about her experience as a child star for Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV; pictured 2024
Despite their refusal to an interview, Bynes is still a focal point of the series as one episode focuses on the former child actress and how she was discovered at the Laugh Factory in the ’90s. Her former co-star on The Amanda Show, Drake Bell, recently revealed ‘ brutal, unspeakable abuse ‘ he experienced at the network and claimed he was abused by dialogue coach Brian Peck — who is of no relation to her other castmate Josh Peck
Bells’ former co-star Josh Peck — who is of no relation to Brian Peck but also worked with them on The Amanda Show — broke his silence recently about the docuseries to show his support to his former castmate.
Since her days as a child star, Bynes has triumphed over a myriad of personal challenges, among them a nine-year conservatorship, opting to leave behind her acting career in favor of pursuing cosmetology.
Battling mental health issues, she found herself under a conservatorship, a situation her parents opted to end in 2022.
When the conservatorship was established in 2013, her parents expressed to the court their apprehension regarding their then-27-year-old daughter’s potential to harm herself or others if they didn’t take charge of her medical treatment and financial matters.