UPDATE: According to TMZ, Amanda Bynes' parents have responded through their lawyer to Bynes' latest tweets accusing her father, Rick Bynes, of sexually abusing her. In a statement, lawyer Tamar Arminak said: "My clients are heartbroken by these false accusations. Their older children are also horrified at the situation.
Bynes' parents were also reported to have been headed to NYC to find Bynes and check her in to a mental health facility for help, but Bynes may have now left the city upon discovering their plans — and her parents reportedly aren't able to locate her.
EARLIER: I admit that over the past few weeks, I've really hoped these tabloid rumors of erratic behavior surrounding Amanda Bynes were false. Though she's exhibited worrying signs before (most notably last year when she previously lived in NYC) her behavior seemed to have taken a significant turn for the better as of late: She was attending fashion school, posting smiling, happy photos with her family, and most important of all, she looked healthy. So, when news broke that Bynes had been busted for a DUI in LA due to driving under the influence of Adderall, I was ready to give her the benefit of the doubt; and, again, when she rumored to have attacked a girl at a nightclub, then when she was reportedly nabbed for shoplifting at Barneys and at Pookie & Sebastian. However, I'm sad to say that these troublesome signs were at the time just getting more and more difficult to ignore — and now they've reached a breaking point. Not only is there video footage from Pookie & Sebastian's security camera of Amanda Bynes clearly acting erratically in the store, but Bynes has also begun posting a series of very troubling tweets talking about plastic surgery, and, even worse, accusing her father of sexually assaulting her.
It's hard to even know what to say in this situation. It's impossible to deny now, after watching the security camera footage of Bynes in Pookie & Sebastian — she's no longer well, and her behavior is starting to become similiar what it was last year before she received psychological help under court order.
This pretty much mirrors video taken of Bynes last year in NYC, when she was dancing along 8th Avenue as she walked. This is not the behavior of someone who is well — especially coupled with her most recent tweets. These were all posted within two hours today:
I don't even know where to begin with these tweets. Putting aside talk the of plastic surgery and tabloids covering her recent behavior (which was the subject of many of her erratic tweets last year, and therefore, not particularly new), the talk of her father potentially being verbally and sexually abusive towards her is so troubling in multiple ways. Of course, my first instinct — and the first instinct of so many others — is to take any accusations of sexual assault seriously, because it's a serious crime that's so often not handled in proper ways by law enforcement. There's a stigma against women reporting sexual crimes committed against them, and that's because so often, no one believes them.
However, sexual assault is also a serious allegation, and should never be taken lightly. I'm not defending her father or saying that Bynes is lying, because, as I said, we should always take accusations like this seriously no matter who they're coming from — and because of these tweets, the situation should be investigated by the proper authorities. But, just as the video footage of Bynes dancing at Pookie & Sebastian mirrored her dancing on the streets of NYC last year, this partially mirrors when Bynes falsely accused an NYPD officer of sexually assaulting her last year when she was arrested for tossing a bong out the 36th floor window of her apartment. If Bynes is unwell again, this could be all the more indication that she just needs help.
And, that said, the last thing she needs is more tabloid coverage and more gossip about her mental state. Gossip sites are going to go wild with this story, as they do with all things Amanda Bynes-related — but this is clearly a girl who is exhibiting erratic behavior and feeding off of the attention that tabloids obsessed with her every move are giving her.
What she needs is medical intervention. Let's stop perpetuating this cycle.
