Britney Spears is trying to "stay positive" amid this "challenging" year, her sister Jamie Lynn Spears says, as the pop star's legal turmoil continues.
Speaking to Good Morning America, the actress gave a rare update about the singer. The interview aired live on Thursday, Oct. 29, a couple of months into a legal battle between Britney, 38, and the women's father, Jamie Spears, who she is trying to replace as her conservator.
"I think that she's doing just like the rest of us," Jamie Lynn said. "She's trying to make the best and stay positive during a very challenging time and challenging year, and I think that that's kind of the theme of everyone right now."
Jamie Lynn, 29, spoke to Good Morning America remotely via chat, the preferred method of communication for interviews since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year.
The Spears sisters' dad has mostly controlled Britney's financial and medical affairs since her 2007 public breakdown, as part of a voluntary conservatorship.
But for the past couple of years, and especially after the singer temporarily halted her music career, there have been increased calls from fans to "Free Britney," a movement Jamie has called a "joke" that is also made up of "conspiracy theorists."
Last year, Jamie was granted a legal request to relinquish his conservatorship powers over Britney for a while, citing "personal health reasons." A judge replaced him temporarily with Jodi Montgomery, a member of the singer's team.
This past August, Britney's court-appointed attorney filed papers on her behalf requesting that Montgomery be made her permanent conservator instead of her dad. A judge extended the star's conservatorship to February 2021, without deciding yet who should remain in power.
Britney also nominated the Bessemer Trust Company to manage her estate, with her lawyer stating in the filing that the singer is "strongly opposed to her father continuing as sole conservator" and prefers a "qualified corporate fiduciary."
Meanwhile, Jamie requested to have a different co-conservator, one he has worked with before, be appointed to help. He then withdrew his request.
On Oct. 14, a judge granted Britney's request to expand her legal team. A legal decision regarding her conservatorship remains pending.
Also in August, in a separate case, Britney's sister submitted documents seeking approval for her to act as the trustee of the singer's estate, which would make her responsible for dispensing her wealth to her two sons at the time of her death.
"Britney trusts Jamie Lynn and knows that she is extremely responsible and reliable," a source close to Britney told E! News at the time. "It makes sense that she would be the trustee."