Amanda Bynes’ fiancé, Paul Michael, is speaking out on his relationship with the reclusive actress and giving fans an update on how she’s doing in a rare interview.
via E! News:
While the 34-year-old She’s the Man and Hairspray actress has largely stayed out of the public eye in recent years amid personal turmoil, she and Michael have been engaged for almost a year. However, they do not live together.
“We’re doing great,” Michael, 29, told E! News on Saturday, Dec. 12. “We go on walks and work every day, like to get coffee, and talk about living together one day. We are limited to what we can do in this pandemic so even if we want to do more, we are limited. [We plan on] spending the holidays together for a family dinner, also going to plan the wedding after we live together.”
“We take good care of each other and we’re understanding of one another and she is a good listener and we’re there for each other,” Michael continued. “We have the best time and I love spending every second with her. She is the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Following Michael’s statement, Bynes’ attorney David A Esquibias told E! News, “This guy purports to love Amanda and be a source of emotional support. But it appears to me he is selling access to her to the paparazzi.”
It’s been a whirlwind year for Bynes, who has mostly lived in a sober living community since 2019. She announced their engagement this past Valentine’s Day in February. E! News later learned that Bynes and Michael started dating about two or three months prior and had met in rehab. Three weeks after announcing their engagement, the actress revealed they had split. But a day later, they appeared to have reconciled
A week later, Bynes and Michael announced on Instagram she is pregnant with their first child. Two months later, in May, her attorney said the actress is not pregnant.
Later in May, Bynes clarified to fans in an Instagram post that she is “still engaged to tha love of my life Paul.” She also revealed that she had spent the previous two months “in treatment,” writing, “Worked on coping skills to help with my social anxiety that caused me to drop out of school months ago. Back on track and doing well! I’m now living in transitional living and doing therapy during the week.”
Bynes earned an Associate’s degree from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM) in 2019. She returned to the school earlier this year to pursue a Bachelor’s degree.
In July, she wiped her Instagram clean and debuted a new black hairstyle. In October, Bynes shared and later deleted two photos of herself and Michael to celebrate their one-year anniversary. Also that month, Michael posted a video of himself and Bynes rapping A$AP Rocky’s song “Fashion Killa” on Instagram.
Michael told E! News on Saturday, “We always be joking and she is great.”
Last week, Bynes was photographed in public for the first time in six months. She was seen walking with a friend in Los Angeles, and in another occasion, strolling with Michael, while wearing her engagement ring.
“She’s still with Paul, and he’s actually a great influence on her,” a source told E! News at the time. “He’s an advocate for her sobriety, and he’s just a really wonderful, nice person. She’s definitely been in a much healthier place. She’s on great terms with her parents right now, too.”
The source added that “Amanda and Paul don’t live together. They spend a lot of time together, but Amanda still does live in a sober living community. Overall Amanda is doing great right now.”
Does it seem odd to us that this man — who, let’s be honest, has zero relevance — is doing an interview? Yes. This feels very much a repeat of when Britney Spears briefly dated Sam Lutfi. And we all know how badly that ended.
