Jamie Lynn Spears Explains ‘Rift’ With Britney in New, Emotional Interview
Jamie Lynn Spears opened up about her supposed rift with big sister Britney in a new interview with ABC News on Wednesday, January 12.
For the unfamiliar, since Britney’s 13-year conservatorship ended in November 2021, she’s been outspoken about her anger towards her family, including Jamie Lynn. Britney hasn’t given many specifics, but the consensus from her Instagram posts is she feels her family didn’t do enough to help dissolve the legal situation that gave her no control over her life and finances.
At one point it was reported Jamie Lynn Spears was in charge of a trust for Britney’s young sons. The former Zoey 101 star opened up about that plus more in this tearful six-minute interview. She even addressed her 2017 Radio Disney Awards tribute to Britney, which the pop icon wrote on Instagram upset her. Read on for the highlights, and watch the interview in full on ABC News here.
“For me, it created a lot of anxiety. The hardest part was, ‘Could I trust you? Are you drinking? Are you not?’ It was something no kid should have to question.”
On her relationship to Britney:
“I felt like she was another mama…. That love is still there, 100 percent. I love my sister. I’ve only ever loved and supported her and done what’s right by her. And she knows that. So I don’t know why we’re in this position right now.”
On Britney’s current state of mind (words Jamie Lynn uses in her new book to describe Britney’s behavior over the course of her life are erratic, paranoid, and spiraling):
“I can’t really speak to anyone else’s state of mind. I don’t think that’s fair. But I’m allowed to say how I felt in those [moments], because that matters. It matters that I was in pain.”
How Jamie Lynn felt when Britney’s conservatorship ended:
“I was happy. First off, I don’t understand—when it was put into place, I was a 17-year-old about to have a baby, so I didn’t understand what was happening nor was I focused on that. I was focused on the fact that I was a 17-year-old about to have a baby. I understand just as little about it then as I do now.”
On the role Jamie Lynn played in the conservatorship:
“There was a time where my sister asked me of her trust and will if I would be the person who was sure her boys got what they needed. Whether she’s in a conservatorship or not, that was a very normal thing, I thought. Once I realized, You know what? She’s in a conservatorship. I felt like I didn’t want to be a part of [her trust] until she was out of the conservatorship. There was no me overseeing funds or something like that. And if that was, then it was a misunderstanding. But either way, I took no steps to be a part of it.”
On how she helped Britney end her conservatorship:
“I’ve always been my sister’s biggest supporter, so when she needed help, I set up ways to do so. I went out of my way to make sure she had the contacts she needed to possibly go ahead and end this conservatorship and end this all for our family—if it’s gonna cause this much discord, why continue it?
“…It wasn’t about agreeing with the conservatorship. Everyone has a voice, and it should be heard. If she wanted to talk to other people, then I did, I set that up. I even spoke to her legal team, her previous legal team. And that did not end well in my favor. I did take the steps to help, but how many times can I take the steps without—she has to walk through the door.”
On Jamie Lynn’s tribute to Britney at the 2017 Radio Disney Awards that upset Britney:
“Honestly, it was somewhat confusing to me about that. Actually, I have spoken to her about that. I was doing a tribute to honor my sister and all the amazing things that she’s done…. I’ve cleared up with the fact that I don’t think she’s personally upset with me about that. Truthfully, I don’t know why that bothers her.”
