Britney Spears, 41, has had a complicated with her 32-year-old younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears.
From best friends to rivals and everything in between, Britney Spears and her younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, have certainly had a complicated relationship over the years.
Before Britney Spears’ new memoir hits shelves, TODAY.com is recapping the very public highs and lows of their relationship and detailing what they have said about each other in the good and bad times.
2013: Jamie Lynn covers one of Britney’s biggest hits
After starring in the hit Nickelodeon show “Zoey 101,” Jamie Lynn Spears went on to pursue a music career like her big sister. In 2013, she made headlines when she covered one of her older sister’s most notable hits: “Oops! … I Did It Again.”
“You gotta throw it back to your sister at some point, right?” she said after the performance. “My sister’s been a big influence on my life, so … a big round of applause for my sister.”
2016: Britney supports Jamie Lynn at the Grand Ole Opry
When Jamie Lynn Spears performed at the Grand Ole Opry in 2016, her two siblings were on hand to support her. Alongside their brother, Bryan Spears, Britney Spears took the stage.
“Thanks to the Opry for letting me introduce this beautiful young lady, who is my heart and my soul,” Britney Spears said. “Not only is she beautiful and extremely talented, she’s my little sister: Jamie Lynn Spears!”
2017: Britney calls for prayers after Jamie Lynn’s daughter is involved in an accident
A concerned Britney Spears asked her fans to keep her niece Maddie in their thoughts after Jamie Lynn Spears’ daughter was involved in an ATV accident in 2017.
“Need all the wishes and prayers for my niece,” she tweeted at the time.
When Maddie returned home, the pop star thanked her fans on social media.
“Our prayers were heard, and they were answered!” she wrote.
The same year, Britney Spears called her sister “an angel” in a birthday tribute to Jamie Lynn Spears.
2018: The sisters enjoy lots of family time together
The Spears sisters seemed to be on great terms in 2018 when Jamie Lynn Spears took her 6-month-old daughter Ivey Joan to see her aunt in concert for the first time.
“Looked up to her since the day I was born,” she captioned a photo of herself. “Couple more people look up to her now also. But I was the first.”
The siblings gathered once again for a special occasion that year, Maddie’s 10th birthday, and posed for a family photo that has since been deleted from Instagram.
The close cousins also vacationed together the following year.
2019: Jamie Lynn addresses her sister’s mental health
After Britney Spears checked herself into a mental health facility, Jamie Lynn Spears responded to critics who said the pop star was in the facility against her will. The younger Spears posted a throwback video of herself protecting her sister from the paparazzi.
“10 years ago, who was there?? I have been here long before anyone else, and I’ll be here long after. I love my sister with everything I have. So, anyone or anything that speaks to the contrary can GTFOH with all the comments about what you don’t understand,” she captioned the post.
The actor continued her post, writing, “Do not come for me or the ones I love anymore. You can move the ‘blank’ outta here with all that, just like this other lady who was running her mouth.”
Britney Spears also seemed to be on good terms with her sister later in the year and revealed that Jamie Lynn Spears inspired her latest hairstyle.
2020: Jamie Lynn defends her sister
After Jamie Lynn Spears posted several comments about mental health on Instagram, she received criticism from some social media users. In response, she offered the following thoughts.
“If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence,” she wrote.
“If you deal with mental illness or care for someone dealing with mental illness, then you know how important it is to respect the situation with privacy for the person, and the family trying to protect their loved ones, no matter how it may appear to the public, and as the public we must learn to do the same,” she continued, but did not directly address her sister.
2021: Jamie Lynn speaks out about her sister’s conservatorship
After Britney Spears testified in court about her ongoing conservatorship, her sister spoke out about her sister’s situation in a video posted to Instagram.
“Since the day I was born, I’ve only loved, adored and supported my sister. I mean this is my freaking big sister, before any of this bulls—. I don’t care if she wants to run away to a rainforest and have zillion babies in the middle of nowhere, or if she wants to come back and dominate the world the way she has done so many times before. Because I have nothing to gain or lose either way.”
Jamie Lynn Spears continued, saying, “Not that I owe the public anything, because my sister knows I love and support her… I’m not my family. I’m my own person. And I’m speaking for myself.”
The following month, Jamie Lynn Spears said she and her family received death threats from her sister’s supporters.
“Hi, I respect that everyone has the right to express themselves, but can we please stop with the death threats, especially the death threats to children,” she wrote.
2021: Britney speaks out against her sister
While discussing the crushing effects of her conservatorship, Britney Spears called out her sister Jamie Lynn Spears in an Instagram post.
“I don’t like that my sister showed up at an awards show and performed MY SONGS to remixes !!!!! My so-called support system hurt me deeply !!!!” she wrote in reference to Jamie Lynn Spears performing a medley of her sister’s songs at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards.
Later that year, fans wondered if Britney Spears had seemingly addressed her sister’s memoir, “Things I Should Have Said,” in her latest Instagram post. The memoir went on to be published in 2022.
“Psssssss also great news … I’m thinking of releasing a book next year but I’m having issues coming up with a title so maybe my fans could help !!!!” she wrote.
Spears then suggested two potential titles, writing “Option #1 … ‘S—, I really don’t know’ Option #2 … ‘I really care what people think’ !!!!’ What do you guys think ????”
Fans were quick to question if the singer was trying to throw shade at Jamie Lynn Spears’ memoir.
2022: Britney unfollows her sister on Instagram
By January 2022, Britney Spears was no longer following her sister on Instagram, although Jamie Lynn Spears was still following her older sister.
2022: Jamie Lynn speaks out about her estranged relationship with Britney
During an interview with “Good Morning America,” the younger Spears said she attempted to assist her sister while she was under a conservatorship.
“I did take the steps to help, but how many times can I take the steps without, you know — she has to walk through the door,” she said. “There was a time where my sister asked me on her trust and will if I would be the person who was sure that her boys got what she needed.”
2022: Britney responds to her sister’s interview
While addressing her sister’s recent interview, Britney Spears said it upset her that Jamie Lynn Spears said her “behavior was out of control.”
“She was never around me much 15 years ago at that time … so why are they even talking about that unless she wants to sell a book at my expense??? REALLY?” she wrote on Twitter, now known as X.
Britney Spears went on to say her sister “never had to work for anything” and said “everything was always given to her.”
The younger Spears responded on Instagram and said her older sister wasn’t telling the truth.
“It’s becoming exhausting when conversations, and texts we have in private don’t match what you post on social media,” Jamie Lynn Spears wrote. “I know you’re going through a lot and I never want to diminish that, but I also can’t diminish myself.”
December 2022: Britney showers Jamie Lynn with praise
The sisters seemed to be on better terms in December 2022 when Britney Spears spoke fondly of Jamie Lynn Spears in a since-deleted caption on an Instagram post.
“It’s my b-day but you’re my heart so I’m thinking about you … congratulations on being so brave, inspiring, and showing guts and glory in your show 🎉 !!! You ain’t alone … if anybody knows what that feels like … I get it 🤧🤧🤧 My baby sister !!! I love you !!!” she wrote in the since deleted caption.
June 2023: Britney says she visited Jamie Lynn at work
In June 2023, Britney Spears revealed that she had visited her little sister on the set of her show “Zoey 102.”
“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 😌 !!!” she captioned the post.
In an interview with Variety, Jamie Lynn Spears didn’t confirm or deny the visit but offered the following thoughts on her relationship with her sister.
“I have nothing but absolute love for every single one of my family members. 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,” she said.
