Jamie Lynn Spears Tears Up Talking About Britney, Reflects on ‘Twilight’ Audition and Bringing ‘Zoey 101’ Back to Life
The day before I interview Jamie Lynn Spears, her older sister, Britney, takes to Instagram to reveal that the siblings recently spent time together.
“It was nice to visit my sister on set last week !!!,” Spears writes in a message accompanying a video montage of herself on vacation with husband Sam Asghari and manager Cade Hudson. “I’ve missed you guys so much !!! Loyal girls stay home but it’s so nice to visit family.”
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This generates an avalanche of celebrity-news headlines because the two have been estranged since Britney, now 41, accused Jamie Lynn, 32, of perpetuating her family’s conservatorship against her for nearly 14 years, leaving Britney unable to make decisions for herself. But a source close to Jamie Lynn says that the sisters have not patched things up.
Britney’s post came less than 24 hours after Paramount+ released the first trailer for “Zoey 102,” Jamie Lynn’s long-in-the-making film sequel to her hit Nickelodeon tween sitcom, “Zoey 101.” So knowingly or not, Britney has placed herself at the center of Jamie Lynn’s publicity tour.
When I ask about the visit, Jamie Lynn neither confirms nor denies it happened because, sources tell Variety, she doesn’t want to upset Britney and possibly spark another round of damning Instagram posts. Especially after their feud went into high gear in January 2022 with the publication of Jamie Lynn’s memoir, “Things I Should Have Said.” At the time, Britney and her fans slammed Jamie Lynn because they felt she was trying to make a quick buck off the pop princess’s troubled life. Six months later, Britney didn’t invite Jamie Lynn to her wedding.
Such is the life of Jamie Lynn Spears.
At first, she was best known for being Britney’s baby sister (she made her acting debut playing the younger version of Britney’s character in 2002’s “Crossroads”). Then she was thrust into her own tabloid hell in 2008 after announcing, at age 16 (and still starring on “Zoey 101”), that she was pregnant. She quickly left Hollywood, relocating to Mississippi to raise the baby, Maddie, and then to Nashville, where she earned some success as a songwriter.
Jamie Lynn returned to acting about three years ago with the Netflix show “Sweet Magnolias.” Now, she’s taking her career a step further by not only starring in, but also executive producing “Zoey 102.” She hopes multiple “Zoey” installments will follow. (“Sweet Magnolias” Season 3 drops on Netflix on July 20. “Zoey 102” premieres on Paramount+ on July 27.)
Whatever family drama may or may not be happening, Jamie Lynn avoids most questions about Britney and instead talks about her daughters, Maddie, now 14, and Ivey, 5, who stunned Jamie Lynn during her recent preschool graduation by proclaiming that she wants to be a movie star when she grows up.
“It just makes me sad when I think about my kids,” Jamie Lynn says as she begins to tear up. “I don’t ever want them to feel the pain or the scrutiny. That’s not necessary and it’s not theirs to carry. So I’ll carry it. That’s fine.”
What’s your relationship with Britney like today?
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. All I can focus on now is my girls, my husband and the work that I’m doing.
The last year was tough.
It makes me sad. [Spears tears up.] I don’t want my daughter to feel that way. So I have to say I will absolutely not allow my children — especially my oldest daughter, who was very affected by all of it — I will not allow her to feel this way in her life. My strength is out of the love for my children and wanting to make sure that I don’t give way to anything other than what I know to be authentic and true. It was hard, but at the end of the day, look where I am now.
What do you say to Maddie when she comes home and says kids are talking about her Aunt Britney?
I say, “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.” And kids are kids, so I’m sure there’s a lot meaner things that they’re doing to each other in high school.
Did you ever think you’d play Zoey again?
Zoey is near and dear to my heart because I had such a big part in creating her when I was younger and making her someone that I felt connected to. I always had this dream of being able to play her again as an adult — or just meet her as an adult. It’s been years of getting it right, getting it wrong, figuring out logistically how to make this work and putting a team together that really wanted it to happen the right way. When I walked on set the first day I was like, “My God, we really did this. We’re here, we’re doing it.”
Nickelodeon had already planned to end “Zoey 101” when you discovered you were pregnant. Then you left Hollywood.
I think when I wrapped “Zoey” there were all these plans of things like, “Let’s go do movies.” I was reading scripts for things I was excited about. But like a lot of young girls, I thought I was in love. And there I am, pregnant at 16. I was so concerned about bringing another human being into this world, but I needed to figure out who I was. And the press wasn’t exactly very nice. I wanted to get as far away from it as I could. So I got a house in Mississippi. I put up a gate, put myself on a budget and said, “I’m gonna raise my baby back here.” And that’s what I did for a while. But I also wanted to show her that I could provide for her future and that I could continue on to be what I wanted to be. Bringing her into my life was not something that I regret or held me back.
But it made it challenging.
Yes, because I had to be accountable for the situation I’d put myself in. I started going to Nashville, writing music and finding other ways to have a creative outlet that made sense for me. It was a break I probably needed because I was very contentious with the press. I didn’t want to see a magazine with my face on it and something mean, and I didn’t want my daughter to see that. What was really important to me was to not be consumed in that world.
You said you were reading scripts. Was there a role you really wanted?
I did read for “Twilight.” This was before vampires had really made their mark. Now we all love to watch stories about vampires, but I literally was like, “Vampires? Are you kidding me?” I remember reading it and going, “Who is going to watch these vampires?” Boy, was I wrong.
When you were working as a songwriter in Nashville, did you think about acting again?
Acting is always something that feels really good. I love telling stories, whether that’s writing music for myself or for other people or playing a role. It’s something I feel really good and comfortable in — I think it was somewhat of my first love.
But I was kind of afraid to come back. I was like, “What if it doesn’t work out?” But it was something I always wanted. I think I was afraid to admit it to myself because I didn’t wanna give everybody the satisfaction of saying, “It’s not gonna happen for you. You had a baby, remember?”
Was there ever a time when you said, “I’m not going back. I’m done.”
For my mental health, it would probably have been a better decision to say, “I’m never doing this again.” But it’s all I know. It’s the only way I know to be. It’s a part of me. How do you unknow some- thing? I knew it was gonna happen, but I was real scared. I was scared of failing.
You must be terrified that your youngest wants to be a movie star.
I really hope it’s a phase. Do five-year-olds go through a phase like that?
But what did you want to be when you were five?
It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do, was to be able to be in front of the camera. And I also think going through things I’ve gone through makes me appreciate it. It’s like, “Wow, how lucky am I have a job and I get to provide for my children doing something I love. I’ve always fought to keep my place to the table. I just feel like I appreciate every single time I get a seat at the table.
Did your desire to be in front of the camera come first or after you saw Britney doing it?
I don’t ever remember a time where I didn’t want to do it. And I’m sure seeing someone, too. Everyone has an idol and mine just happened to be kin to me. Of course you’re going be inspired by what you’re around, but I don’t remember ever thinking about doing anything else.
Could you imagine you and Britney on a stage together again?
I don’t know. I think right now I’m really just focused on me and what I’m doing. I’ve worked very hard to be able to be a part of shows like “Sweet Magnolias.” And then fighting hard to bring back a character from my childhood. That is all I can think about right now because my dreams are coming true.
Variety‘s interview and photo shoot with Spears took place before SAG-AFTRA went on strike. This Q&A has been edited for length and clarity. You can watch the full interview above or listen to it on the “Just for Variety” podcast.
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