As Britney Spears continues her fight for independence, her mom Lynne Spears has found herself stuck in a toxic web of fans' criticism.
Negative comments about the pop star's parents and younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears have increased on social media since a June court hearing in which Britney spoke out against what she called her "abusive" conservatorship, which she said her family "adopted" "for 13 years." It was first implemented in 2008 following a psychiatric hospitalization. The singer is currently trying to remove her father and Lynn's ex-husband, Jamie Spears, as her co-conservator, a bid her mom has endorsed.
On Wednesday, Aug. 11, Lynne shared a photo of a giant spider web on her Instagram. She wrote, "Wow! Look at the size of this spider web!!"
In response, commenters to the opportunity to criticize Britney's family. "Awww cute! Jamie Lynn decorated her new place. Sorry, couldn't help it," one person wrote, commenting on the spider web. Lynne responded, "Stop."
Another user commented, "#jailjamielynn." Lynne responded, "STOP."
Lynne and Jamie Lynn's critics have claimed they have not supported the singer enough amid her personal and legal turmoil. After the court hearing, Britney herself wrote on Instagram, "I don't like that my sister showed up at an awards show and performed MY SONGS to remixes !!!!! My so-called support system hurt me deeply !!!! This conservatorship killed my dreams."
Jamie Lynn expressed support for Britney on Instagram days after her bombshell testimony and later signaled that her family has received death threats. Last weekend, she shared a recording of her 3-year-old daughter Ivey comforting her, prompting fresh criticism from Britney supporters.
Also on Wednesday, fans used the opportunity to urge Lynne to advocate more for Britney.
"I do [speak up] by using my lawyer and the legal system since day one and NOT [by] using social media or the press!" the singer's mom commented. "Sorry you are so uninformed! Have a great day and try positivity!"
Amid the written attacks, a few fans expressed support for Lynne on Wednesday. One wrote, in response to her comment about using her lawyer and the legal system to support Britney, "We know you are. We saw the New Yorker article and you never thought it would go on this long. It was out of your hands. I'm so sorry for the mean things uninformed people are writing." The singer's mother replied, "Thank you."
Lynne recently gave a rare comment about Britney's legal battle to The New Yorker, which quoted her as saying in a July 3 article, by phone, "I got mixed feelings about everything. I don't know what to think...It's a lot of pain, a lot of worry." She also told the outlet, "I'm good. I'm good at deflecting."
Lynne has also gotten involved in Britney's legal fight against her conservatorship. In July, she filed a court petition asking the judge to allow the singer to hire her own lawyer, a request that was later granted. The attorney then filed legal documents to officially remove Jamie as the conservator of her estate. The judge recently denied the lawyer's request to move up a September 29 hearing about the issue.
In a July 26 declaration, Lynne officially backed Britney's request to withdraw Jamie as conservator of her $57 million estate, saying that she believed that her ex-husband was "incapable" of putting their daughter's interests ahead of his own, and added that she would testify if called as a witness.
Jamie, who does not have a public social media account, has refused to resign as Britney's co-conservator and maintains that "every single decision he has made has been in her best interest," his lawyer has said.