The nostalgia was real in Hartford, Connecticut this past week, as the city welcomed ‘90s Con – a celebration of the pop culture associated with the totally radical decade. A plethora of actors who starred on hit TV shows at the time were present to participate in panels and chop it up with fans. Among those present were several members of the hit Nickelodeon sketch comedy series All That. However, one of the series’ stars who wasn’t present for the reunion was Amanda Bynes, who committed to appearing but had to drop out. Despite her absence though, co-star Kel Mitchell sent a kind message her way.
Amanda Bynes missed the massive convention due to illness, according to her representatives. The news may have come as a disappointment to those who were eager to see the former child star alongside her Nickelodeon cohorts again. But leave it to the actors to not forget about their former co-star. Both Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson spoke with ET during the event and addressed Bynes’ unavailability. It was during the chat that Mitchell sent his well wishes and expressed relief that his colleague is doing well these days:
I've just been praying for her. It's awesome to see she's doing better. Which is great. We're just continuing to pray for her on her journey, and it's answered prayers that she's doing a lot better.
For those who don’t know, Amanda Bynes (who’s faced legal issues and dealt with substance abuse in the past) had been under a conservatorship since 2013. (Her legal arrangement arguably received more attention as Britney Spears was removed from her own, though Spears’ situation had no direct influence on the former.) By early 2022, Bynes had filed to end the conservatorship, which was a move that her parents supported. The conservatorship was dissolved in March, with the star sharing a grateful message with her fans after the judge’s decision came down.
90’ Con was meant to be the actress’ first public appearance since becoming a free woman. In a statement released earlier this year, she said that she was “really excited” to be linking up with her fellow Nickelodeon alums. The What a Girl Wants icon joined All That at the top of its second season in 1996 and quickly became a hit with viewers for her performances in various sketches. After her stint on the show ended in 2000, she focused much of her energy on her own spinoff show, The Amanda Show. Given her impact on Nick, it would’ve been more than fitting for her to be at the convention.
There was still plenty of fun to be had during the panel for the beloved series. In addition to Kel Mitchell and Kenan Thompson, former cast members Lori Beth Denberg and Danny Tamberelli were also on deck to gush about their time on the series. Fans were surely also pumped to hear Thompson and Mitchell tease the newly announced Good Burger 2, which could have some sweet cameos. This surely won’t be the only reunion between the stars and, hopefully, Amanda Bynes will be part of any future potential meet-ups.
If you’re feeling nostalgic, you can stream classic episodes of All That now using a Netflix subscription.
