Britney Spears is beginning to professionally thrive in the wake of being released from her conservatorship: She’s got a new single with will.i.am coming this Friday, and her debut memoir, The Woman in Me, will be released in October.
Things seem to still be contentious in the pop star’s personal life, however, at least when it comes to her rocky relationship with her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears. The Zoey 101 star was once a trustee of Britney’s estate, and reportedly sought more control over her sister’s fortune during the conservatorship.
In a Variety interview published on Wednesday, the younger Spears delicately skirted around the topic of her estrangement from Britney.
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“I have nothing but absolute love for every single one of my family members,” Jamie Lynn said when asked about her relationship with Britney. “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.”
However, a source close to Jamie Lynn apparently told Variety that she and Britney “have not patched things up.”
Jamie Lynn was also asked what she’d tell her daughter if she came home from school to report that other kids were talking about Britney. The actress responded, “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.”
Would Jamie Lynn ever perform with her older sister in the future? “I don’t know,” she told Variety. “I think right now I’m really just focused on me and what I’m doing.”
Britney has previously been outspoken about her struggles with her family—in the midst of her conservatorship battle in 2021, she posted a message on Instagram that was widely interpreted to be directed toward her mother and Jamie Lynn.
“There’s nothing worse than when the people closest to you who never showed up for you post things in regard to your situation whatever it may be and speak righteously for support,” Spears wrote at the time. “How dare you make it public that NOW you CARE … did you put your hand out when I was drowning ???? Again … NO.”
