Britney Spears' teen sister Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant

Zoey 101 star shocks family with announcement

Britney Spears' 16-year-old sister Jamie Lynn Spears is pregnant.

Nickelodeon, which carries her TV show Zoey 101, said in a statement: "We respect Jamie Lynn's decision to take responsibility in this sensitive and personal situation. We know this is a very difficult time for her and her family, and our primary concern right now is for Jamie Lynn's well being."

Spears and her mother confirmed the pregnancy to OK! magazine, saying she was 12 weeks along and the father is Jamie Lynn's longtime boyfriend Casey Aldridge. Aldridge's mother confirmed it to TMZ.com.

"It was a shock for both of us, so unexpected," Jamie Lynn told OK!, according to the Associated Press. "I was in complete and total shock and so was he."

Spears told the magazine that after confirming the pregnancy with a home test and a subsequent doctor's visit, she told only one friend – then waited two weeks before telling anybody else, including her parents.

"I needed to work out what I would do for myself before I let anyone's opinion affect my decision," she told the magazine. "Then I told my parents and my friends. I was scared, but I had to do what was right for me."

She told her parents just before Thanksgiving.

"I didn't believe it because Jamie Lynn's always been so conscientious," her mother, Lynne Spears, told OK!. "She's never late for her curfew. I was in shock. I mean, this is my 16-year-old baby."

Aldridge's mother, Joyce Aldridge, told TMZ she was "aware of the recent interview regarding her and being pregnant" and that "we are in agreement with everything that was said by Jamie Lynn."

"Everything is fine," Joyce Aldridge added.

Spears, a high school junior who is 10 years younger than Britney, had until now escaped much of the attention about her personal life that has surrounded her sister.

Jamie Lynn stars as a schoolgirl at the fictitious Pacific Coast Academy in Zoey 101, finishing its third season next month as one of Nickelodeon's highest-rated shows.

A rep for Spears was not immediately available for comment.