Jamie Lynn Spears offered an uplifting message to those battling mental illness, but a fan decided to use it to question why she won’t discuss how her pop superstar sister Britney Spears is doing. The 29-year-old shared an Instagram post with a tweet that Halsey posted on July 20, about bipolar disorder. In the caption, JL highlighted the “Without Me” singer’s specific quote, “If you can’t offer understanding or sympathy, offer your silence.” Jamie then wrote about how important it is to respect the privacy of someone suffering from mental illness. That’s when a fan called her out about Britney’s mental health status.
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“If you deal with mental illness or care for someone dealing with mental illness, then you know how important it is to respect the situation with privacy for the person, and the family trying to protect their loved ones, no matter how it may appear to the public, and as the public we must learn to do the same,” Jamie Lynn began the caption of her post.
“I pray this doesn’t bring shame to anyone dealing with mental illness, you are not alone, and you are loved. Sending all my love and prayers to all of you,” she added, along with a black heart emoji. She received an overwhelming response of thanks, love and prayers from so many fans battling mental health conditions. But one user asked, “How about your sister’s OBVIOUS mental illness? Why don’t you speak on that?” referring to Britney.
Jamie Lynn fired back, “You have no right to assume anything about my sister. And I have NO right to speak about HER health and personal matters. She’s a strong, badass, unstoppable woman, and that’s the only thing that is obvious.” The 38-year-old singer has been under the conservatorship of her dad Jamie Spears, 68, since 2008, after she experienced a breakdown and hospitalization. Britney also checked into a mental health facility in Apr. 2019, saying she needed some “me-time.”
12 years later, the conservatorship is still in place, though Jamie is no longer in charge. He hired Jodi Montgomery to be temporarily appointed to begin overseeing Britney’s health starting in Jan. 2020. There will be a new hearing in Brit’s conservatorship status on July 22, which is the day after Jamie Lynn clapped back at the fan about Brit’s mental health. Britney currently has no control over her finances, legal affairs, medical attention and how she comes and goes. In advance of the hearing, #FreeBritney began trending on Twitter on July 21, with fans pleading that she be allowed to assume control over her own life again.