Jamie Lynn Spears

Jamie Lynn Spears (born April 4, 1991) is an American actress, singer, and is the younger sister of Britney Spears. Spears began her career as a child actress on All That and had her breakthrough role when she played Zoey Brooks on the Nickelodeon teen sitcom Zoey 101 (2005–2008); she later reprised this role in the sequel film Zoey 102 (2023). She plays Noreen Fitzgibbons on the Netflix romantic drama series Sweet Magnolias (2020–present). She is the recipient of several accolades, including a Gracie Award, two Kids Choice Awards and two Young Artist Awards.

Beginning in December 2007, Spears was subject to significant media attention and controversy after announcing her pregnancy at age 16. A misconception emerged that this canceled Zoey 101; however, the final season wrapped filming on August 10, 2007 and premiered the following year. After giving birth in June 2008, Spears stopped acting for five years.

Spears returned from her hiatus in 2013 and began her music career. She released her debut single "How Could I Want More" from her debut EP in country music, The Journey (2014). Spears also co-wrote Jana Kramer's platinum certified 2015 single, "I Got the Boy".

In 2023, due to the SAG-AFTRA strike, Spears appeared on reality television shows, such as Dancing with the Stars, Special Forces: World's Toughest Test and I'm a Celebrity...Get Me Out of Here!.

Early life

Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi, and raised in Kentwood, Louisiana. She is the youngest child of Lynne Irene (née Bridges) and James "Jamie" Parnell Spears. She has two older siblings, Bryan and Britney. Her parents divorced in 2002, but were in an on-and-off relationship after the divorce. She has described her home life as unstable, but remembers "feeling very loved". She attended Parklane Academy in McComb, where she was a cheerleader, and point guard of the basketball team. She was enrolled in dance and voice lessons, and participated in school plays and church performances. As a child, Spears and her family also spent time traveling and touring with her sister Britney.

Spears studied with tutors while filming Zoey 101 in Los Angeles. She finished her education via online correspondence and received her GED in February 2008 through Tangipahoa Parish School System Adult Education Center.

Career

2002–2008: Career beginnings and success with All That and Zoey 101

In February 2002, at age 10, Spears made her acting debut in the Paramount Pictures drama film Crossroads which starred her sister, who portrayed the central character Lucy Wagner. Spears made a cameo, playing the younger version of Britney's character. In April 2002, Spears walked the runway as a model for Kids R Us fashion show in New York City. Following Crossroads, Nickelodeon cast Spears as a regular performer in the sketch comedy series All That for the 2002 season; she appeared on the show through 2004. Spears portrayed various roles through the two seasons she appeared. Along with the cast of All That, Spears also made appearances on Snick On-Air Dare, Nickelodeon's version of Fear Factor. Deciding to pursue other roles on the network, Spears departed from the main cast on the tenth and final season of All That, and only appeared as a guest. At age 13, Spears was named as one of the celebrities on Teen People's Young Hollywood/Hot List.

In August 2004, Spears signed a development deal with Nickelodeon in which she would star as the protagonist in her own scripted television series that would air on the network. The series went on to be titled Zoey 101 and Spears portrayed the role of Zoey Brooks. The series centered on Zoey and her friends who attend a fictional boarding school, Pacific Coast Academy (PCA). Spears recorded the series theme song, titled "Follow Me", which was written by her sister Britney Spears. Filmed at Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, the series premiered on January 9, 2005, and was the network's highest-rated series premiere in over eight years. Spears won a Young Artist Award and a Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards for her performance. In September 2007, she won "The High School Sweetheart" award at Us Weekly's Hot Hollywood event.

Zoey 101 was positively received by critics and viewers. It was nominated for an Emmy for Outstanding Children's Programming, and the show's season 3 finale episode was the second most-watched show across all cable channels that week. The series ran for four seasons, with its series finale "PCA Confidential" airing on May 2, 2008. Nickelodeon issued a statement shortly after the announcement of Spears being pregnant at the age of 16, stating that the network respected Spears's decision to take responsibility and noting that its primary concern was for her well-being. Spears' co-star Sean Flynn praised her as hard-working and talented, telling Nylon: "One of the things that always stood out to me regarding her professionalism was how well she knew her lines. I don’t think she ever messed one up. She always brought her best work to the table."

In December 2007, Variety announced that Spears had signed on to guest-appear in the ABC comedy sitcom series Miss Guided, in which she played the role of the promiscuous high-school student Mandy Fener in the episode "Hot Sub" which aired on March 20, 2008. That same year, Spears voiced Goldilocks in the direct-to-DVD animation film Unstable Fables: Goldilocks & 3 Bears Show.

2011–2017: Country music debut

In 2011, Spears moved to Nashville and began working on a country music album with local music producers. On November 7, 2011, Spears held a small concert at The Rutledge in Nashville. On November 25, 2013, Spears released her first single "How Could I Want More". The song debuted at number 29 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs, and at number 8 on the Country Digital Songs chart, for the week ending December 7, 2013. Kevin Rutherford of Billboard described Spears' performance as "sweet and innocent" yet powerful, and suggested the song would fit right in at country radio. The song was named Taste of Country's Top Critic's Pick.

Spears was featured on her older sister Britney Spears's eighth studio album Britney Jean on the song "Chillin' with You". On May 27, 2014, Spears released her debut EP The Journey. The EP peaked at number 5 on Billboard's Heatseekers Albums and at number 24 on Top Country Albums. That year, Spears made numerous appearances on country radio talk shows, made performances at fairs and festivals, and was an opening act for Alan Jackson. Spears co-wrote the Jana Kramer song "I Got the Boy" which was released as the second single from Thirty One in 2015.

In 2016, Spears released the documentary Jamie Lynn Spears: When the Lights Go Out, reflecting on the controversy of her pregnancy, showcasing her country music career after "realizing [her] true calling was music" as well as her personal life as a wife and mother. On March 15, 2016, Spears performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. On June 24, 2016, Spears released her second single "Sleepover". Spears was a presenter and a performer at Radio Disney Music Awards in April 2017.

2018–2023: Sweet Magnolias, Zoey 102, memoir, and reality television

In an episode that aired on July 13, 2018, Spears returned to Nickelodeon for the first time in over ten years as a contestant on the revived game show Double Dare with her daughter Maddie. In July 2019, Netflix announced that Spears was cast as Noreen Fitzgibbons in the romance drama series Sweet Magnolias, based on the novel series by Sherryl Woods. Spears appeared in the role as a series regular in each subsequent season.

In July 2020, the cast of Zoey 101 reunited in an episode of the eleventh season of All That. Spears played herself and her old All That character Thelma Stump. That year, Spears and Chantel Jeffries recorded a new version of the Zoey 101 theme song "Follow Me". The music video for the song featured appearances by numerous celebrities and Spears' elder daughter Maddie. On October 29, 2020, Spears performed "Follow Me" on Good Morning America.

On January 18, 2022, Spears released her memoir Things I Should Have Said: Family, Fame, and Figuring it Out, under Worthy Publishing, an imprint of Hachette Book Group. Rolling Stone recommended the book but highlighted that Jamie Lynn ostensibly used her sister Britney Spears' highly publicized struggles and conservatorship to promote the book. The book debuted at number sixteen on Publishers Weekly Bestseller List selling 5,151 units in its first week.

On January 4, 2023, she began competing on Fox's survival television series Special Forces: World's Toughest Test, where contestants participate in special forces training challenges at a camp removed from society. She left the series during the competition's third episode, with Spears saying that she missed her children.