Jennie Garth Shares How Amanda Bynes Shaped Her Approach to Motherhood

Though her girls were young at the time, the Beverly Hills, 90210 alum remembered feeling “a little nervous” for them to reach their teenage years—that is, until Amanda helped put any fears she had to rest.

“She really made me feel excited for it,” Jennie shared, “because I had so much fun with her.”

“I thought, ‘This is how I want to be with my kids when they’re older,’” she continued. “Just loving all the songs that they’re loving and playing and being youthful with them. And so she really brought out all of that in me, in which it made me less afraid to move forward as the mother of teenage girls. That was really incredible.”

It wasn’t just Amanda’s youthfulness that left an impact on Jennie. Years later, the I Choose Me podcast host—who recently released a memoir of the same name and is gearing up for her I Choose Me Summit in L.A. on April 25—also finds herself in awe of how funny Amanda was on the sitcom.

“Amanda has just the best comedic timing,” Jennie said. “I rewatch that show now on Netflix—we keep it on in the background sometimes—and I’ll just get sucked into it and find myself giggling.” 

“It was so silly and fun,” she added, “and just real, feel-good vibes from that show.”

And though she and Amanda lost touch after the show ended in 2006, Jennie is forever in her onscreen sister’s corner, especially as Amanda leans into her music career.

“God bless her,” Jennie said. “Explore all the things that you want to do in life, chase your dreams. Don’t ever give up, and if that’s what she’s doing now, I’m here for it.”

What I Like About You was just one role in Amanda’s memorable career. Keep reading for more of her iconic TV and movie roles…