Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Britney Spears locked herself in a room with a knife in a state of fear, claims sister Jamie Lynn

‘I was so upset that she didn’t feel safe,’ said former child star

Ellie Harrison
Thursday 13 January 2022 16:33 EST
Jamie Lynn Spears 'took no steps to be a part of' Britney's conservatorship

Your support helps us to tell the story

This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.

The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.

Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.

Jamie Lynn Spears has claimed that her sister Britney Spears once locked the two of them in a room with a knife because she “didn’t feel safe”.

The former child actor was speaking with ABC News on Wednesday (12 January) when she made the comments.

In the interview, host Juju Chang noted that in Jamie Lynn’s memoir, Things I Should Have Said, she described Britney’s behaviour over her lifetime as “erratic, paranoid, and spiralling”.

In the book, Jamie Lynn also claimed that there was an incident where Britney became “scared” and took a knife and locked herself and Jamie Lynn inside a room.

When questioned by presenter Juju Chang on why she would share such a vulnerable moment of Britney’s in public, Jamie Lynn said: “First off, I think experiencing my own panic attacks and how sometimes we can feel in those moments is important. It’s important to remember that I was a kid in that moment. I was scared. That was an experience I had, but I also was fearful to like really say anything because I didn’t want to upset anybody but also was so upset that she didn’t feel safe.”

The Independent has contacted Britney’s representatives for comment.

In the interview, Jamie Lynn discusses other aspects of her strained relationship with Britney, whose conservatorship came to an end after 13 years in November.

The rift between the siblings became public during the final months of Britney’s legal battle to end her long-standing conservatorship.

Jamie Lynn and Britney Spears in 2002
Jamie Lynn and Britney Spears in 2002 (Getty Images)

In June last year, Britney broke her silence on the conservatorship in a court testimony during which she called for her father and others involved in the legal arrangement “to be in jail”.

Following her appearance at open court in Los Angeles, the singer wrote a lengthy message to fans in which she complained about people close to her “never showing up”.

The message came shortly after Jamie Lynn had publicly pledged her support for Britney for the first time.

In July, however, Britney called out her sister specifically.

“I don’t like that my sister showed up at an awards show and performed MY SONGS to remixes!” she wrote at the time. “My so-called support system hurt me deeply!”

She added: “If you’re like my family who says things like ‘sorry, you’re in a conservatorship’ ... probably thinking you’re different so they can f*** with you!”

The sisters’ mother, Lynne, has previously defended Jamie Lynn, telling critics to “stop” attacking her youngest daughter.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in