Actress Amanda Bynes files to end conservatorship, which has been controlled by her mother for almost 9 years
- Amanda Bynes on Friday filed to end her nearly 9-year conservatorship, her lawyers told Insider.
- Bynes, 35, has been under a conservatorship held by her mother since August 2013.
Amanda Bynes filed to end her conservatorship, her lawyer, David Esquibias, confirmed to Insider on Friday.
Bynes, 35, has been under conservatorship — held by her mother, Lynn Organ — since August 2013.
The actress requested to terminate both the conservatorship of her person and estate in a petition filed Friday at the Ventura County Court in California, according to Page Six.
A hearing is scheduled for March 22, Page Six reported.
Bynes is a former child star, who helmed her own eponymous sketch show on Nickelodeon. She became a teen idol in the mid '00s with blockbusters like 2003's "What a Girl Wants" and the beloved Shakespeare adaptation, 2006's "She's the Man."
She later said her famous role as Viola Hastings sent her into a "deep depression."
Bynes hit a public rough patch after starring in "Easy A," alongside Emma Stone, in 2010. She announced on Twitter that she would immediately retire from acting, then proceeded to exhibit very "strange" behavior, in her own words.
In a 2018 cover story for Paper magazine, Bynes attributed her notorious tweets, wig-clad public appearances, and multiple arrests in the following years to chronic marijuana and Adderall usage. She strongly denied living with mental illness, as many tabloids claimed at the time.
"Everybody is different, obviously, but for me, the mixture of marijuana and whatever other drugs and sometimes drinking really messed up my brain," she said.
In 2013, Bynes was hospitalized on a 5150 psychiatric hold — a 72-hour involuntary hospitalization for mental evaluation — after starting a fire in a stranger's driveway.
After a judge ordered a two-week extension, Bynes' parents asked the court to create a temporary conversatorship.
Shortly after, Organ was granted legal control of her 27-year-old daughter's financial and medical decisions. Last September, a judge reinstated the conservatorship until at least 2023.
The little-used legal arrangement became a hot-button issue in recent months thanks to Britney Spears, whose 13-year conservatorship was recently terminated after months of public outcry.
As NBC News previously reported, there's a stark contrast in the perception of the two cases. For example, Bynes leads a more private life than Spears, who continued working throughout her conservatorship and remains active on social media.
Additionally, while Spears' former attorney pushed for her case to be a matter of public record, Bynes' case has been largely kept behind closed doors.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.