Britney & Jamie Lynn Spears’ Social Media Feud Has Taken A Turn

After a very public back-and-forth involving both Twitter and Instagram, sisters Britney and Jamie Lynn Spears sound ready to end the social media war of words. On Saturday, Jan. 15, the pop star followed up a scathing message she’d posted about the Sweet Magnolias actor the day before, correcting some of her earlier points (including the one that seemed to call Jamie Lynn a “scum person”) and letting her know she loves her “unconditionally.” In a response shortly thereafter, Jamie Lynn also shared her love and urged Britney to call her so they could handle the situation privately.

The situation had escalated as Jamie Lynn promoted her new memoir and opened up more than ever about her strained relationship with her big sister. In a Jan. 12 Nightline interview with Juju Chang, Jamie Lynn claimed that Britney often exhibited “erratic, paranoid, and spiraling” behavior in the past, including an alleged incident where her “scared” sister grabbed a knife and locked the two of them in a room. After hearing Jamie Lynn’s claims, Britney responded on Twitter, sharing screenshots of lengthy notes she’d written on her phone that dismissed them as “crazy lies.”

“Jamie Lynn... congrats babe! You’ve stooped to a whole new level of LOW... I’ve never been around you ever with a knife or would I ever even think to do such!!!” the elder Spears sister posted, in part, on Jan. 14. “The only knife I ever saw you with at home was cutting the biggest pieces of squash I ever saw in my life and it was way too big for me to cut... So please please stop with these crazy lies for the Hollywood books!!! NOW and only NOW do I know only a scum person would make up such things about someone....”

This wasn’t Britney’s first response to Jamie Lynn’s press tour, either. After the Things I Should Have Said author appeared on Good Morning America earlier on Jan. 12, Spears tweeted multiple other lengthy screenshot messages, explaining in detail that she “got really sick” and watched Jamie Lynn’s interview while battling a 104-degree fever. One thing that “did bother” Britney was her sister’s assertion that her “behavior was out of control” in the past. “She was never around me 15 years ago at that time .... so why are they even talking about that unless she wants to sell a book at my expense,” the “Toxic” singer wrote.

Britney also took issue with Jamie Lynn performing remixes of her songs, including during a tribute at the Radio Disney Music Awards in 2017: “I know it may sound like a silly thing to most people but I wrote a lot of my songs and my sister was the baby. She never had to work for anything. Everything was always given to her !!!!! ... But see, I always was the bigger person. They all got to DO IT and PLAY ME and I always sat there and took it.” The Grammy winner added that her family “ruined [her] dreams 100 billion percent” and tried to make her “look like the crazy one,” leaving her “disgusted with them.”

In keeping with her newfound candor, Jamie Lynn cited her “lifetime of staying silent” while responding to Britney’s social media posts in a Jan. 14 Instagram statement. “It’s hard to see these posts, as I know the world also feels,” Jamie Lynn wrote. “I just wish her well. Brit, I am always here, you know behind the scenes I have always been here. It’s become exhausting when conversations and texts we have in private don’t match what you post on social media. I know you’re going through a lot and I never want to diminish that, but I also can’t diminish myself.”

The former Nickelodeon star also fired back that Britney’s claims were “absolutely not the truth,” and she felt the need “to clarify that” because her family “continues to get death threats, as a result of [Britney’s] vague and accusatory posts.” The 30-year-old mother of two further contended that Britney knows “she could tell the truth, and put an end to all of it in one second if she wanted to.” Adding that she hates to “burst [her] sister’s bubble,” Jamie Lynn said that her book “is not about” Britney and that she’s “worked hard” since before she was a teen.

“There are no sides, and I don’t want drama, but I’m speaking my truth to heal my traumas, so I can close this chapter and move forward, and I wish my sister could do the same,” she shared. “No matter what comes, I will always love my big sister, and be here for her. It’s time to put an end to the unhealthy chaos that has controlled my life for so long.”

The Zoey 101 alum also posted a more cryptic Instagram story on Jan. 14 that read, “Nobody trashes your name more than someone who’s afraid you’ll tell people the truth.”

Despite no longer following her, Britney must have seen Jamie Lynn’s posts, because the message she tweeted to her on Jan. 15 was much more conciliatory. That’s not to say she didn’t stand by many of her original grievances — she did. The singer maintained that Jamie Lynn is “making up” things about her, for example, and made it clear she was still hurt by Jamie Lynn’s lack of intervention when she was treated in a mental health facility and went to her for support.

“When I called you from that place … you would take days to respond !!!” Britney wrote in part. “I never got to talk to you !!! You would just text me days later and I was so scared … I needed you … my family, my blood and your support more than anything !!! You guys did absolutely nothing UNTIL a year ago !!!”

That said, Britney did acknowledge Jamie Lynn’s hard work and told her she loved her. “Say whatever you want to say just know I do know your real heart more than anyone !!!” she concluded. “It’s your life and you deserve a beautiful life !!!! I wish I would be able to do what you’re doing and do interviews !!! I’m scared of all of it … I admire you for being strong … just know I love you and I think you know that more than anything !!!”

Britney seemed more open to the idea of a ceasefire, especially considering she wrote that “it’s so tacky for a family to fight publicly like this.” On that point, the two Spearses apparently agree. Jamie Lynn again responded via an Instagram story, and this time she urged Britney to call her so they could “handle this privately like sisters should.” Still, she wanted to rebut two points.

“In the meantime, please stop continuing the narrative that I haven’t been there for you or that I’m making things up,” she wrote. “I’m happy to share how many times I’ve reached out to you, supported you and tried to help you. This is embarrassing and has to stop. love you.”

The issue of support — or lack thereof — has been a longstanding point of contention between the sisters. As Britney battled to free herself from her longstanding conservatorship this summer, she blasted those who “never showed up” for her over the years. In her ABC interview with Chang, Jamie Lynn claimed, however, that she’s “always been her sister’s biggest supporter,” and had even “set up ways to help” her end her conservatorship. “If it’s going to cause this much discord why continue it?” she asked. “It wasn’t about agreeing with the conservatorship. Everyone has a voice and it should be heard so if she wanted to talk to other people then I set that up.”

A judge released Britney from her conservatorship in November, and the singer kicked off 2022 by unfollowing Jamie Lynn on social media. Even so, the younger Spears told Chang that the “love is still there” between them, explaining, “I’ve only ever loved and supported her and done what’s right by her so I don’t know why we’re in this position right now.”

Hopefully the sisters can figure it all out soon.

Additional reporting by Stephanie Topacio Long.