American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress Britney Spears or better known as the “Princess of Pop,” has never been shy of the spotlight. Spears’ influence began in the late 1990s and early 2000s, and as life kicked in she became famous for more than her great talent and wardrobe choices. After her highly publicized personal struggles, her life began taking a turn for the worse and it was clear that this pop star had more on her plate than we all knew. These struggles led to her father Jamie Spears to implement a conservatorship in 2008 which would later become a very publicized part of the star's life. In 2019, Spears’s legal battle over her conservatorship came to light, where she began to open up about her feelings, accusing her management team and family of abuse, and expressed a desire to terminate this arrangement, although there had been numerous failed attempts previously. This conflict brought rise to the #FreeBritney Movement which the pop stars fans took to the internet and the streets in solidarity with the celebrities right to be freed from her alleged ‘abuse.’ Here are 40 facts you may not have known about the pop stars life under conservatorship.
1. Early Life of The 'Pop Star Princess'
Britney Spears was born December 2, 1981 in Mississippi to James Spears and Lynne Irene Bridges. Spears was hired in her first professional role as the understudy for the lead role of Tina Denmark in the off-Broadway musical Ruthless.
In December 1992, she was cast in the Mickey Mouse Club alongside Christina Agurlar, Justin Timberlake, Ryan Gosling, and Keri Russell. After the show was cancelled in 1996, she returned to her home town in Mississippi.
2. "Baby One More Time"
In 1998, Spears recorded the first half of her first album in Cheiron Studios, Stockholm, Sweden. She then returned to the states to promote her upcoming album, where she went on her first concert tour, opening for NSYNC.
Britney Spears dropped her debut studio album “Baby One More Time,” which was released on January 12, 1999. It debuted at number one on the U.S Billboard 200, hitting the chats worldwide selling over 10 million copies in a year. Rising to fame, the pop star soared, shortly after releasing her second studio album “Oops!... I Did It Again” in May 2000.
3. Number One in The US
After her second studio album debuted at number one in the US, selling over 1.3 million copies, making it one of the best-selling albums of all time! It was clear this star was going to high places, and was not letting anything stand in the way of her success.
Following this release of her studio album, Spears began releasing one great hit after the other, climbing to the top of the charts and getting a grammy nomination for Best Pop Vocal Album and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance.
4. In The Public's Eye
The same year, Spears performed at the 2000 MTV Video Music Awards. Halfway through her performance, she ripped off part of what she was wearing revealing a flesh coloured bodysuit. Following this performance, Spears began to get the public's attention, and media speculations began regarding her private life and relationships.
She then confirmed relations with NSYNC member Justine Timberlake. It was during this time you could say that the star began to grow up, and eyes were on her every move.
5. Like A Virgin
One of her first highly publicized incidents was ‘the kiss’ she shared with Madonna, while performing “Like a Virgin” at the MTV Video Music Awards, alongside Christina Aguilera.
This was the beginning of something no one saw coming from this ‘Princess of Pop.’ In March 2004, she married childhood friend Jason Alexander. The marriage was annulled 55 hours later, which according to the Today show, the court stated that Spears “lacked understanding of her actions.”
6. The Start Of Very Difficult Road
In July 2004, Spears became engaged to Kevin Federline, American dancer, whom she’d later married, and had two sons with. They filed for divorce in November 2006, citing irreconcilable differences.
Personal struggles began to arise prior to her divorce, when in early 2006, pictures began surfacing of Spears driving with her son, Sean, on her lap instead of in car seat. Spears had later blamed the paparazzi for this incident, admitting to making a mistake under pressure.
7. February 2007: Life In The Spotlight
In February 2007, following the death of her aunt whom she was very close to, Spears was admitted to rehab where she remained for less than 24 hours. It was clear that Spears was starting to feel burdened by her life in the spotlight and was losing control.
Spears began making headlines for the wrong reasons. In 2007, She was caught shaving her head herself in a hair salon in Los Angeles. Days after shaving her head, the pop star again created headlines for attacking a paparazzi car with an umbrella.
8. Career Continues to Thrive
Later that year, she lost custody of her sons to Federline. Although facing these tremendous struggles, Spears continued her career, releasing her fifth studio album, Blackout. Which won album of the year at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards.
It was in 2008 where Spears’s struggles became more apparent to her friends and family, after being hospitalized for allegedly being under the influence of an unidentified substance. Spears’s visitiatoin rights of her kids were suspended at an emergency court hearing, and she was committed to a psychiatric ward. Her father Jamie Spears led a court placed conservatorship on Britney Spears, giving him full control of her assets.
9. 2008: Britney Spears's Conservatorship
Britney Spears's conservatorship, implemented in 2008, left her with no legal control over her estate or assets. Enabling her father to file for restraining orders against those he believes may be a threat to his daughter's wellbeing.
A conservatorship is legal guardianship typically enacted for those who are incapable of making their own decisions. This left Spears feeling trapped, with no control over her life.
10. 2009: #FreeBritney Movement
Since its implementation, it has generated a lot of controversy among Spears’ fans, who think that she may be getting manipulated and unfairly controlled, which was the catalyst to the #FreeBritney movement.
A fan site began the #FreeBritney campaign in 2009, as a response to the conservatorship, Julia Jacobs reported for The New York Times. Fans truly believe that this is unfair treatment of the star, and that she does not deserve to be completely stripped of her decisions.
11. Conservatorship Extended to 10 More States
In 2019, Spears put her new Las Vegas residency, ‘Domination,’ on hold to focus on her mental health, which prompted the #FreeBritney supporters to express concern yet again.
Spears has made numerous attempts to have the conservatorship lifted, but failed on all attempts. Later in 2019, Jamie Spears requested to extend his daughter’s conservatorship to more than 10 states, including Hawaii, Florida, and Louisiana, Insider suggests.
12. Lynne Spears Supports Her Daughter
While this fight was not showing any signs of being resolved, Spears was still dealing with her mental health. She had allegedly checked into a mental-health facility voluntarily to deal with the serious health conditions of her father, who was hospitalised during this time.
Britney Spears’s mother, Lynne Spears, who is divorced from Jamie, filed for a legal motion at this time to be involved in Britey Spears conservatorship process, with the intention to stay involved in her daughter's mental health issues, as reported by CNN.
13. Fans Take To Instagram In Support
Spears’s mother was among those who supported the movement, and believed in her daughter's fans. Who had been posting positive comments on Spears’s instagram page and suspected that they were being deleted off of the stars page.
Reports by Us Weekly, say that the pop star's mother responded to a fan account accusing her ‘Toxic’ team of wiping her social media clean of positive messages in order to damage her image. Lynne states, ‘so Britney’s team is deleting positive comments on her Instagram post and leaving negative ones to keep the illusion that she needs help!”
14. Spears's Conservatorship Extended Twice
Spears’s conservatorship was extended twice in early 2020. In February, an LA county judge extended the conservatorship until April 30. And then again until August, as revealed on the Insider.
This News apparently came around the same time Spears had posted a video to her Instagram, revealing that she had accidentally burned down her home gym after leaving candles lit. Which didn’t strengthen her case of mental stability in front of the eyes of those taking hold of the conservatorship.
15. Britney's Ex-Husband Files For Restraining Order
September 2019 took a turn which led to Jodi Montgomery, Spears’s longtime care manager to temporarily replace Jamie as her conservator that same month. This decision was made due to an altercation between Jamie and one of Spears’s sons.
Spears’s ex-husband Federline had obtained a restraining order against Britany’s father, Jamie, following this alleged physical altercation between Jamie and one of her sons. A hearing was made regarding placing Montgomery as Spears’s permanent conservator, but no decision was made.
16. Britney Asks For Conservatorship To Be Over
Spears’ conservatorship was extended four times in 2020, currently she is fighting to have her father removed from the conservatorship. Spears stated that she wanted Montgomery, the temporary conservator who had taken over in 2019, to take over in her fathers role as lead conservator, as reported by TMZ.
Instead, the judge decided to extend the conservatorship through to February 1, 2021. Following this decision Britney Spears officially asked the court to end her conservatorship in her first most public statement “it’s my wish and my dream for all of this to end, I just want my life back. The conservatorship should end. I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive.” she stated in the insider.
17. Celebrity Support For #FreeBritney Movement
The #FreeBritney movement had continued throughout this battle, and fans were becoming more eager to support Spears in her mission to end her conservatorship. The movement had begun sparking support not only from her fans but from celebrities, who loved the star.
Celebrities like Taryn Manning, Miley Cyrus and Rose McGowan publicly expressed their concern for Spears and this issue. With the belief that the conservatorship should no longer stand, and that Spears deserves the right to make her own decision, despite her past.
18. Miley Cyrus Shows Solidarity At Street Festival
During a 20 minute set Saturday night, during the Beal Street Festival Miley Cyrus made an on stage appearance singing some of her best hits. During her performance she made mention of the #FreeBritney movement, showing solidarity.
Cyrus yelled out the slogan in Memphis while performing her decade-old hit ‘Party in the U.S.A.,’ and repeatedly added ‘And a Britney song was on…’ and ‘’Free Britney!’ According to the Variety.
19. Rose McGowan Voices Her Support
Rose McGowan has also voiced her support for a campaign to ‘free BritneySpears.’ According to the Metro UK, the actress, 45, said that Britney should be ‘free to live on her own terms.’
In an extended version on YouTube, she continued ‘I hope she’s well and I hope she’s ok and I love how much her fans love her.’ Rose was legally emancipated from her own parents at the age of 15 and moved to Los Angeles with her boyfriend to start her Hollywood career, and much like Britney Spears she began her career at a very young age.
20. Taryn Manning Speaks Out About Concerns For Britney
In 2020, Orange is the New Black Taryn Manning defended a post about Britney Spears's concerns. The actress took to social media and shared her worries for what the star was going through at the time.
According to Film News, Taryn had made a statement stating she was “worried about my friend and co-star. Too many times we let one go a-stray and never bother to poke our heads around.” She also mentioned that she hoped everyone would allow Spears the privacy at this time, to deal with her health and situation surrounding the conservatorship.
21. Those Who Believe Conservatorship Is A Good Thing For Britney
Although Spears has seen support from her fans and numeros celebrities during this time, there have been those close to the star who believe that a conservatorship has been in her best interest.
People who believe that this has been a positive thing for the star, insist that Britney Spears is not being manipulated. Adding, that they have carry concerns fans do not grasp the true nature of the stars mental health and the legal specifications behind the conservatorship.
22. Unconditional Family Love
According to the Los Angeles times Spears’ attorney Stanton Stain, whom had been allegedly hired by Jamie Spears for #FreeBritney damage control, rejected the idea that Spears had been coerced or manipulated in any way and that “she’s always been involved in her career and business decisions.”
With a statement from her father revealing, “When a family member needs special care and protection, families need to step up, as I have done for the last 12-plus years, to safeguard, protect and continue to love Britney unconditionally,” as told by CNN.
23. The Struggle Continues
Spears’ case is being handled in a probate court, where conservatorships can go on indefinitely. These types of courts typically oversee conservatorship of elderly people that suffer from cognitive disabilities.
In these courts, the conservator has to petition every year to renew the conservatorship. So the struggle remains evident, that despite what anyone feels, these types of proceedings are very difficult to overcome and Spears may be dealing with this battle for some time.
24. Britney Feels Controlled and Oppressed
There have been speculations regarding whether or not the star was in favour of these ongoing decisions regarding her conservatorship. It had surfaced that in June, 2016, the New York Times had obtained a series of court documents that revealed Spears opposed the conservatorship many times, without the public knowledge.
According to the Times, “She articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her.” She had mentioned that the conservatorship had too much control and wanted it terminated as soon as possible.
25. Court Hearings Open To The Public
By this time the star wanted to make all further proceedings public. Spear’s attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, filed court documents on September 2, stating that she had requested that all her future court hearings about conservatorship be open to the public, as mentioned in Refinery29.
“Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret,” Ingham wrote. Assuming that making it more public would provide insight into the situation and help her cause.
26. Britney's Father Wants Courtrooms Closed
Until now Jamie Spears and the conservatorship’s attorneys working for him have kept courtrooms closed and filings sealed in this ongoing case, which has also been approved by the Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny.
But “Britney believes it is consistent not only with her personal best interests but also with good public policy generally that the decision to appoint a new conservator of her estate be made in as open and transparent a manner as possible,” according to Women’s Health Mag.
27. Britney Against Reinstating Lawyer Wallet as Co-Conservator
Spears had also argued against her father’s petition to reinstate Wallet, her former lawyer and co-conservator. Instead of having a lawyer picked by her father, Spears wanted a lawyer who was new and independent.
Although the proceedings for this trial went on for a few months, Jamie Spears withdrew this petition in October. Up until this point, a newly appointed lawyer was not approved.
28. Jamie Believes He Is Doing What Is Best For His Daughter
By the end of 2020, the conservatorship had been extended four times. The last hearing had extended it until September 3, 2021. At this time all requests by Spears to replace her father as leading conservator, were denied.
Despite her efforts and her feelings towards her fathers decisions, he continues to believe that he is doing what is best for his daughter, and defends his actions over the last 13 years. He told CNN, “I have and will continue to provide unwavering love and fierce protection against those with self-serving interests and those who seek to harm her or my family.”
29. Bryan Spears Agrees With Dads Choice For Conservatorship
Brittany’s family rarely does interviews, and even more so her brother rarely speaks out in public. But Bryan spoke out about his sisters conservatorship and the circumstances surrounding it in July 2020.
He went on the As NOT seen on TV Podcast and said “She’s been in this thing for quite some time now. Obviously, there was a need for it in the beginning, but now, they’ve made some changes, and all we can do is hope.”
30. Britney Spears And Brothers Close Relationship
Bryan also believes that this was the best thing for their family at the time, and that he had supported his fathers decision for the conservatorship. That family needs to work together in these times, not against each other.
Britney Spears and her brother Bryan have a continuously close relationship, and that they are in contact with each other. According to Women's Health, from the conversations Bryan has had with Britney regarding the conservatorship, she definitely wants out. Reiterating the previous mentions of the stars desire to end it.
31. Britney's Request To End Conservatorship Denied
In her most public statement yet, Spears formally asked the court on June 23 to end her conservatorship. But this request was once again denied. Spears continues to hope for a resolution and an end to this conservatorship, but the battle still remains.
Insiders Kim Renfro and Kelsey Vlamis previously reported Spears’s mention regarding the conservatorship “It’s my wish and my dream for all of this to end, I just want my life back.”
32. To End Conservatorship, Spears Needs To Prove She Can Do It Alone
It is difficult to say when or if Spears’s conservatorship will be lifted, but in order for that to be an option, Spears will need to prove that she is capable of making rational decisions, and that she does not need the conservatorship to get through life.
According to Us Weekly, In August 2020 the court filed documents in which Ingham broke down Spears’ conservatorship into three phases.
33. Britney Might Not Want To Perform Under Conservatorship
Stage one includes her conservators prioritizing her mental stability in correlation with how it may impact her decision making, possible exploitation or financial caretaking. Which would see that Spears, despite her mental health, can make decisions that do not threaten her or her finances.
Stage two, Spears would need to perform for years as a world class entertainer without it interrupting her mental health in a significant and threatening way. Or the conservatorship must be changed substantially in order to reflect the major decisions/changes in her current lifestyle, which may include her not performing, despite her mental health.
34. ‘Framing Britney Spears’ Debuts
A documentary detailing Britney’s rise to fame and her drive and passion for her career, even as a young girl. Which instantly made waves on social media.
Which includes her struggles, her mental health and the events of the conservatorship. Which includes a point in which Britney confesses that she accepted the conservatorship was going to happen, but she didn’t want her father to be her conservator.
35. Britney's Boyfriend Speaks Out
More people have begun speaking out following the ruling of the last trial regarding the conservatorship ruled towards the end of 2020, to withstand until September, 2021. Britney’s boyfriend of three years, Sam Asghari, took to his instagram page to share how he was feeling.
Asghari shared his thoughts on Spears’s family and accused her father of being controlling. It was clear that he was standing by his girlfriend, and did not agree with her fathers decisions.
36. Britney Is Taking It Slow And Enjoying Life
Earlier this year following what has made headlines regarding Spears and what is going on, celebrities and fans have questioned her well-being, curious to know how the star is coping.
Spears posted a series of tweets in February this year reminiscing on her past performances, posting videos of her concerts, with mention to the fact that she was “taking things slow,” and “simply enjoying the basics of everyday life.”
37. Britney’s Family Speaks Out About 'The Framing Britney' Documentary
According to Us Weekly, the pop star’s family and friends had mixed feelings about the documentary. Allegedly, her father and the others involved in the conservatorship are very unhappy about it.
Obviously because the documentary paints them in a negative light, painting them as money-grabbing, when all they presume to be doing is helping the star “run her life.”
38. March 2021: Jamie Spears Wants Conservatorship To End
In March of this year Jamie Spears publicly said that he would like the conservatorship placed on his daughter to end. His attorney Vivan Lee Thoreen, told CNN that Jamie would like the conservatorship to end.
Thoreen also suggested that Jamie does not presume to know everything or suggests that he is the perfect father, but like any parent he doesn’t always see eye-to-eye with Britney. He believes every single decision he has made has been in her best interest.
39. Britney Requests To Speak In Court For The First Time
In April Britney Spears requested that she speak in court for the first time. According to The New York Times, Spears had requested for the first time to speak for herself, and voice her opinion in court.
Britney will appear remotely, as she would like the matter expedited. Spears asked for the hearing so that she could directly address the court, the Los Angeles Daily News Reports. This will mean that her appearance will be in open court, and the public will be allowed to know what was said.
40. Britney Speaks Out: "I deserve to have a life"
After asking the judge to speak for herself, Britney shared her experiences living under what she believes was an “abusive” conservatorship. She had little to no privacy during this time and was forced to perform against her will.
According to Women’s Health Mag, Spears believes this conservatorship has been abusive, and “has basically done more harm than good.” Britney Spears has made her feelings for this conservatorship very clear, she says “I deserve to have a life. I’ve worked my whole life. I deserve to have the same rights as anybody.”