'SNL' star Taran Killam says TV relationship with Amanda Bynes was 'very important … in my life'

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Saturday Night Live alum Taran Killam got candid recently about a “very important relationship” on one of his first-ever TV gigs, which he says helped launched his career. 

In a recent appearance on Fly on the Wall with Dana Carvey and David Spade, Killam credited his early days on The Amanda Show as a stepping stone to the acting jobs that came after. He also reminisced about his close-knit relationship with the show’s star, Amanda Bynes

“It was my first job — literally the last week of high school I got cast on her show,” Killam said. “We worked together for three weeks then. I went away to college, I didn’t have an agent anymore, I was focused on school. They called me back to do more and they helped me get an agent.”

He added, “Being on The Amanda Show started my grown-up acting career.” 

The 43-year-old opened up about their relationship at the time, saying that he and Bynes “were friends.”

“We did a movie together: Big Fat Liar. She was the best,” he said. “It was a very important relationship to me in my life.” 

He praised Bynes as “one of the most talented people I’ve ever met,” comparing the star to iconic actors Lucille Ball and Carol Burnett.

The Amanda Show aired on Nickelodeon from 1999 to 2002.

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