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All That star Kenan Thompson discussed his relationship with costar Amanda Bynes and her tumultuous career during his recent appearance on Tamron Hall Show on March 27, 2024. He also opened up about her within the pages of his memoir.
Kenan Thompson's memoir, When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice From a Professional Clown, records the actor's journey from child star to one of SNL's longest-serving cast members. First released on December 5, 2023, the book discusses the struggles and successes of one of comedy's most enduring figures.
Amanda Bynes started her career as a child actress in Nickelodeon shows like All That and her own spinoff, The Amanda Show. However, she stepped away from acting due to personal problems and has been out of the limelight ever since.
Kenan Thompson mentioned that he hasn't spoken to Amanda for the last two decades and has only been "rooting for her from afar." In his memoir, the actor also blamed "some leeches" who sent her down a dark abyss after a bright start to her career.
"Unfortunately, some leeches sent her down a dark path. When she left for a little while, we all were sad. I cared about her, and I still do. She's good people."
What did Kenan Thompson's memoir say about Amanda Bynes?
Kenan Thompson praised Amanda Bynes' talent in his memoir and called her a little sister. Amanda was only 10 when they starred in All That.
"Amanda was the sweetest, happiest girl, and she loved to laugh...She was an explosion of bright innocence and joy. She was funny whether the cameras were rolling or not."
Kenan Thompson also mentioned that he was protective of Amanda when she was growing up. The actor lauded her for being extremely knowledgeable about Lucille Ball's comedy style and being 'laser-focused' in her work. Thompson wrote in his book,
"She was an old soul, it was almost like she’d made the decision at that young of an age to be the next Carol Burnett."
Kenan Thompson spoke about the controversial docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV
In the Tamron Hall Show, Kenan Thompson also discussed the new controversial docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, which exposes disturbing secrets behind some of the iconic children's shows of the 1990s and early 2000s.
Talking about the harassment allegations against Nickelodeon's producer, Dan Schneider, the actor commented that he was unaware of many things that happened because his interaction with Schneider was limited.
Kenan Thompson explained,
"All these things happened after I left, basically, and Dan wasn't really on Kenan and Kel like that. I mean, he got a "created by" credit but it was a different showrunner, so our worlds weren't overly overlapping like that outside of All That necessarily."
However, the actor stressed the importance of the docuseries and how his heart reaches out to the survivors of the alleged abuse.
"I think it's a good thing that the doc is out and is putting things on display that need to be — stories that need to be told for accountability sake but it's definitely tough to watch because I have fond memories of that place."
Host Tamron Hall pointed out that they contacted Dan Schneider's team and the production company to verify the allegations. However, they either directed them to a YouTube video or provided vague responses.
To this, Kenan Thompson exclaimed,
"Well, investigate more! I mean, because it's like, it's supposed to be a safe place, you know? It's supposed to be a safe place for kids and to hear all about that it's just like, ‘How dare you?’"
Dan Schneider posted a 20-minute video on YouTube last week with BooG!e and confessed,
"It was wrong that I ever put anybody in that position. It was the wrong thing to do. I’d never do it today. I’m embarrassed that I did it then. I apologize to anybody that I ever put in that situation."
In the video, Dan Schneider addressed allegations like continuously requesting female writers to massage him in public or many of his jokes in shows like Victorious, The Amanda Show, etc., and sexualizing child actors. Moreover, it was also alleged that he would only cast black actors in racially stereotypical roles.
Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV premiered on March 17, 2024, and is available for streaming on Max.
