Amanda Bynes Returning to School to Become Manicurist

The Amanda Show’s Amanda Bynes is headed back to the classroom to accomplish her new career dreams.

“Since I haven’t passed the board exam yet to get my manicurist license, I started back at school to study manicurist theory and to practice doing acrylics before I take the test again,” Bynes, 38, shared via her Instagram Stories on Monday, April 8, “so I’ll be good to go when I get a job at a nail salon.”

The update comes days after the former Nickelodeon star celebrated her birthday in private. Instead of marking the event with a big party or gathering, Bynes spent the day touring apartment complexes, E! News reported on April 3.

The What A Girl Wants actress first shared her dream of becoming a nail technician in October 2022, when she revealed on social media that she was in cosmetology school studying nail art.

Amanda Bynes' Ups and Downs Through the Years

Things took a pause in December 2023 when she debuted a brand-new podcast titled  “Amanda Bynes & Paul Sieminski: The Podcast.” While Bynes said the premiere episode “did really well,” she later explained that podcasting wasn’t her priority.

“I was actually surprised and of course was going to keep going after friends encouraged me to,” she shared via her Instagram Stories that same month. “After thinking about it, though, I would rather get my manicurist license and have a consistent job. I’m going to follow that path instead. Thank you for following my journey!”

Many fans will remember Bynes as a child actor when she displayed her comedic talents on All That from 1996 to 2000. She also landed her own Nickelodeon series, The Amanda Show, which ran from 1999 to 2002.

While Bynes continued to find success in Hollywood, things took a turn in 2013 when her parents filed for a conservatorship. The actress kept out of the public eye and focused on other projects outside of Hollywood including an associate’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM).

After almost nine years, Bynes’ conservatorship was terminated in 2022.

Stars of Nickelodeon's 'All That': Where Are They Now?

Bynes’ experience working with Nickelodeon has recently been put under the microscope after the release of Investigation Discovery’s new docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV.

The project largely details controversial producer Dan Schneider, who discovered Bynes when she was performing at the Los Angeles Laugh Factory as a child. This led to Bynes appearing on All That and The Amanda Show.

While Bynes didn’t participate in the series, All That director Virgil L. Fabian said in one episode that the actress parted ways with Schneider once she started to move on to more mature projects.