Jamie Lynn Spears
at the Nancy Drew premiere (2007)
Born	April 4, 1991 (1991-04-04) (age 18) McComb, Mississippi, United States
Occupation	Actress
Years active	2002—present
Official website

Jamie Lynn Spears (born April 4, 1991) is an American teen actress. The younger sister of pop star Britney Spears,^[1] she rose to prominence for her appearances on Nickelodeon shows All That and for playing Zoey Brooks on Zoey 101.^[2]

Early life

Jamie Lynn Spears was born in McComb, Mississippi to Jamie and Lynne Spears. She attended Parklane Academy, where she was a cheerleader and a member of the basketball team. She finished her education there via online correspondence^[1] and received her GED in February 2008 from Kentwood High School in Kentwood, Louisiana.^[3]

Career

Spears made her acting debut in the 2002 Paramount film Crossroads, which starred elder sister Britney Spears, in a cameo role as young Lucy Wagner.^[4]

Spears then signed on as a regular performer on the Nickelodeon sketch series All That. Her performance was positively received by critics and she stayed on for the last three seasons of the series from 2002 to 2004. She then took the role of the protagonist Zoey Brooks of the Nickelodeon situation comedy series Zoey 101. The series premiered in 2005 and ran four seasons, earning Spears awards from Young Hollywood Award, Young Artist Award and Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards.^[5] Spears also recorded the theme song for the show.

Other roles include a cameo as Mandy Ferner in the ABC comedy sitcom series Miss Guided (in the episode "Hot Sub") and the voice of Goldilocks in the straight to DVD film Unstable Fables: Goldilocks & 3 Bears Show.

Personal life

On December 20, 2007, in an interview with OK! magazine, Spears announced that she was pregnant by her boyfriend Casey Aldridge.^[6][7] Nickelodeon issued a statement shortly after the announcement stating that the network respected Spears's decision to take responsibility and noting that its primary concern was for her well-being.^[8] In May 2008, Spears and Aldridge moved back to Liberty, Mississippi and purchased a house, as Spears stated they would raise their child there.^[9]

Spears gave birth to their daughter, Maddie Briann Aldridge, on June 19, 2008 at Southwest Mississippi Regional Medical Center in McComb, Mississippi.^[10][11][12] OK! magazine reportedly paid $1 million for the first baby pictures for their July 10, 2008 issue.^[13][14]

Spears and Aldridge called off their engagement in March 2009,^[15][16] although the couple continued living together to raise their child.

Controversy

The announcement of Spears's pregnancy generated controversy, as the media was accused of using the story to "glamorize" teenage pregnancy.^[17][18]

Additional controversy surfaced because Spears was two years below the California age of consent, raising questions about her and Aldridge's age difference, and whether Aldridge could or would be charged with statutory rape (although Spears was neither from California nor living there).^[19][20] It was later confirmed that Aldridge was just under two years older than Spears, which meant that he could be charged only with a misdemeanor under California law, which has an exception for adults less than three years older than the minor.^[21]

Paparazzi

In June 2008, a paparazzo accused of stalking Spears and Aldridge was arrested in Amite County, Mississippi after the Spears family filed a complaint, stating he wouldn't leave the couple alone. The accused, Edwin Merrino, denied this. He was released later in the day after posting a $1,096 bond.^[22]

Filmography

Discography

• Zoey 101: Music Mix (2006) "Follow Me" (soundtrack)

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Jamie Lynn Spears

• Official Website
• Jamie Lynn Spears at the Internet Movie Database
• Jamie Lynn Spears at TV.com
• Jamie Lynn Spears at People