By Lizzie Hardesty
“I just want my life back”. After 13 years of being silenced, Britney passionately speaks out.
Britney Spears has finally confirmed what many of her fans have suspected, and needless to say, they are relieved to hear the news. However, she isn’t entirely free just yet.
For 13 years, pop icon Britney Spears has found her world confined at the hands of a conservatorship managed by her father, Jamie Spears. However, as of Sept. 29, 2021, Jamie Spears has been suspended as conservator and ordered by a Los Angeles judge to turn over all her assets.
In the court of Stanley Mosk Courthouse in Downtown L.A., back in June, Spears emotionally explained how it has been miserable being forced to work nonstop, take medication she didn’t need, and experience limited privacy in her own home. She conveyed how she was depressed and “so angry it’s insane”. She also expressed how her family did nothing about it, stating, “not only did my family not do a goddamn thing, my dad was all for it. Anything that happened had to be approved by my dad.”
After L.A. Judge Branda J. Penny revealed her decision, she stated, “I believe that the suspension of James Spears as the conservator...is in the best interest of the conservatee.”
Judge Penny ordered all assets to be turned over to John Zabel, a licensed certified public accountant handpicked by Spears’ team, as soon as possible.
After the decision was made to suspend Mr. Spears from the conservatorship, he hired a new attorney, Alex Weingarten, a partner in the litigation department at Willkie Farr & Gallagher.
Spears’ attorney, Mathew Rosengart, suggests the conservatorship end altogether and that Spears be released without medical evaluation, a desire she expressed in her testimony in June to the courts. Judge Penny will determine this in November in addition to formally removing Jamie Spears from the conservatorship.
Rosengart also stated, “We learned Mr. Spears did something unfathomable. He instructed a security team, paid for by my client, to place a listening device in Britney’s bedroom.” Rosengart is reportedly requesting an investigation into Jamie Spear’s conduct and asserted that he has profited off his daughter’s conservatorship. Rosengart expects that the conservatorship will be adjourned at the next hearing.
With the help of her fans and other supporters, the #FreeBritney movement, a demonstration sparked by fans in 2019 to support Spears and liberate her from the conservatorship, has made significant progress. It might even motivate some politicians to consider reforms that will require stronger conditions, oversight, and training for conservatorships.
britneyspears / Instagram
The controversy over the conservatorship has gained national attention, harnessing America’s sympathy for the pop star and even inspiring documentaries such as FX/Hulu’s “Controlling Britney Spears”, Netflix’s “Britney vs Spears”, and CNN’s “Toxic: Britney Spears’ Battle for Freedom”.
Although Spears has gained worldwide fame and become an iconic, successful pop star, it has come at a cost and this situation for her has been nothing but Toxic. These recent events have been a great step in the right direction and proof that Spears will emerge stronger from all the pain and mistreatment.