Britney's kid sister pregnant
Britney Spears
What happened
Britney Spears’ 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn Spears told OK! magazine that she is pregnant, and that the father is her 19-year-old boyfriend Casey Aldridge. The star of the Nickelodeon show Zoey 101 said that she plans to raise the baby in her home state of Louisiana. (AP)
What the commentators said
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
It’s nice to know that Jamie Lynn is a good Christian girl, said the Los Angeles Times blog The Envelope. “She has been dating the father for some time and met him in church.” And it looks like “she wants to keep the baby.” What a “great idea!” Somebody really should “buy the Spears family a big box of condoms for Christmas.”
Most 16-year-old girls would be in a lot of trouble for getting pregnant, said Tyler Gray in Radar’s blog. Jamie Lynn gets “a comforting hug from her employer Nickelodeon, the cover of OK! magazine, and a portrayal of the events framed in the soft light of an after-school special.” But she may lose out on “young Hollywood rights of passage such as under-age drinks at Chateau Marmont, extreme weight loss, and rehab.”
“Clearly the turbulent events of her big sister Britney’s life” haven’t “put a damper on Jamie Lynn Spears’ family ambitions,” said the blog Raising Kids. But Jamie Lynn’s pregnancy may get in the way of her mom’s literary ambitions: “Lynne Spears’ planned parenting handbook on how to bring up celebrity children has been put on hold by her publishers as of this week.”
That’s probably a good idea, said the blog Media Take Out. Supposedly, momma Spears allowed her youngest daughter to live with her boyfriend. We’re “pretty dang liberal,” but that’s even too much for us. “Maybe there’s a reason that Britney’s been acting a fool all these years.”
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Britney had an interesting way of handling the report about her kid sister, said the blog Hollyscoop. “After the shocking news of Jaime Lynn Spears’ pregnancy was revealed, Britney spent her evening doing some late night shopping.” She was “apparently in a really cheery mood and super sweet to all the associates at the store,” but when she “emerged” she turned to a cameraman and said, “My sister is not pregnant!” Is Britney “in denial”?
-
Mickey 17: 'charming space oddity' that's a 'sparky one-off'
The Week Recommends 'Remarkable' Robert Pattinson stars in Bong Joon-ho's sci-fi comedy
By Irenie Forshaw, The Week UK Published
-
EastEnders at 40: are soaps still relevant?
Talking Point Albert Square's residents are celebrating, but falling viewer figures have fans worried the soap bubble has burst
By Elizabeth Carr-Ellis, The Week UK Published
-
What will the thaw in Russia-US relations cost Europe?
Today's Big Question US determination to strike a deal with Russia over Ukraine means Europe faces 'betrayal by a long-term ally'
By Richard Windsor, The Week UK Published