Jamie Lynn Spears’ memoir ‘Things I Should Have Said’ was released earlier this week.
In the book, the 30-year-old speaks candidly about her estranged relationship with her older sister Britney, her role in Britney’s conservatorship, and her teen pregnancy.
Check out the biggest bombshells from the book below:
Jamie Lynn’s first crush was Britney’s ex-boyfriend
Jamie Lynn revealed her first crush was Justin Timberlake, who she first met when Britney starred alongside him on The Mickey Mouse Club in the early ’90s.
Britney and Justin started dating in 1999, and Jamie Lynn grew closer to him.
She wrote: “He wasn’t just my sister’s boyfriend. Justin was my first example of a kind and generous young man. He and my sister were happy together for a long time…”
The actress added: “Justin was always so sweet to me, and his relationship with Britney was the only one in my life that gave me a sense of stability. That may sound strange considering how it ended, but from my perspective, they adored each other and made me a part of their relationship in the best of ways.”
Jamie Lynn said she appreciated Britney allowing her to tag along as their third wheel, and that Justin “doted” on her and treated her like a little sister.
Speaking about Britney and Justin’s high-profile breakup in 2002, Jamie Lynn said she was “deeply affected” because “the constancy of their relationship provided the best example of a loving couple I had ever seen.”
“I was completely heartbroken when it was over and believed that it was a devastating loss in Britney’s life as well.”
The mother-of-two later said she started noticing a change in her sister after the breakup.
Jamie Lynn’s part in Britney’s conservatorship
Jamie Lynn was sixteen and pregnant when her older sister was placed under a conservatorship in 2008.
The 30-year-old wrote: “I knew things were difficult for Britney, but I was wrapped up in my own life. At the time, I supported her by remaining loyal to her, by listening to her and protecting her in whatever manner I could.”
“Maybe I should have done more when I lived in California, but again, I was a child. Britney was the adult, and she had promised me she was fine. By accepting her declaration I enabled many of the behaviors that contributed to her downward spiral at that time.”
According to the former Nickelodeon star, Britney asked her to “serve as the trustee for her two children only in the event that she would not be able to do so herself” a few years into the conservatorship.
She explained: “This was separate from her team’s request for me to reside as a trustee over her children’s trust in the conservatorship. After several months and careful consideration, I decided to remove myself from that role, citing that the developing issues could potentially create a conflict.”
“My role was to remain impartial and simply be a sister and aunt. I have never participated in the conservatorship as my sister’s personal representative or her financial conservator.”
“If I am guilty of anything, it’s of enabling the situation to continue by not speaking up earlier in her career. I often wonder if I had, would it have made any difference?”
Britney’s bombshell court testimony
In June 2021, Britney addressed the court for the first time amid her conservatorship battle.
In a passionate statement, the pop singer said: “I am not happy, I can’t sleep. I’m so angry, it’s insane. And I’m depressed.”
“My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship, including my management… they should be in jail… I just want my life back. It’s enough.”
In Jamie Lynn’s memoir, she said her sister “allowed an onslaught of hate that put me and my family at risk” when she made “sweeping allegations” about the Spears family.
“At no point did my sister lift the veil on what or who is truly responsible for her challenges. Her references to me left me reeling.”
She continued: “When my sister spoke to the world about her feelings regarding my parents’ purposeful strategy to garner fame, Britney’s impassioned statements included the wrongdoings of everyone involved, without any reference to herself. I realized that until she wants help, nothing I say is going to sway the way she sees herself or her situation.”
“I continued to protect her until just recently, when she decided I didn’t need protecting and threw me to the proverbial media wolves.”
Jamie Lynn said that despite that, she supports what is best for Britney and is “only saddened that in her current state of mind, she is incapable of supporting me in the same way.”
She later wrote: “My relationship with Britney and our struggles has nothing to do with the conservatorship, but rather the boundaries I put in place to maintain the welfare of me and my immediate family.”
Jamie Lynn and Britney’s current relationship
Jamie Lynn and Britney have been in a war of words on social media since Jamie’s tell-all interview on Good Morning America aired last week.
But in her memoir, Jamie Lynn insisted: “When the cameras turn away and everyone’s moved on to the next headline, I will still be here for my sister, no matter what is said or done between us.”
She also shared a text message that Britney allegedly sent her, which read: “I know it’s not your fault and I’m sorry for being so angry at you. Although I’m your big sister, I need you more than you need me and always have.”
The Zoey 101 star said she is praying “for the day [Britney] shares these words with the world,” adding: “I have no control over anything the media reports and cannot be held responsible for something I have absolutely no control over.”
Jamie Lynn said her priority is the safety of her two daughters, writing: “I’m not looking for pity. I want Britney and the world to know she isn’t the only one who is left with the scars from our early years of delinquency and manipulation.”
The mum-of-two added: “The years I spent protecting her and being the loyal sister have been in vain. The ambiguity of her conservatorship testimonies and social media postings have left me wondering what it was all for.”
“I miss my sister, but I can’t take the blame for things I haven’t done.”
16 and Pregnant
Jamie Lynn broke up with her first boyfriend Casper Aldridge in 2007, amid rumours that he was cheating on her.
The couple briefly reconciled and Jamie Lynn became pregnant with her daughter Maddy at the age of 16.
When she told Casper that she was pregnant, Jamie Lynn claimed that he thought it was a ploy and “insinuated I slept around and even if I was pregnant, maybe the baby wasn’t his. He was the only person I had ever been intimate with.”
After Caspar accepted the news, Jamie Lynn then told her mother.
She wrote: “At first, Momma wasn’t mad, but rather in a state of disbelief. ‘But we just had the talk about all of that.’ Her words were bittersweet. ‘Jamie Lynn, you’re my baby, having a baby.'”
Jamie Lynn said when her father Jamie found out the next day, his “anger brought out the sense of dread everyone felt about my situation.”
“I was young, famous, unmarried, and pregnant—talk about a media s***storm,” she explained. “I was basically throwing a grenade onto my well-constructed career path.”
The 30-year-old claimed her father wanted her to move into a home for unwed mothers before giving the child up for adoption, while others suggested she had an abortion.
“Everyone around me just wanted to make this ‘issue’ disappear,” she wrote.
Her business manager Lou Taylor told everyone: “Y’all can’t force her to abort the baby”, with Jamie Lynn adding: “She was the first and only person on my team to show any support for my desire to keep my baby.”
Jamie Lynn claimed her PR team was so concerned about the pregnancy news leaking that they took away her phone and set up an exclusive interview with OK! Magazine to break the story on their terms.
“They went so far as hiding my pregnancy from my sister, claiming, ‘It’s too risky to tell Britney about the baby,'” Jamie Lynn wrote.
“I needed her more than ever and she wasn’t able help me in my most vulnerable time. Britney’s condition was spiraling into something more concerning. They were concerned her instability at that time made her untrustworthy.”
Britney found out she was set to become an aunt after reading the OK! Magazine article, with Jamie Lynn admitting: “To this day, the hurt of not being able to tell my sister myself lingers.”
