Jamie Lynn Spears was reportedly taken aback this week after a mental health organization announced that it’ll be declining a donation she was set to make from sales of her forthcoming book.
Jamie Lynn — who has been at the center of public scrutiny after her sister, Britney Spears, publicly denounced her in an emotional court hearing in June — has faced extra criticism ever since announcing the release of her upcoming memoir.
If you didn’t know, Britney Spears accused Jamie Lynn and her entire family of doing “nothing” to help her while she struggled under the terms of her conservatorship, which saw her life and finances legally controlled by her father and lawyers starting in 2008.
BuzzFeed News uncovered abuse, neglect, and death across the guardianship industry. Read our investigative series "Beyond Britney" here.
Jamie Lynn denied that Spears was referencing her following the testimony and instead insisted that she “adored and supported” her sister. However, the “Toxic” singer quickly shut down the claims in two scathing Instagram posts — one of which has since been deleted — directly calling Jamie Lynn out.
“There’s nothing worse than when the people closest to you who never showed up for you post things in regard to your situation whatever it may be and speak righteously for support … there’s nothing worse than that !!!!” Spears wrote in her caption. “How dare the people you love the most say anything at all … did they even put a hand out to even lift me up at the TIME !!!???”
"I don't like that my sister showed up at an awards show and performed MY SONGS to remixes," she added. "My so-called support system hurt me deeply !!!! This conservatorship killed my dreams."
While Jamie Lynn has largely remained quiet over recent months, she announced last week that she's set to release a memoir charting her life and experiences, titled Things I Should Have Said.
“I can’t believe I finally finished writing my book,” she wrote on Instagram last Monday. “‘THINGS I SHOULD HAVE SAID’ has been in the works for quite a longggg time now.”
She explained that she’d long felt a “strong conviction” to share her story but found she’d had to do “a lot of personal work and healing” beforehand.
“I’ve spent my whole life believing that I had to pretend to be perfect, even when I wasn’t, so for the first time I am opening up about my own mental health,” she wrote, “because this process challenged me to have to be painfully honest with myself, and face a lot of hard things, that I normally would have just glossed right over, like I was taught to.”
Jamie Lynn went on to share that part of the proceeds from the book’s sales would be donated to a nonprofit mental health charity called This Is My Brave.
“I’m so happy to announce that a portion of my book proceeds will be going to @thisismybrave,” she wrote, “because I know how scary it can be to share personal struggles, especially if you don’t feel you have the support or a safe space to do so, and they are doing amazing work to support and encourage people as they bravely share their experiences.”
Jamie Lynn's collaboration with the organization — and her decision to release a memoir at all — was met with heavy criticism from fans in light of her alleged lack of support for her sister over the years.
Many labeled the collaboration “tone deaf” and “hypocritical,” and before long, the comments under an older post from This Is My Brave — which had been shared in support of World Mental Health Day — were flooded with fans directly calling the charity out for working with Jamie Lynn and accepting her donation.
“Do you not see the hypocrisy?” one user commented.
“Y’all should really rethink this JLS [Jamie Lynn Spears] collab,” another wrote.
And the public outcry reached new heights after some fans threatened to boycott the organization altogether, labeling it a “joke.”
“Your organization will never get a dime from me,” commented one user. “And it makes me question how ethical your organization is. Are any of the proceeds actually donated or do you all pocket it?”
Well, after a week of receiving harsh criticism for its prospective collaboration with Jamie Lynn, the organization has finally spoken out.
“We heard you. We’re taking action. We are deeply sorry to anyone we offended. We are declining the donation from Jamie Lynn Spears’ upcoming book,” the post read.
“We hear you,” the caption continued. “This Is My Brave was recently recommended to be a beneficiary organization for the proceeds from Jamie Lynn Spears' upcoming book. We have made the decision to decline the offer of receiving proceeds from the book sales.”
Following the announcement, fans quickly commented in support of the charity’s decision, thanking those involved for their “integrity.”
“You guys did the right thing. Thank you #FreeBritney,” tweeted one user.
@ThisIsMyBrave You guys did the right thing. Thank you #FreeBritney
“Thank you for supporting the #freebritneymovement in this situation,” wrote another. “This is what I call brave.”
@ThisIsMyBrave Thank you for supporting the #freebritneymovement in this situation. This is what I call brave.
Another tweeted, “Thank you for stepping up and doing what’s right. We stand with you!”
@ThisIsMyBrave @FramingBrit Thank you for stepping up and doing what’s right. We stand with you!
Jamie Lynn hasn’t yet commented publicly on the rejected donation, but according to a source quoted by People, she is feeling “blindsided.”
“Jamie Lynn was totally blindsided by them publicly walking away,” said the source. “The organization was recommended and vetted and knew we were donating, but they've been overwhelmed.”
“Unfortunately with them backing out, they are essentially saying that one person's mental health struggles are more valid and important than another,” the source continued. “They took a clear stand on whose story they thought had more value to them. Seems their actions don't align with their mission of supporting all voices.”
As well as fans’ negative responses to Jamie Lynn’s book, Britney Spears herself appeared to make a jab at the news in a shady Instagram caption last week — the day after Jamie Lynn’s official announcement post.
“I’m thinking of releasing a book next year but I’m having issues coming up with a title so maybe my fans could help,” Spears wrote. “Option #1 ... ‘Shit, I really don’t know’ Option #2 ... ‘I really care what people think.’”
Fans made the connection between Spears’ caption and Jamie Lynn’s post — and took to Twitter to joke about the hilarious shade.
The amount of shade Britney is laying down about Jamie Lynn's book launch is sending me ☠
britney spears throwing so much shade to jamie lynn bout her new book i love it 😭