Born April 4, 1991 in McComb, MS, Spears was the youngest of three children born to Jamie and Lynne Spears (whose first names were combined to create hers). While still a baby, Spears moved from her hometown of Kentwood, LA, to New York City with her mother and older sister in an effort to build Britney’s music career. When Britney did hit big in the late ‘90s, Jamie Lynn began expressing interest in following in her sister’s performing footsteps. At first, the youngster began popping up in her sisters’ projects. Her first onscreen appearance came in the 2001 concert movie, “Totally Britney Live.” She also turned up in a Pepsi commercial with her sister in that same year, as well as playing a younger version of Britney’s character in her unfortunate feature film debut, “Crossroads.”
According to some reports, the younger Spears made public in an interview her desire to join the cast of the venerable Nickelodeon sketch comedy show, “All That” (1994-2005). Whether this is the case or not, Spears joined the cast in 2002, and remained with the show until its final season in 2004. Though some critics and fans were less than impressed with Spears’ performance on “All That,” she clearly resonated with the majority of viewers, who nominated her for both a Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award as Best Television Actress, and for a Young Artist Award, which she shared with the rest of her castmates. Spears also guested on several other programs during this time, including the ABC Family reality series, “Switched!” (2003-04), and on a 2004 segment of the entertainment tabloid show “Real Access” (The N, 2003- ), as well as several Nickelodeon-related specials.
Following the series wrap of “All That,” Spears was given her own show in 2005 – “Zoey 101” (Nickelodeon, 2005- ). The show follows Spears as Zoey Brooks, one of a group of girls attending a formerly all-boys boarding school. In addition to her role as Zoey, Spears also co-wrote and sang the show’s theme song. The program proved extremely popular among teen audiences, which helped make it the third most-watched program on the network, and earning Spears a Young Artist Award in 2005 for Best Ensemble Cast. The blossoming star was also nominated for a Teen Choice Award that same year for Best Breakout Performance (Female).
In 2006, the popularity of “Zoey 101” spawned an hour-long special feature, “Zoey 101: Spring Break-Up,” which introduced an element of romance between Spears’ character and castmate Sean Flynn’s character, Chase Matthews. Off screen, in late 2007, Sprears shocked the world when she announced she was pregnant at age 16 by her longtime boyfriend from her hometown. The mini furor over her preganancy, which was announced with the help of her mother, Lynne, through OK Magazine, momentarily eclipsed her sister's tabloid exploits. But only momentarily. Only weeks after the pregnancy was announced and questions were raised on the future of her career on "Zoey 101," sister Britney stole the spotlight by being taken by ambulance involuntarily to a hospital for psychological observation, following a three-plus hour stand-off with police after she refused to give up her children, as per her custody agreement with ex-husband Kevin Federline.