Britney Spears Finally Spoke Out About Her Conservatorship in a Devastating Court Statement

#FreeBritney.

This week, the whole world has been waiting to hear Britney Spears speak about her controversial conservatorship. 

On Wednesday morning, we woke to the news that Britney would be publicly opening up about her experience of the conservatorship in court. While fans, supporters and the media made assumptions about what she might say, the reality is far more saddening.

How did Britney get into a conservatorship?

For those who aren't entirely familiar with the #FreeBritney movement or need a quick recap, Britney was put under conservatorship after her very public breakdown in 2008 (yes, the one where she shaved her head). At the time, Britney was put under a '5150 hold' in a psychiatric hospital for a mental health evaluation.

The singer's father, Jamie Spears, petitioned courts for an emergency 'temporary' conservatorship, claiming that Britney wasn't able to care for herself as a result of her mental health struggles. From there, he was given the legal right to make decisions regarding Britney's finances, health, business deals and personal life.

Details of the conservatorship have been described as “highly controlling” by the New York Times.

“Her most mundane purchases, from a drink at Starbucks to a song on iTunes, are tracked in court documents as part of the plan to safeguard the great fortune she has earned but does not ultimately control,” they reported.

After some unusual and brief social media posts, particularly on TikTok, fans and social media users started expressing concern for the singer’s wellbeing.

Soon, all the details about her conservatorship started coming out, along with countless stories, images and footage of the misogyny, harassment and horrific treatment Britney received during her rise and fall from fame.

This then sparked the #FreeBritney movement online, with countless stories written about it throughout 2020.

Basically, supporters of the #FreeBritney movement believe that she is allegedly unfairly being held in a conservatorship by her father. 

"Her conservators decide whether or not she works, as she cannot enter into contracts for herself because she is legally not her own person. Britney Spears needs permission from her conservators to leave her house or spend any of her own money," the website FreeBritney.net points out.

The media attention from the movement then sparked two documentaries about Britney’s life: The New York Times’ Framing Britney Spears and a second untitled film reportedly being worked on by Netflix.

What did Britney have to say?

Appearing in court virtually, Britney voiced her issues and made a number of clear requests.

“I have a lot to say, so bear with me,” Britney told the court. “I don’t think I was heard on any level when I came to court last time.”

“I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy. It’s a lie,” Britney explained, as reported by The Hollywood Reporter. 

“I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatised. Fake it ’til you make it, but now I’m telling you the truth, OK? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m depressed. I cry every day.”

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Britney read from a prepared statement, but she was speaking so fast that she was told by the Judge Brenda Penny to slow down so that it could be correctly recorded by the court reporter.

“I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive,” Britney continued. “My request is to end the conservatorship without being evaluated like before.”

“I didn’t know I could petition the conservatorship to end. I honestly didn’t know that. I’ve done more than enough. I don’t owe these people anything. I’ve roofed and clothed and fed people on the road. It’s demoralising what I’ve been through.

“I’ve never said it openly—I never thought anyone would believe me. I’m not lying. I just want my life back. It’s been 13 years and it’s been enough. I want to be able to be heard. I’ve kept this in for so long—it’s not good for my heart. I’ve been so angry, and I cry every day. For my sanity… I need to get it off my heart. The anger, all of it. The main reason why I’m here today is I want to end the conservatorship without being evaluated.”

Watch LIVE: Britney Spears conservatorship hearing coverage | ABC News https://t.co/CkjNL6Uv9p

— #FreeBritney Live (@FreeBritneyLive) June 23, 2021

Britney went on to tell the court that she is afraid of people and lacks trust in others due to everything she’s been through.

One of the most shocking elements of Britney’s statement was when she revealed that her conservators are controlling her body by interfering with her wishes to conceive more children.

“I have an IUD in my body right now that won’t let me have a baby, and my conservators won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out, because they don’t want me to have children,” she explained.

Due to this, Jodi Montgomery’s (the woman asking to replace Britney’s father as conservator) attorney interjected to request that specific transcripts discussing Britney’s medical history be sealed, to which Britney interrupted, claiming that her conservators have been successfully exploiting her.

“They’ve done a pretty good job of exploiting my life. I feel like it should be an open court hearing. They should listen and hear what I have to say,” she said.

On top of this, Britney revealed the harrowing revelation that she had previously failed a psychological test, which resulted in her father forcibly sending her to a rehabilitation program.

“I cried on the phone for an hour, and he loved every minute of it,” she said. “The control he had… to hurt his own daughter, 100,000 percent, he loved it,” she claimed.

At the end of her statement, Britney made her wishes clear.

“I deserve privacy. I don’t feel like I can live a full life,” she exclaimed.

“Basically, this conservatorship is doing me WAY more harm than good. I deserve to have a life, I deserve to have a two, three-year break and do what I want to do. I wish I could stay with you on the phone forever because when I get off the phone, I hear all these ‘no’s’. ‘No, no, I feel ganged up on.

“I feel bullied and I feel left out and alone. I’m tired of feeling alone. I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does by having a child, a family, all of those things. That’s all I wanted to say to you—thank you so much for letting me speak to you today.”

Following her statement, Britney’s father’s attorney read a short statement to the court claiming that Mr Spears is sorry to see his daughter feeling this way.

“He is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain,” read Jamie’s attorney.

“Mr Spears loves his daughter and misses her very much.”

TMZ reported that after both statements, the judge thanked Britney for her courage speaking out and expressed that she would consider requests to end the conservatorship.

As for now, Britney is yet to officially file a motion to court to end the conservatorship.

You can listen to the full audio of Britney’s statement here on the official Free Britney LA Instagram.

The next hearing regarding @BritneySpears Conservatorship is scheduled for July 14th. #FreeBritney

— #FreeBritney Live (@FreeBritneyLive) June 24, 2021

Header Image: Rich Fury via Getty Images