Jamie Lynn Spears says paparazzi’s ‘scrutiny’ of sister Britney convinced her to leave the industry
‘I needed to get away and grow up’
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Jamie Lynn Spears says watching her sister Britney being scrutinised by paparazzi convinced her to leave the entertainment industry.
The younger Spears, now 29, made her film debut aged 10 in Crossroads, the 2002 road comedy also starring Britney Spears.
She had more TV credits in the 2000s, in shows such as All That and Zoey 101.
But Jamie Lynn decided to step back from the public eye when she realised that a lack of privacy could impact her negatively.
She told Maria Menounos on the host’s Better Together podcast that this understanding came around the time she became pregnant with her first child at age 16.
“When I became pregnant with Maddie, I bought a house in Mississippi, I put a big old fence around it, and I was like, ‘I don’t want anything in this little word. I’ve got to grow up, number one, I’m trying to figure out how to be a mom,’” Jamie Lynn said.
“And I didn’t want to create that lifestyle and I knew staying in Hollywood – the circus that would have been around me as a young teen mom, it would have been the best show for the media ever.”
Despite her precautions, Jamie Lynn said photographers still managed to track her down.
“What was crazy is they still were there. The paparazzi followed me around this small town, and it felt like, ‘Oh my gosh, I’m never going to be able to get away from this,’” she added.
“Thankfully, just staying away long enough, everything was able to die down. I just think that was my time of saying, ‘I don’t think that I can grow up properly this way.’
“I needed to get away and grow up. Because you can’t expect yourself not to make mistakes, and with the kind of scrutiny that I had seen with my sister, I don’t think I can do that in front of the whole world.”
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Enjoy unlimited access to 100 million ad-free songs and podcasts with Amazon Music
Sign up now for a 4 month free trial (3 months for non-Prime members)
Jamie Lynn has since made new forays into show business. In 2014, she released an EP titled The Journey.
She also has a role in the upcoming series Sweet Magnolias, which will air on Netflix on 19 May.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments