Jamie Lynn Spears Speaks Out on Britney Spears's Conservatorship Battle

The actress came under fire after Britney criticized her family in court.

nashville, tn june 08 jamie lynn spears attends the 2016 cmt music awards at the bridgestone arena on june 8, 2016 in nashville, tennessee photo by john shearerwireimage
(Image credit: KMazur)

Jamie Lynn Spears has publicly broken her silence about her sister, making it clear that she is standing by Britney during her fight to escape a 13-year conservatorship, held by her father Jamie Spears.

Taking to her Instagram Stories on Monday, Jamie Lynn, 30, spoke candidly to the camera. "I felt like until my sister could speak for herself and say what she felt she needed to say publicly, it wasn’t my place and it wasn’t the right thing to do. But now that she’s very clearly spoken and said what she needed to say, I feel like I can follow her lead and say what I feel I need to say," she prefaced her message.

Britney spoke out about her "abusive" conservatorship last week, detailing in an open court the trauma she has endured, including not being allowed to remove an IUD to being force-fed the medication lithium. The pop star clearly stated that she wishes for the conservatorship to be terminated and that her family was at fault for the situation. "I would honestly like to sue my family, to be totally honest with you," Britney said to the judge at the time. "I want to be able to be heard on what they did to me by making me keep this in for so long, is not good for my heart. I’ve been so angry and I cry every day, it concerns me, I’m told I’m not allowed to expose the people who did this to me."

Jamie Lynn had come under fire following the hearing, with many #FreeBritney activists calling out the Zoey 101 star for not publicly condemning their father earlier nor being more vocal about Britney's ongoing struggles.

Jamie Lynn seemed to reference both the comments Britney made and clap back against detractors, clarifying that she has only "adored and supported" her sister to the best of her abilities over the years. She even noted that she previously privately encouraged Britney to request a change of lawyer.

"Maybe I didn’t support her the way the public would like me to with a hashtag on a public platform. But I can assure that I have supported my sister long before there was a hashtag, and I’ll support her long after," Jamie Lynn emotionally wrote. "Not that I owe the public anything because my sister knows I love and support her. That’s the only person I owe anything to. I’m not my family—I’m my own person. I’m speaking for myself. I’m so proud of her for using her voice. I am so proud of her for requesting new counsel like I told her to do many years ago."

She added, "I don’t care if she wants to run away to the rainforest and have a zillion babies in the middle of nowhere, or if she wants to come back and dominate the world the way she has so many times before. I have nothing to gain or lose either way. This situation does not affect me either way because I am only her sister who is only concerned about her happiness."

"I love my sister, always have, always will, as long as she’s happy. So let’s keep praying. That’s all."

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Entertainment Director

Neha Prakash is Marie Claire's Entertainment Director, where she edits, writes, and ideates culture and current event features with a focus on elevating diverse voices and stories in film and television. She steers and books the brand's print and digital covers as well as oversees the talent and production on MC's video franchises like "How Well Do You Know Your Co-Star?" and flagship events, including the Power Play summit. Since joining the team in early 2020, she's produced entertainment packages about buzzy television shows and films, helped oversee culture SEO content, commissioned op-eds from notable writers, and penned widely-shared celebrity profiles and interviews. She also assists with social coverage around major red carpet events, having conducted celebrity interviews at the Met Gala, Oscars, and Golden Globes. Prior to Marie Claire, she held editor roles at Brides, Glamour, Mashable, and Condé Nast, where she launched the Social News Desk. Her pop culture, breaking news, and fashion coverage has appeared on Vanity Fair, GQ, Allure, Teen Vogue, and Architectural Digest. She earned a masters degree from the Columbia School of Journalism in 2012 and a Bachelor of Arts degree from The Pennsylvania State University in 2010. She lives in Manhattan with her husband and dog, Ghost; she loves matcha lattes, Bollywood movies, and has many hot takes about TV reboots. Follow her on Instagram @nehapk.