Britney Spears Says Her Mother Started Buying Her Alcohol in Eighth Grade
In her new memoir, the pop star claims she and her mom would drink daiquiris together.
Britney Spears is sharing her untold story in a new way. On Oct. 24, the pop star's highly anticipated memoir, The Woman in Me, will be released. And it will cover her entire life so far, from being a kid getting her start in show business on The Mickey Mouse Club to being recently released from a controversial conservatorship. Ahead of the book's release, People published several excerpts, including one in which Britney recounts returning to her "normal teenage life" in Louisiana following The Mickey Mouse Club, before she was signed to her first record deal at age 15. In this section, she writes about how she and her mother, Lynne Spears, would drink cocktails together when Britney was only in the eighth grade.
Read on to see what the 41-year-old singer had to say and to learn more about her complicated relationship with her mom.
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Britney returned to her normal life after her first big job.
In The Woman in Me, Britney recalls moving back to Kentwood, Louisiana after her time on The Mickey Mouse Club came to an end. She appeared on the Disney Channel show in 1993 and 1994, when she was around 12 years old.
"Back at home, I returned to [high school], settling into normal teenage life—or the closest thing to 'normal' that was possible in my family," Britney writes. Her family included mom Lynne, dad Jamie Spears, older brother Bryan Spears, and younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears.
She and her mom would go out drinking together.
Britney claims in her book that one of the things she enjoyed during this time of her life was going on trips with her mom during which they would drink cocktails together.
"For fun, starting when I was in eighth grade, my mom and I would make the two-hour drive from Kentwood to Biloxi, Mississippi, and while we were there, we would drink daiquiris," Britney writes. "We called our cocktails 'toddies.' I loved that I was able to drink with my mom every now and then. The way we drank was nothing like how my father did it. When he drank, he grew more depressed and shut down. We became happier, more alive and adventurous." (Lynne and Jamie Lynn both wrote about Jamie's struggles with alcohol in their own memoirs; Jamie sought treatment in rehab, according to Us Weekly.)
She continued, "There was something so beautifully normal about that period of my life: going to homecoming and prom, driving around our little town, going to the movies." Soon, though, everything changed, when Britney was signed to Jive Records at age 15. Her debut single, "…Baby One More Time," was released in 1998 when she was 16.
Best Life has reached out to Lynne for comment on Britney's claim.
Britney said she wasn't allowed to consume alcohol for years.
From 2008 to 2021, Britney was under a conservatorship that controlled her financial, personal, and medical decisions. The conservatorship was put in place following psychiatric issues that the "Gimme More" singer experienced. One of her conservators had been her father.
As reported by The Independent, Britney claimed on social media that she wasn't allowed to drink during the conservatorship. "I can't drink a lot … true story—the 13 years of being in the conservatorship I was drug tested at least three times a week … I don't even really like alcohol…" She wrote in a caption on an Instagram story, "So glad they took my rights away for 13 years to have a cocktail I'm so grateful y'all" alongside an eye roll emoji.
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Britney and Lynne had a strained relationship.
The issues in Britney and Lynne's relationship were aired out publicly in recent years, as the singer placed some of the blame for the conservatorship on her mom. They communicated their sides of the story back and forth on social media.
In August 2022, Lynne wrote on Instagram, "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! 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."
In May 2023, Britney said that she and Lynne had reconciled. "My sweet mama showed up at my door step yesterday after 3 years … it's been such a long time … with family there's always things that need to be worked out … but time heals all wounds !!!" she wrote in an Instagram caption. "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 !!!"
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