Kenan Thompson was one of several costars to Amanda Bynes on Nickelodeon’s All That, and is opening up about where he currently stands with her following the release of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV — including when he spoke to her last. Keep reading to find out where they stand today.
Kenan, now 45, had quite a successful career after his Nickelodeon days, and continued to pursue comedy until landing Saturday Night Live in 2003. The jokester is currently the longest-standing cast member ever, as he’s been involved with the show for 21 seasons.
While on the Tamron Hall Show on March 27, 2024, Kenan talked about the last time he spoke with The Amanda Show actress.
“I unfortunately haven’t spoken to Amanda since she was really, really young,” he explained. “Like when she was doing her first movies. I think the soccer movie [She’s the Man] was around that time, was the last time I actually saw her. I’m just rooting for her from afar.”
At the end of 2023, Kenan wrote his memoir When I Was Your Age: Life Lessons, Funny Stories & Questionable Parenting Advice From a Professional Clown. Part of the book discussed his bond with Amanda when they were younger.
During the interview, a snippet of his novel was read out loud: “She was like all of our little sister, and we were all very protective of her,” he wrote. “Amanda was the sweetest, happiest girl, and she loved to laugh.”
“She was an explosion of bright innocence and joy,” he added during the talk show appearance.
This isn’t the first time Kenan has opened up about Amanda’s immense talent.
“She was funny whether the cameras were rolling or not,” he shared to Entertainment Weekly in March 2024. “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. I remember she was so knowledgeable about Lucille Ball’s comedy style. I connected with her because she was laser-focused like me and had a very sweet, supportive family, too.”
With the release of Quiet On Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, Kenan also reflected on what happened to Amanda following her child stardom days.
“Unfortunately, some leeches sent her down a dark path. When she went and left for a little while, we all were sad. I cared about her, and I still do. She’s good people.”
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