Jamie Lynn Spears Cries Over Older Sister Britney in Emotional Interview

Britney Spears and Jamie Lynn Spears — (Image credit: Getty)

Britney Spears has long had drama within her family—specifically with her parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, and her little sister, Jamie Lynn Spears. That seems to be changing, though, with Britney reconciling with her mother recently and apparently her sister, as well—per Variety, Britney took to Instagram and wrote “It was nice to visit my sister on set last week !!! I’ve missed you guys so much !!! Loyal girls stay home but it’s so nice to visit family.”

Jamie Lynn is doing press for Zoey 102, the film sequel to her hit Nickelodeon sitcom Zoey 101. As Britney prepares to release her own memoir in October, it was Jamie Lynn’s January 2022 tell-all, Things I Should Have Said, that took the sisters’ feud to a deeper level. “At the time, Britney and her fans slammed Jamie Lynn because they felt she was trying to make a quick buck off the pop princess’ troubled life,” Variety writes. “Six months later, Britney didn’t invite Jamie Lynn to her wedding.”

Speaking to Marc Malkin, Jamie Lynn became emotional as she spoke about her family: “I have nothing but absolute love for every single one of my family members,” she said. “If I learned anything from last year, being so open and feeling like I had to defend myself at times, I don’t feel like there’s anything else that I need to say. I just have to leave it where it is because those conversations are meant to be personal. All I can focus on now is my girls [daughters Maddie and Ivey], my husband, and the work that I’m doing.”

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Of the last year and the family drama surrounding it, “It makes me sad,” Jamie Lynn said. “I don’t want my daughter to feel that way. So I have to say I will absolutely not allow my children—especially my oldest daughter, who was very affected by all of it—I will not allow her to feel this way in her life. My strength is out of the love for my children and wanting to make sure that I don’t give way to anything other than what I know to be authentic and true. It was hard, but at the end of the day, look where I am now.”

Jamie Lynn Spears doing press for Zoey 102

Jamie Lynn added that when she talks to her elder daughter, Maddie—who is 15—about her Aunt Britney and what Maddie may be hearing about her, she reminds her to be proud: “I say ‘You should be so proud. Look at what your family’s done and accomplished. We came from a small town, and now everybody’s fascinated by the good and, especially, the bad. But look at what an example of a strong female you have. You have something to be proud of, and you should have pride in that,’” she said. “And kids are kids, so I’m sure there’s a lot meaner things that they’re doing to each other in high school.”

So, would Jamie Lynn ever perform with Britney in the future? “I don’t know,” she said. “I think right now I’m really just focused on me and what I’m doing.”

Zoey 102 hits Paramount+ on July 27.

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Rachel Burchfield is a writer, editor, and podcaster whose primary interests are fashion and beauty, society and culture, and, most especially, the British Royal Family and other royal families around the world. She serves as Marie Claire’s Senior Celebrity and Royals Editor and has also contributed to publications like Allure, Cosmopolitan, Elle, Glamour, Harper’s Bazaar, InStyle, People, Vanity Fair, Vogue, and W, among others. Before taking on her current role with Marie Claire, Rachel served as its Weekend Editor and later Royals Editor. She is the cohost of Podcast Royal, a show that was named a top five royal podcast by The New York Times. A voracious reader and lover of books, Rachel also hosts I’d Rather Be Reading, which spotlights the best current nonfiction books hitting the market and interviews the authors of them. Rachel frequently appears as a media commentator, and she or her work has appeared on outlets like NBC’s Today Show, ABC’s Good Morning America, CNN, and more.