Britney Spears spoke in front of a Los Angeles courtroom regarding her conservatorship on Wednesday, June 23, after over two years of staying silent. The conservatorship is partially controlled by her father, Jamie Spears, who is in charge of Britney’s financial, medical, and personal life decisions.
Spears, 39, has been under the conservatorship for 13 years. It is speculated that the conservatorship began in 2008, after a mental health episode where Spears was sent temporarily to the hospital. Since then, Spears’ father has been in control of practically every decision Britney makes.
Spears says that throughout the duration of the conservatorship, she has been forced into therapy, to take birth control, and to take lithium, a medication used to treat bipolar disorder.
“I’m not here to be anyone’s slave,” Spears said, over the phone from a remote location, at the hearing. “I deserve to have a life.”
While she has not publicly voiced her opposition to the conservatorship, documents revealed she had been against it for quite some time. She had requested for her father to be removed as conservator in late 2020, going so far as refusing to perform as long as her father was conservator.
Spears has continued to make music throughout the conservatorship. Since its inception, she has released four studio albums, completed a 4-year residency in Las Vegas, and even starred as a judge on season two of The X Factor in 2012.
Spears has stated that the conservatorship has taken its toll on her mental health.
“I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy,” Spears told the court. “I thought that maybe if I said it enough, I would maybe become happy because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized…I’m so angry it’s insane. And I’m depressed.”
Many of Spears’ fans have voiced their support for Britney retaining her autonomy. Her fans launched the #FreeBritney movement all over social media, which started from the Podcast by the same name that has helped detail parts of her life that are not readily available to the public. This, along with a documentary titled Framing Britney Spears, helped publicize and expose just how questionable the conservatorship has been.
These aren’t the only things to raise questions about the conservatorship. Sometime during the hearing, the judge caught word that what was being said in the courtroom by Spears was being leaked live on the Internet. It wasn’t long after the judge caught word that the stream was shut down, but not before many people saved the audio and spread it across the Internet. There is still no word on who leaked the original audio.
Spears stated she has been forced to take birth control, even though she wants to eventually get married and start a family with her current boyfriend, Sam Ashgari.
“I want to be able to get married and have a baby,” Spears said. “I have an IUD inside me but this so- called team won’t let me go to the doctor to remove it because they don’t want me to have any more children.”
Spears is hoping this court hearing will be the first step on the road to autonomy.
“I’d like to be able to share my story with the world,” said Spears. “I want to be able to be heard.”
Spears’ next court hearing is scheduled for July 14.
Kris Johnson
Intern