26-10-2023 (LOS ANGELES) In her highly anticipated memoir, “The Woman In Me,” pop icon Britney Spears opens up about the tumultuous dynamics with her younger sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, shedding light on their strained relationship that traces back to their early years. Britney, who recently broke free from a 13-year conservatorship, spares no details as she recounts the moments of disappointment and hurt she experienced at the hands of her sister.
Reflecting on a pivotal time following her breakup with Justin Timberlake, Britney recalls feeling a sense of invisibility in her own family. She writes, “My little sister — well, when I tell you she was a total bitch, I’m not exaggerating. It was clear that girl ruled the roost. Meanwhile, it was like I was a ghost child. I can remember walking into the room and feeling like no one even saw me. Jamie Lynn only saw the TV.”
The memoir delves deeper into their relationship, highlighting instances where Jamie Lynn exhibited disrespectful behavior towards their mother. Britney recounts, “I’d listen to her spew these hateful words, and I’d turn to my mother and say, ‘Are you going to let this little witch talk to you like that?'” She also reveals Jamie Lynn’s lack of gratitude when Britney purchased a house for the family, recounting, “She was not exactly grateful for it. She’d later say, ‘Why’d she get us a house?’ — like it was some sort of imposition.”
As Jamie Lynn entered her teenage years, Britney felt a growing sense of ingratitude from her sister. Britney discovered that Jamie Lynn and their mother, Lynn Spears, would regularly use the Florida condo Britney had bought for the family without inviting or acknowledging her. Despite these hurtful experiences, Britney attempted to be a supportive older sister during her pregnancy, even though she admits to being distant and “mean” during that period. However, she later learned that Jamie Lynn had deceived her about an incident on the set of her show “Zoey 101,” where Britney had intervened on her behalf.
The memoir takes a poignant turn as Britney reveals her desperate attempt to seek help from Jamie Lynn during her involuntary confinement in a rehab facility orchestrated by her father through the conservatorship. Britney writes, “I also texted my sister when I was in that place and asked her to get me out. ‘Stop fighting it,’ she texted back. ‘There’s nothing you can do about it, so stop fighting it.’ Along with the rest of them, she kept acting like I was a threat in some way. This will sound crazy, but I’ll say it again because it’s the truth: I thought they were going to try to kill me.”
Britney grapples with the perplexing closeness Jamie Lynn developed with their father while being aware of his manipulative use of the conservatorship. She expresses her disappointment, saying, “I felt like she should have taken my side.” The situation worsened when Britney actively fought back against the abusive conservatorship, and Jamie Lynn chose to release her own memoir, “Things I Should Have Said,” instead of providing support.
“As I was fighting the conservatorship and receiving a lot of press attention, she was writing a book capitalizing on it,” Britney writes. “She rushed out salacious stories about me, many of them hurtful and outrageous. I was really let down. Shouldn’t sisters be able to confess their fear or vulnerability to each other without that later being used as evidence of instability?”
Despite the complex history between them, Britney expresses her desire for the best for Jamie Lynn and her family. “She’s been through a lot, including teen pregnancy, divorce, and her daughter’s near-fatal accident,” Britney acknowledges. “She’s spoken about the pain of growing up in my shadow. I’m working to feel more compassion than anger toward her and toward everyone who I feel has wronged me. It’s not easy.”
