Britney Spears’ Ups and Downs With Dad Jamie Spears

Britney Spears’ and her father, Jamie Spears, have been at odds throughout the singer’s life. Growing up, Britney and her mother, Lynne Spears, were close as the matriarch took her eldest daughter to auditions and performances in their native Louisiana. Jamie, for his part, faced a series of personal struggles. After Britney’s career took off in 1998, her parents’ marriage took a turn for the worse. They divorced in May 2002, and Britney later called it “the best thing that’s ever happened to my family.” However, Jamie remained in Britney’s life after his split from Lynne. In February 2008, he was tasked with playing a pivotal role when he received control of his famous daughter’s personal affairs and estate following her publicized breakdown. Although he originally petitioned for the conservatorship to be temporary, it was made permanent in October 2008. The conservatorship lasted for nearly 13 years before officially ending in November 2021. Since the termination, Britney has spoken out against her father and how he handled her conservatorship. Scroll down to revisit Britney and Jamie’s ups and downs over the years:

Lynne wrote in Through the Storm that Jamie “always enjoyed a beer here and there, but he didn’t start drinking heavily until after Bryan was born” in April 1977. “With every alcohol-soaked episode, our perfect little life began to unstitch, and the knot we had tied with our vows and our love started to work loose, thread by painful thread,” she continued. Jamie eventually went to rehab in 2004 after Britney urged him to seek help.

Lynne and her longtime friend Felicia Culotta took turns traveling with Britney in the late '90s after the teen signed a deal with Jive Records. Britney’s agent at the time, Nancy Carson, recalled seeing Jamie around much less, saying in the “Framing Britney Spears” episode of The New York Times Presents in February 2021, “Jamie visited from time to time and was anxious to see this time be worthwhile so that he could justify the money that it was costing to do this.”

Former Jive executive Kim Kaiman, meanwhile, said in the documentary, “Her mother would do whatever it took, personally and for the family’s sake, for Britney to be a star. I never talked to her father. The only thing Jamie ever said to me was, ‘My daughter is going to be so rich she’s going to buy me a boat.’”

Jamie was at Britney’s side throughout her 2008 MTV documentary, Britney: For the Record, as she prepared for her comeback after months of personal setbacks. In one particularly memorable scene, the patriarch whipped up his daughter’s favorite comfort food, telling the camera, “Grits is an old Southern tradition. She’s been eating them since she was born. … Everybody else has Wheaties, but Southern girls’ breakfast of champions is cheese grits.”

In the summer of 2014, JAmie bought a video of Britney’s then-boyfriend, David Lucado, kissing and dancing with another woman so that it would not leak online and embarrass his daughter. Britney broke up with Lucado soon after.

Jamie attended several of the pop star’s concerts during her Las Vegas residency, Britney: Piece of Me, which ran from December 2013 to December 2017.

The former Mouseketeer canceled her planned second Vegas residency, Britney: Domination, in January 2019 after her dad was hospitalized for a ruptured colon. “We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time. I hope you all can understand,” she wrote via Instagram at the time.

Multiple sources exclusively told Us in September 2019 that police responded to Jamie’s California condo the month prior after he got into an argument with his grandson Sean Preston and “shook” the then-13-year-old. Britney’s ex-husband Kevin Federline subsequently obtained a restraining order against Jamie that prohibited his former father-in-law from coming near Preston or the former couple’s youngest son, Jayden. While the Ventura County District Attorney’s Office declined to file child abuse charges against Jamie, the incident drove a wedge between Britney and her dad and led Federline to alter his ex-wife’s custodial time. “The incident with Jamie and Preston changed everything,” a source exclusively told Us in December 2020.

In her 2023 memoir, Britney opened up about the incident between her son and father, revealing that Jamie “broke down the door” of a bedroom before shaking him. Though Federline was granted the restraining order, Jamie was never charged with a crime. 

Us exclusively reported in April 2020 that Britney “went back home to Louisiana to visit her mom, dad, sister and her nieces” amid the COVID-19 pandemic after initially quarantining in California with her then-boyfriend, Sam Asghari. The family celebrated Jamie Lynn’s 29th birthday while Britney was in town and also enjoyed “fun, relaxing downtime,” according to a source.

Jamie’s attorney Vivian Thoreen confirmed the news 10 months later, saying on Good Morning America, “Early on in the pandemic, they spent two weeks with other family members, hunkered down in Louisiana, and they spent a lot of time together. Britney and Jamie went on long drives together. They played and worked in the family garden. And every night, Jamie cooked Southern comfort food that the family ate and enjoyed together.”

During her time out of the spotlight, Britney became more involved in her conservatorship. In August 2020, she filed court documents stating that she was “strongly opposed” to Jamie being the conservator of her person and of her estate. She requested that Montgomery, who temporarily replaced Jamie after his November 2019 health scare, permanently oversee Britney’s personal affairs. She also asked that a “qualified corporate fiduciary” take control of her money. Despite his daughter’s requests, Jamie has continued to fight to stay on the case.

The entertainer’s attorney said during a November 2020 court hearing that Britney had informed him that “she is afraid of her father” and that “she will not perform as long as her father is in charge of her career.” Jamie’s lawyer denied the claim. At the end of the hearing, the judge decided not to suspend Jamie as conservator but approved Bessemer Trust to handle Britney’s estate alongside him.

Jamie told CNN in December 2020 that he had not been on “good terms” with Britney since that August, the same month she said she was “opposed” to his role. “I love my daughter and I miss her very much,” he told the outlet. “When a family member needs special care and protection, families need to step up, as I have done for the last 12-plus years, to safeguard, protect and continue to love Britney unconditionally. I have and will continue to provide unwavering love and fierce protection against those with self-serving interests and those who seek to harm her or my family.”

Asghari, who started dating Britney in late 2016, slammed Jamie in February 2021, writing via his Instagram Stories, “I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way. In my opinion Jamie is a total dick.” Asghari later told TMZ that “once [Jamie] starts treating his daughter right, then we can be on good terms.”

In July 2021, Us confirmed that Britney and her new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, had submitted paperwork to have Jamie permanently removed from her conservatorship team. Britney's mom, Lynne, seemingly supported the move in a fiery declaration, calling out Jamie's "entirely inappropriate" actions toward their daughter.

"Since this conservatorship has been in place, the relationship between the conservatee and Mr. Spears has dwindled to nothing but fear and hatred of Mr. Spears by the conservatee due to Mr. Spears' behavior, including his complete control over her, his mistrust of her, his coercion of her, his 'bartering' with her over what she can and cannot do for whatever reward or punishment he is willing to mete out, his constant threats, and his decision-making over all aspects of her life," Lynne claimed at the time.

In August 2021, two months after Britney's bombshell court hearing, Jamie filed court documents agreeing to step down as the conservator of her estate. "Regardless of his formal title, Mr. Spears will always be Ms. Spears' father, he will always love her unconditionally, and he will always look out for her best interests," the docs stated.

At the time, the pop star's lawyer noted in a statement, "We are pleased but not necessarily surprised that Mr. Spears and his lawyer finally recognize that he must be removed. We are disappointed, however, by their ongoing shameful and reprehensible attacks on Ms. Spears and others."

"The status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted," Rosengart wrote in the legal docs. "Mr. Spears’s blatant attempt to barter suspension and removal in exchange for approximately $2 million in payments, on top of the millions already reaped from Ms. Spears’s estate by Mr. Spears and his associates, is a non-starter."

Jamie was suspended as conservator of his daughter’s estate during a September 2021 hearing, effective immediately. John Zabel was appointed Britney’s temporary conservator until December 31, 2021. The judge also said both legal teams would have to return to court within 30 to 45 days to discuss whether to terminate the conservatorship in its entirety.

After her father was officially suspended as her conservator, Britney took to Instagram to share her thoughts about the situation. "Although there is change and things to celebrate in my life, I still have a lot of healing to do 🌳 !!!" she wrote in October 2021. "Thankfully I have a good support system and am taking time to understand it’s ok to slow down and breathe 🧘‍♀️!!!!! Only through self love I can pray … love … and support others in return !!!!"

An insider exclusively told Us in December 2021 that “Britney can’t wait to get married and truly start her life,” but her wedding plans don’t currently include her family. “As of now, there will be none of her family who is invited to wedding,” the source added.

Though she was freed from her conservatorship in late 2021, Britney's legal drama with her father didn't end. Jamie's lawyer sent an email to the singer's attorney in January 2022 requesting "a mutually agreeable date" for Britney to sit for a deposition regarding the claims she made about her conservatorship.

"Ideally, we would agree to conduct these depositions in early March, with them either occurring on consecutive days or at least the same week," the note read, asking that Jamie be deposed first. "Additionally, so as to avoid any issues or problems, we propose that we formalize the schedule through a stipulation and Court order so that we are all under a Court order to appear for the depositions as noticed."

Britney's team was given a deadline to respond by February 4, 2022.

“This is the day I realized my mom should have scared 😱 my dad in life !!!!! Or possibly just attempted to care !!!” Britney wrote via Instagram in March 2022, alongside a screenshot of a child’s alleged homework, who called their dad a hero who is afraid of their mom.

The songstress continued in her post: “Pss I’ve learned to be like her … I DON’T KNOW 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️ that way YOUR SWEET ….. DADDY’S NEVER SCARED, RIGHT MA ???? Psss when moms play their daughters lol 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹 … Geez my whole life … if you look up you can see a CHILD WROTE THIS … ONLY THE CHILD KNOWS !!!! Pssssssss and what the child said is the way it should be !!!!”

In a 22-minute audio clip Britney shared via YouTube in August, she alleged that her parents "set up" her 13-year conservatorship. 

“A woman introduced the idea [of the conservatorship] to my dad, and my mom actually helped him follow through and made it all happen,” the "Gimme More" singer claimed in a since-deleted YouTube video, per Variety, recalling the incident that appeared to kick off her highly publicized conservatorship. “There were over 200 paparazzi outside my house videotaping me through a window of an ambulance holding me down on a gurney," she recalled, adding that the incident was orchestrated by Jamie and Lynne.

“It was all basically set up. There were no drugs in my system. No alcohol. No nothing. It was pure abuse,” Britney alleged. “And I haven’t even really shared even half of it.”

The Louisiana native defended his decision for his daughter’s lengthy conservatorship in December 2022.

"Not everybody's going to agree with me. It's been one hell of a time," he said to the Daily Mail at the time. "But I love my daughter with all my heart and soul. Where would Britney be right now without that conservatorship? And I don't know if she'd be alive. I don't. … For protecting her, and also protecting [her two teenage sons], conservatorship was a great tool."

In her tell-all, The Woman in Me, Britney opened up about childhood and claimed that her father had “extreme mood swings” due to an alleged alcohol addiction and money issues in their family. The singer also recalled seeing her parents argue before they ultimately split.

As Jamie was appointed as Britney’s conservator, she reflected on what her life was like under her dad’s control including how he oversaw her work schedule, dating life, social life, money, medication and diet.

“In my old life I’d had freedom: the freedom to make my own decisions, to set my own agenda, to wake up and decide how I wanted to spend the day. Even the hard days were my hard days. Once I gave up the fight, in my new life, I would wake up each morning and ask one question: ‘What are we doing?’” Britney wrote. “And then I would do what I was told.”

In an Us Weekly cover story, multiple sources said that Britney and her dad weren’t in a good place. “[Her] relationship with her dad is nonexistent,” said one insider, adding, “There’s no chance of reconciliation.”

A second source noted, “There’s zero communication on either side, and that’s how she likes it. Furious doesn’t even begin to cover how she feels about him and what he did to her. She’ll never forgive him. He’s accepted it and lives a very quiet life now. With the conservatorship over, the only stress in his life now is his health.”

A third insider, however, explained that Britney still “loves her dad” and “offered to pay for his healthcare and find the best doctors” when he had his leg amputated in late 2023 due to a bad infection.