Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears have been in the spotlight their entire lives, but their relationship as sisters has always been more complex than it seems. In her new memoir, The Woman in Me, Britney opens up about her relationship with Jamie Lynn in more detail than ever before, shedding light on the good times, the bad times, and everything in between.
Early Years
Britney and Jamie Lynn are 10 years apart in age, but despite their age difference, the two were close as children.
Britney was a child star, while Jamie Lynn grew up in her shadow. Britney writes in her memoir that she felt responsible for taking care of Jamie Lynn, especially after their parents divorced.
“She grew up a child of divorce, which I did not. It seems that she didn’t get a lot of parenting, and I know it was hard to try to sing and act and make her own way in the world in the shadow of a sibling who got not only most of the family’s attention but a lot of the world’s,” she writes. “My heart goes out to her for all those reasons.”
Britney’s Rise to Fame
Britney’s career took off in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She became one of the biggest pop stars in the world, and her fame put a strain on her relationship with Jamie Lynn.
“I felt betrayed by how Jamie Lynn had changed. I’d bought a house for Jamie Lynn to grow up in. She was not exactly grateful for it. She’d later say, ‘Why’d she get us a house?’ — like it was some sort of imposition,” she shares. “But that house had been a gift. I’d bought it because our family had needed a new house, and I’d wanted her to have a better life than I had.”
Britney’s Conservatorship
In 2008, Britney was placed under a conservatorship, which gave her father, Jamie Spears, control over her life and finances. Britney has said that her conservatorship was abusive, and that she was forced to work against her will.
During her conservatorship, Britney’s relationship with Jamie Lynn became even more complicated, as Britney felt like Jamie Lynn was not supportive of her, and that she was taking sides with their father.
“I also texted my sister when I was in that place and asked her to get me out. ‘Stop fighting it,’ she texted back. ‘There’s nothing you can do about it, so stop fighting it,'” Britney writes in her memoir. “Along with the rest of them, she kept acting like I was a threat in some way. This will sound crazy, but I’ll say it again because it’s the truth: I thought they were going to try to kill me.”
Jamie Lynn’s Memoir
In 2022, Jamie Lynn published a memoir in which she wrote about her own experiences growing up as Britney’s sister. Britney was upset by the book, and she felt that Jamie Lynn had misrepresented their relationship.
“As I was fighting the conservatorship and receiving a lot of press attention, she was writing a book capitalizing on it. She rushed out salacious stories about me, many of them hurtful and outrageous. I was really let down,” she expresses. “Shouldn’t sisters be able to confess their fear or vulnerability to each other without that later being used as evidence of instability?”
Current Relationship
Britney and Jamie Lynn’s relationship is still strained, but despite their differences, they are still sisters. They two have expressed their love for one another, and have been showing more public support for each other in the past year.
“She’s been through a lot, including teen pregnancy, divorce, and her daughter’s near-fatal accident. She’s spoken about the pain of growing up in my shadow,” she shares. “I’m working to feel more compassion than anger toward her and toward everyone who I feel has wronged me. It’s not easy.”
