Jamie Spears is speaking out about the state of his relationship with daughter Britney Spears' two teenage sons and their dad, her ex-husband Kevin Federline.
Jamie, 70, told The Daily Mail in a new interview that he and Federline, who split from the pop star in 2007 after three years of marriage, are on speaking terms after a rough patch — and that he hopes he can rebuild his bond with Sean Preston, 17, and Jayden, 16.
"I miss my two boys really, really bad. I do. You know, we were very, very close," Jamie said. "But they were developing a mind of their own. God makes things happen for a reason. I don't know what that reason is but it's been a tough three years without them. The family's a mess. All we can do is keep praying."
Federline previously sought an order of protection from a court for his sons in 2019 after Jamie allegedly got into a physical altercation with a 13-year-old Preston. At the time, Britney, 41, was still under her conservatorship, which allowed supervised visits with the boys. The conservatorship — which she has repeatedly called "abusive" — was terminated in November 2021.
Despite the fractured relationship, Jamie told the Mail that he "really" wants to be a art of Preston and Jayden's lives, and claimed that it was he and Federline who "raised the kids" and "gave them a sense of peace and of protection."
"I just did what I was supposed to do, or felt like I needed to do," he said. "I didn't make any decisions on my own — the team of people were me and my associate, and Kevin. We could all take the kids to the doctor and to school," he said. "The main purpose was to get Britney back with her kids in a comfortable relationship. We did everything in the world with them."
Looking ahead, Jamie said that the "boys have to be comfortable" to mend their relationship, but he believes "it's going to happen."
"It's going to be a tough thing, but that's the goal. Like I say, family's not in good shape right now," he said. "That's all I can say. It's better — but we've got a lot of work to do."
Federline, 44, discussed his feelings toward Jamie in his own interview with the Mail in August, and said he believes Britney's conservatorship — while "hard to watch" — "saved" her, despite her public disdain for it.
"I saw this man that really cared, and really cares about his family and wanting everything to be okay," he said. "When Jamie took over [the conservatorship], things got into order. He saved her life."
The dancer also said he was open to a reconciliation: "I would absolutely welcome Jamie Spears back in the boys' lives. Especially if that's what the boys wanted. I don't have any hard feelings towards Jamie Spears. People make mistakes. I feel bad for him. I feel like he's been put through the wringer."
Jayden expressed similar feelings toward his grandfather in a September interview with the Mail, during which he said Jamie "doesn't deserve all the hate he is getting." He also said that despite Britney's claims, he does not think the Spears family is "manipulative."
"They are not bad people. They know what we are going through now. They want our future to be what we want it to be," Jayden said. "They just want to watch over us. Memaw and Uncle Bryan are a good part of our lives. They have taught me how to deal with things."
Hours after Jayden's interview was published, Britney replied in a statement shared to Instagram in which she sent her son "all the love in the world to you every day for the rest of my life !!!!"
She added that she hoped they could "meet face to face and talk about this openly," and also lashed out at Jamie, writing: "It's horrible to see your dad be a hypocrite and say the media is horrible yet has you talking about personal matters to them !!!"
