Jamie Lynn Spears' Role In Britney’s Conservatorship — And Why People Say She's 'Guilty By Association'
What did Jamie Lynn do?
Kathy Hutchins / DFree / Shutterstock Britney Spears’s court testimony has stirred up more questions than answers, as fans and followers of the #FreeBritney movement scramble to understand the star’s controversial conservatorship.
For years, it has been clear that Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, has played a central role in controlling his daughter’s estate and overseeing the guardianship she wants out of.
But Britney’s younger sister, Jamie Lynn, has also been receiving backlash on social media after the singer expressed anger towards her family’s lack of care.
“My whole family did nothing,” Britney told the court. “I would honestly like to sue my family.”
It's hard to understand how Spears could sue her family members for doing "nothing," so what does she want tot sure them for?
What did Jamie Lynn Speats do and what is her role in Britney’s conservatorship?
Fans are outraged with Jamie Lynn’s lack of public response towards her sister’s conservatorship and have condemned her as being “guilty by association.”
But the complex nature of the conservatorship, as well as the Spears' family dynamics, mean the details of Jamie Lynn’s involvement in her sister’s life are difficult to fully know or understand from the outside.
Jamie Lynn was just 17 years old when Britney’s conservatorship began, so it’s unlikely she has had much control over her sister’s situation.
Yet, we do know she has played some at least some part in the management of her older sister's estate.
Jamie Lynn controls part of Britney’s finances.
Fans of Britney have scrutinized Jamie Lynn's role in managing the singer’s $60 million estate, to which she was named as a trustee in 2018.
Court filings from 2020 show the former “Zoey 101” star then requested control of finances stored in the trust fund for Britney’s children, asking that the money to be moved into accounts for which she was the custodian.
Theose documents do not reveal what Jamie Lynn's intended use for the funds was.
Considering Britney’s main issue with the conservatorship was, at this time, her father’s financial control, it is possible Jamie Lynn may have been attempting to wrestle control away from her father on her sister’s behalf.
The year prior, Jamie Lynn had expressed her continued desire to be there for her sister, sharing a paparazzi video in which she could be seen guiding her sister through swarms of photographers.
Jamie Lynn denies taking money from Britney.
Fans have failed to see her actions as representative of a noble effort to protect her sister.
In 2019, Jamie Lynn was trolled online by critics who accused her of trying to protect her “allowance.”
She hit back in a since-deleted tweet, telling fans that she has never used her sister’s money to fund her lifestyle.
“Haha nice try, but I have NEVER been paid a dime from my sister. That is HER hard earned money, and I am NOT entitled to a cent of it. I would not spend money I did not earn,” she wrote.
Still, many don't believe this is true.
Britney has implied that Jamie Lynn lives off her conservatorship.
Despite Jamie Lynn’s claims to the contrary, Britney appeared to hint that her sister has, in fact, been using her estate a source of money.
“Considering my family has lived off my conservatorship for 13 years, I won't be surprised if one of them has something to say going forward,” Britney told the court on June 23, 2021.
“Especially if I get my fair turn exposing what they did to me,” she added.
It is not clear if Britney meant to include her sister in this criticism, as she only specifically referenced frustration with her father.
Lance Bass says Jamie Lynn is "OK" with the conservatorship.
Jamie Lynn’s exact thoughts on the conservatorship remain largely a mystery, as she rarely references the arrangement publicly.
However, former NSYNC member, Lance Bass, revealed in 2020 that he had spoken directly to Jamie Lynn after expressing concern about her sister’s wellbeing.
"The one thing that I do know is, I know Jamie Lynn,” he said at the time. “If Jamie is OK with everything going on, I feel like she really has her sister's back during all this.”
He pointed out that we don’t know the full extent of Britney’s situation behind closed doors and expressed his belief that the singer’s family has her best interests at heart.
Jamie Lynn has defended her sister.
In spite of the backlash she is receiving, Jamie Lynn’s rare public statements have shown support towards her sister.
Last year, she replied to a comment from someone suggesting Britney had an “obvious mental illness.”
"I have NO right to speak about HER health and personal matters. She is a strong, badass, unstoppable woman, and that's the only thing that is OBVIOUS," Jamie Lynn wrote.
Her comment seems to suggests that her silence may come from a desire to respect Britney’s privacy and avoid speaking on her behalf rather than any kind of nefarious means to control her.
Alice Kelly is a writer living in Brooklyn, New York. Catch her covering all things social justice, news, and entertainment. Keep up with her on Twitter for more.