Jamie Lynn Spears has claimed that she went out of her way to help her older sister Britney Spears end her conservatorship, providing the pop star with resources and speaking with her previous legal team, but her attempts ended in vain.
“I’ve always been my sister’s biggest supporter, so when she needed help, I set up ways to do so,” the 30-year-old said in an interview that aired on Good Morning America on Wednesday. “[I] went out of my way to make sure that she had the contacts she needed to possibly go ahead and end this conservatorship, just end this all for our family. If it’s going to cause so much discord, why continue it?”
“I did take the steps to help, but how many times can I take the steps without… She has to walk through the door.”
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Jamie Lynn wiped away tears during her emotional talk with ABC News anchor Juju Chang, as she attempted to explain her side of the story when it came to her relationship with her older sister. The interview also served as a plug for Jamie Lynn’s new book, Things I Should Have Said, which will be released on Jan. 18.
Britney Spears was finally freed from the restrictive legal arrangement in November, bringing an end to a 13-year ordeal that she described in court last summer as “abusive” and likened to human trafficking.
Britney tore into her family, particularly her father, Jamie Spears, declaring that she would like to sue her family and maintained that anyone who benefited from her conservatorship should be behind bars.
But Jamie Lynn claimed that she never had any serious involvement with the conservatorship, noting that she was only 17 years old when it was put in place in early 2008. “I didn’t understand what was happening,” she said. “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 as I do now.”
Still, Jamie Lynn did file legal papers in 2018 that sought to add her as a trustee of Britney’s estimated $60 million estate. Jamie Lynn claimed that was simply a misunderstanding.
“There was a time where my sister asked me, of her trust will, if I would be the person who would ensure that her boys got what they needed, whether she’s in a conservatorship or not. That was a very normal thing I thought,” she explained.
Without going into further detail, Jamie Lynn said she decided against being made a trustee because “I didn’t want to be part of [it] until maybe she was out of the conservatorship,” adding that she never oversaw any funds and insisted that she never took any active steps to be made part of the conservatorship.
So, when Britney was finally freed from the conservatorship last year, Jamie Lynn said she was thrilled and doesn’t understand the public rift between the two. “The love is still there 100 percent,” she said. “I love my sister. I’ve only ever loved and supported her and done right by her, and she knows that. So, I don’t know why we’re in this position right now.”
Jamie Lynn’s relationship with Britney has been on rocky ground since this summer. Although the actress voiced her support after the pop star’s bombshell court declaration, Britney has distanced herself from her sister and recently unfollowed her on Instagram.
Over the past few months, Britney has taken a handful of swipes at Jamie Lynn, complaining about her younger sister performing her songs at the 2017 Radio Disney Music Awards while she had to watch from the audience. “I don’t like that my sister showed up at an awards show and performed MY SONGS to remixes !!!!!,” Britney seethed.
But Jamie Lynn said it was “confusing” that Britney would be upset about the tribute performance and she had reached out to her sister to clear up the matter. “I don’t think she’s personally upset with me about that,” Jamie Lynn said. “Truthfully, I don’t know why that bothers her.”
Britney hasn’t yet made a direct reference to Jamie Lynn’s interview or new book, which has been engulfed in controversy since it was announced in July.
To fans, many saw the timing of the book as a blatant attempt to profit off her older sister once again, considering that Britney had just ripped into her family members a month before in court. It didn’t help that the title was I Must Confess—a clear nod to Britney’s hit song “Baby One More Time.”
The uproar caused Worthy Publishing to backpedal fast, saying the title was “incorrect” and “incomplete,” and later announced the current title. And while the memoir’s proceeds were supposed to be donated to This Is My Brave, the mental-health charity turned her offer down due to the criticism surrounding Jamie Lynn.
