Britney Spears and Mom Lynne Spears' Ups and Downs Through the Years

Britney Spears and her mother, Lynne Spears, have had a rocky relationship through the years.

Nearly 10 years after hitting it big with her debut single, “ ... Baby One More Time,” Britney was placed under a conservatorship (run by father Jamie Spears) — in 2008 after a series of personal struggles. For many years, Jamie had control over his eldest daughter’s estate and person until Jodi Montgomery took over in 2019. 

Lynne got involved in the legal battle in 2020 when she requested to be included in financial decisions on the “Circus” singer’s behalf. Since 2021, Britney has denounced how her parents managed her affairs.

The 13-year conservatorship was terminated in November 2021, but the bad blood between Britney and her family remained. Britney even slammed Lynne for not trying to help sooner, which the Spears matriarch denied.

“Britney, your whole life I have tried my best to support your dreams and wishes!" she claimed in August 2022. "And also, I have tried my best to help you out of hardships!”

Scroll below for a timeline of Britney’s relationship with her mother:

Four years after Lynne and Jamie welcomed son Bryan Spears, the A Mother’s Gift author gave birth to the pop star.

As Britney burst onto the pop scene in 1999 with “ ... Baby One More Time,” Lynne was a fervent supporter of her daughter’s endeavors. They pair even cowrote the book Britney Spears’ Heart to Heart, which was released one year later.

Eight years later, Britney was placed under the conservatorship after her divorce from Kevin Federline. Lynne’s involvement was kept out of the spotlight.

As Britney’s legal battle continued, Lynne filed a motion to be included in decisions regarding her daughter's finances. Lynne’s petition was ultimately denied by the court.

After Britney broke her silence about the conditions of the conservatorship during a court hearing, Lynne’s attorney Gladstone Jones defended her as a “very concerned mother.”

“Pssss my dad may have started the conservatorship 13 years ago … but what people don’t know is that my mom is the one who gave him the idea !!!! I will never get those years back. She secretly ruined my life,” Britney alleged in an Instagram post after the conservatorship ended, claiming Jamie wasn’t “smart enough” to run it without Lynne’s guidance.

After a source confirmed to Us that Britney’s parents and siblings did not make the guest list at her wedding to Sam Asghari, Lynne shared her well-wishes via Instagram.

“You look radiant and so happy,” she wrote via Instagram in response to Britney’s ceremony photos. “Your wedding is the ‘Dream’ wedding! And having it at your home makes it so sentimental and special! I am soooo happy for you! I love you!”

Britney released an audio recording in which she alleged that her family “literally killed me” with the conservatorship.

“How much effort and work and heart I put in to what I did when I did work, even down to the details of how many rhinestones are going to be in my costumes. I care so much. And they literally killed me,” she claimed in her since-deleted video. “They threw me away. That’s what I felt — I felt like my family threw me away.”

Lynne responded to Britney’s allegations via Instagram, noting she remains in her corner.

"Britney, your whole life I have tried my best to support your dreams and wishes! And also, I have tried my best to help you out of hardships,” she wrote at the time. "I have never and will never turn my back on you! Your rejections to the countless times I have flown out and calls make me feel hopeless! I have tried everything. I love you so much, but this talk is for you and me only, eye to eye, in private.”

After Britney admitted via Instagram that she had an “extremely hard time” letting the past go, Lynne apologized for her actions.

“I'm sooo sorry for your pain! I have been sorry for years! I love you so much and miss you,” Lynne wrote via Instagram comment. “Please unblock me so I can speak to you in person! Britney, deep down you know how much I love and miss you! I apologize for anything and everything that's hurt you!”

Britney responded to her mother’s requests to “unblock” her from social media, noting via Instagram that Lynne can “take your apology and go f*** yourself.”

She added: “I pray you all burn in hell!”

The "Toxic" singer claimed via Instagram that her mother once slapped her after she returned home late at night. 

"The first time I ever got slapped was the one night Paris [Hilton] and Lindsay [Lohan] dropped me off at my beach house with my babies,” she wrote. 

She continued: "My mother was watching [my sons] Jayden and Preston … yes I partied till like 4am and my mother was PISSED ... I walked in, she looked at me and slapped me so hard that I will never forget it !!!”

“My sweet mama showed up at my door step yesterday after 3 years … it’s been such a long time,” Britney revealed via Instagram. “With family there’s always things that need to be worked out … but time heals all wounds!!!”

She continued: “And after being able to communicate what I’ve held in for an extremely long time, I feel so blessed we were able to try to make things RIGHT !!! I love you so much!!!”

The musician wrapped up her post by saying she and her mom should get coffee together, something she was not allowed to have during her yearslong conservatorship.

One month later, a source exclusively told Us that the reunion wasn't planned.

"Britney didn't know her mother was coming into town. Britney's team wanted it to be a surprise because they didn't want Britney to say no," the insider revealed in June 2023. "They were able to talk things out. Britney felt understood for the first time in years."

Britney released her debut memoir, The Woman in Me, in October and did not hold back when it came to discussing her estranged family relationships. In one passage, she realized that she knew she “never wanted” to see them again after Lynne allegedly threw out her beloved Madame Alexander doll collection and binders of original poetry.

Weeks later, Lynne asserted that Britney’s belongings are still stored at her house and she would be “happy to send them” to the pop star.

“I'm not sure who told you I got rid of your dolls and journals but I would never do that,” Lynne wrote via Instagram in November 2023, sharing a pic of the toys. “That would be cruel because I know how much they mean to you. They are special to me too because of the years we spent collecting them.”

Lynne took to Instagram to prove she didn’t get rid of Britney’s Madame Alexander doll collection and childhood poetry after Britney claimed she did so in her book, The Woman in Me.

“I'm not sure who told you I got rid of your dolls and journals but I would never do that! That would be cruel because I know how much they mean to you,” Lynne captioned pics of the dolls, even offering to ship them to her daughter. “They are special to me too because of the years we spent collecting them.”

Despite Lynne’s sweet gesture, Britney informed her mother that she did not need to have the items shipped to her. “Mom I love you so so much, but there were 3 dolls in the cabinets when I went home 2 years ago,” she wrote via Instagram. “Kinda really weird you would take them out and then put them back in. So messed up.”

A source exclusively told Us that Britney was “really happy with where things seem to be headed with her mom,” adding, “nothing has been set in stone yet, but Britney may be taking time to celebrate the holidays together with her mom and brother [Bryan].”

The insider noted that although the pair “still have a lot to work through,” the “door for communication has been opened, and they’ve been in contact very often lately.”

Despite the hopes of a holiday reunion, a second source later revealed to Us that the duo’splans ultimately fell through. “Britney understands that her mom would have loved for her to visit for Christmas but she just felt like it was too soon,” the insider shared.

The source explained that Britney “wants things to unfold organically” between her and her mother and doesn’t want to “force anything.” They added: “Britney is in a really good place and would love to continue maintaining her relationship with her mom. But she just wants to take her time. She doesn’t feel like there’s a need to rush anything.”

An insider exclusively told Us that Britney’s relationship with her mom is still “complicated” after years of discord. “Their relationship is very fragile. [Lynne] reaches out to Britney for the most part,” the source explained. “They talk and text every few weeks. [There are] no plans for [her] mom to visit anytime soon.”

A second insider offered a similar assessment of the situation, telling Us, “[Britney] and her mom still have highs and lows. One day they’re working on their relationship, the next they won’t speak for weeks. Lynne tries to treat the situation with as much care as possible, but she also doesn’t want to sit back and do nothing. She’d love more than anything to be close with Britney again. They used to be best friends. Lynne understands Britney is still hurt and traumatized by the conservatorship, but she hopes one day they can focus on the future and not the past.”

A third source, meanwhile, added that Britney “knows her mom is a great woman and loves her dearly.”