Jamie Lynn Spears recalls her father’s ‘anger’ following teen pregnancy in the upcoming book
The ‘Zoey 101’ alum will delve into her years as a child actor and her daughter’s near-fatal ATV accident
In January 2022, the 30-year-old will be releasing a memoir titled “Things I Should Have Said: Family, Fame, and Figuring It Out.” In the book, the “Zoey 101” alum will discuss the struggles she endured as a teen star who suddenly became a teen mom.
In an excerpt obtained by People magazine this week, the younger sister of pop star Britney Spears recalled how she became pregnant with her daughter Maddie at age 16.
“A single day had elapsed before Daddy’s anger brought out the sense of dread everyone felt about my situation,” Spears wrote. “Once Momma and Daddy told my team, things spiraled out of control pretty quickly. When I walked in, Daddy, Bryan, and Momma were in the house and [a member of] my financial management team was on the phone.”
There was a whole lot of fighting going on between everyone involved,” she continued. “The entire Spears team was already caught up in my sister’s PR difficulties, and everyone around me just wanted to make this ‘issue’ disappear. My family and management pulled me out of school until they could figure out what to do next. They took my smartphone away, fearing the news would get out, and insisted that no one share any information with anyone, especially the press. My daddy and I stopped speaking and the tension was terrible.”
According to Spears, the then-teen isolated herself in her room as her family and team discussed what the future held for her.
“Everyone had their own opinion about what was best for me,” she recalled. “One person after another — and there were many — came to my room trying to convince me that having a baby at this point in my life was a terrible idea. There was lots of chatter, but none of it felt right to me.”
It will kill your career,” she said. “You are just too young. You don’t know what you’re doing. There are pills you can take. We can help you take care of this problem. Think about what you’re doing to your family. Doesn’t the family have enough to deal with? I know a doctor. There are procedures that remedy mistakes like this. You don’t have to do this. He’s a louse. He’ll never be able to care for the baby or you. Jamie Lynn, don’t make a mistake you’ll regret for the rest of your life.”
Spears described how her home “felt like a prison” as she attempted to hide from the world without a smartphone. She alleged that her team was so determined to hide her pregnancy from the public that they suggested keeping the news a secret from her older sister, as she was faced with her own public woes.
“I needed her more than ever and she wasn’t able to help me in my most vulnerable time,” said Spears. “Britney’s condition was spiraling into something more concerning. They were concerned her instability at that time made her untrustworthy. I went along with what my team told me to do because I was a minor and didn’t want to create any more issues. Britney learned of the pregnancy when the article was released. To this day, the hurt of not being able to tell my sister myself lingers.”
In October, Spears announced she was writing a book.
