Why did Amanda Bynes need a conservator?

Britney Spears & Amanda Bynes are the current best-known references of conservatorships, but, are there more celebrities under the regime of a conservator? Also, it’s important to question if this is a fair way to rescue someone from a personal crisis, or if there’s a legal way to make sure conservators won’t be abusive. Let’s keep in mind what happened to Britney with her conservator, which was her own father. 

In the end, celebrities are always exposed to being victims of media assault, and this should be talked about along with celebrating Bynes & Spears’s freedom. It must be overwhelming having so much talent & wealth and not being able to fully enjoy the fruits of labor due to social pressure & substance abuse. These two factors are the usual reasons celebrities get under a conservatorship.  

The number of either overdosed or suicide celebrities is astonishing. However, unlike the 90s when all eyes were posed over T.V. celebrities, this is the era of mediation & visibility. Andy Warhol once said that in the future, everyone will be world-famous for fifteen minutes, that future is now, just think of how easy it is to make a  TikTok go viral. However, we’re now collectively sensitizing ourselves to deal with visibility.   

What are conservatorships for? 

A conservatorship is a court case where a person or organization has a legal responsibility to someone else. The “conservator” cares for a “conservatee” which is another adult who for some reason, cannot take care of themself or manage their finances. This is a convenient way to protect people with different mental abilities, however, there are other situations that can make someone unable to self-decide. 

Even though the situation is officially managed by a judge, several ethical debates can appear when a conservatorship is decided. A lot of people wonder why Amy Winehouse wasn’t under a regime like this, and if having a conservator would’ve changed her destiny. In fact, Winehouse’s parents have been questioned about it and said that even though they didn’t control her finances, they did put effort into her.

After Jamie Spears became Britney Spears’s conservator in 2008, Lindsay Lohan’s father tried to do the same, but her siblings disagreed with the arrangement. In 2013, Lohan admitted being an addict to Oprah, however, she also mentioned a lot of situations were going on with her family. This shows how complex conservatorships can be, and the way family is not always the best option to care for you. 

Just recently, former actress Amanda Bynes went out of a nine years conservatorship. According to the media, her mother Lynn, now former conservator, was supportive of Bynes’s decision to terminate this condition, due to her recovery process. Yet, why did Amanda Bynes end up under a conservatorship? 

Why was Amanda Bynes under conservatorship?

While people remember Britney’s shaved head when thinking of her hardest time, with Amanda Bynes things are blurry. Looking at a before and after picture of her might give some clues about her having a rocky time, in fact, Bynes started working on her appearance after starting the liberation process. Her recently reopened Instagram shows her tattoo removal. 

But something stronger than a face tattoo & substance abuse had to happen for someone to end up under a conservatorship at twenty-seven. Well, Bynes almost killed a dog and a stranger. She started a fire in someone’s garage and almost set her dog on fire, apparently she only poured gasoline over it. Fortunately, she didn’t kill anyone.

After these events, her mother declared to the court that Bynes was dangerous to people, property, and herself. Also, Amanda’s parents started to fear for her daughter who started getting unnecessary & expensive plastic surgery and spent her entire net worth on it. 

Nonetheless, time has gone by and Bynes has transformed into another person with the full support of her family & fiance. Hopefully, this new era will bring Bynes the peace & happiness she couldn’t find before. 

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