Jennie Garth Credits Amanda Bynes With Shaping Her Approach to Motherhood

Jennie Garth is opening up about how her time on the set of What I Like About You fundamentally changed her outlook on raising teenage girls.

The 54-year-old Beverly Hills, 90210 alum worked alongside Amanda Bynes on the sitcom two decades ago, an experience she credits with reshaping her perspective on motherhood during the teen years. At the time, Garth was 30 and already mother to two daughters—Luca Bella Facinelli and Lola Ray Facinelli—with her then-husband Peter Facinelli.

"Working with Amanda was eye-opening for me," Garth told E! News, "because I didn't know what it was like as the older person to play in the scenes with a younger person, or just to be around that kind of teenage energy."

Bynes was just 16 when the show premiered on The WB in 2002. She remained on the series until its conclusion in 2006, when she was around 20 years old. During that same period, Garth and Facinelli welcomed their third daughter, Fiona Eve Facinelli, in 2006, before the couple separated in 2013.

The experience left a lasting impression on Garth. "She had so much overflowing teenage energy," the actress recalled. That youthful exuberance inspired her to approach her own daughters' teenage years with enthusiasm rather than apprehension.

"I thought, 'This is how I want to be with my kids when they're older.' Just loving all the songs that they're loving and playing and being youthful with them," Garth explained. "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."

Working with her younger co-star, who portrayed her sister on the comedy, gave Garth confidence and excitement about the chapters ahead. "I had so much fun with her," she noted, adding that the experience helped her feel more prepared for navigating adolescence alongside her daughters.

Even now, Garth finds herself drawn back to the series. "I'll just get sucked into it and find myself giggling," she said, praising Bynes' sharp comedic timing. The Dancing with the Stars alumna continues to appreciate the show's humor and chemistry between the leads, underscoring the meaningful bond that developed during their time working together.