Britney Spears has been the talk of the world this year, but not because she has released any album or anything. She has been under a conservatorship for over 13 years and all of the information is finally coming to light.
Framing Britney Spears, now streaming on Hulu, is a documentary by the New York Times that premiered this year, which further sparked the #FreeBritney movement and brought t0 light the darkness in her life.
Since 2008, Spears, 39, has been under a conservatorship that her father is in charge of. She first went under one when she lashed out and shaved her head, forcing her to go for mental health evaluations. The documentary explained her life and struggles from then to now, her relationship with Justin Timberlake, and what's happening with the conservatorship.
With new information coming to light, and many fans and celebrities being on her side, this is a constant fight. Here's what happened since the documentary premiered.
8 The Conservatorship And What It Entails
In February 2008, Britney Spears went under back-to-back psychiatric holds after locking her kids in the bathroom with her because of custody debates. Her father, Jamie, petitioned for an emergency temporary conservatorship. In October, a judge ruled that the conservatorship would be made permanent, and her father would manage all of her financial affairs. In November of that year, she released Britney: For The Record, where she appeared glum and said her life was "too in control."
After that, she didn't speak up about her conservatorship for about a decade. However, she was talking about it behind closed doors and tried to terminate the conservatorship for good. In 2019, she announced she was going on an indefinite work hiatus after her father suffered a life-threatening illness. Her attorney, Andrew Wallet quit, making her dad in charge. Spears was then put into a mental health facility against her will. And since then, she has been fighting to get her father taken away from being in charge.
7 The Documentary Comes Out
Framing Britney Spears was the first time that many people knew what was happening with Spears and her court-sanctioned conservatorship. It showed just how much she has gone through in those 13 years and how she is not in control of her own life. The documentary features interviews with a lifelong family friend who has traveled alongside her for much of her career, her lawyers and the marketing executive who originally created Spears’s image. Spears was not contacted for or interviewed in the documentary at all, which didn't let her voice her side or what she is going through.
6 Fans Come To Her Support
Fans are seen in the documentary standing outside the courtroom showing their support for her with #FreeBritney signs. Some fans are interviewed in Framing Britney Spears, and they are outraged at what is happening to her. Others have taken to social media since the documentary and are backing Spears and want her free from this conservatorship. Celebrities such as Cher, Miley Cyrus and Paris Hilton have have all supported her during this time.
5 Spears Requests Court Petition
About a month after the documentary came out, Spears formally requested a court petition that Jodi Montgomery, her temporary care manager, permanently replace her father, Jamie Spears as conservator over the singer's personal affairs. That means Jodi will have a say in who Britney can and can’t see and will be able to liaise with Britney’s medical team. Britney’s lawyers have has also requested, in the docs, that Jamie fully resign as the current conservator of her “person," according to Hollywood Life.
4 Britney Posts About Documentary
Fans have been pretty worried about Britney, especially when she posts videos on her Instagram and TikTok just dancing around and modeling clothes. In one post, she is dancing, but posts a long and worthy caption about the documentary and what people are saying about her.
"So many documentaries about me this year with other people's takes on my life.... what can I say.... I'm deeply flattered," the "Toxic" singer said in her post. "These documentaries are so hypocritical. They criticize the media and then do the same thing." Some people believe that it is not actually her posting on social media and someone on her team is doing it, but either way, she doesn't sound happy about her situation but is looking forward to traveling in the Summer.
3 Her Boyfriend Speaks Up
Her boyfriend, Sam Asghari, whom she met on the set of her music video for "Slumber Party," is very supportive of her. They have been together for four years, and he sticks by her through it all. He lashed out and called her father a "total d***," after the documentary came out. He has not been able to speak out since then because he's been silenced. "I won’t be going into details because I’ve always respected our privacy but at the same time I didn’t come to this country to not be able to express my opinion and freedom."
Asghari also wore a "Free Britney" shirt, which he posted a picture of himself wearing to his Instagram story on the day of her court hearing. He added a lion emoji calling his girlfriend a "lioness."
2 Britney Speaks Out
On June 23, the "Oops... I Did It Again" singer finally got to speak up and let everyone know what exactly has been going on in her life under this conservatorship. She made a 24-minute virtual statement to the judge, which was livestreamed to media by the court, where she sounded coherent and scared. Spears told probate judge Brenda Penny that she wants to sue her family and was abused by a former therapist, among many other accusations.
Under this conservatorship, she is not allowed to marry, have anymore children, see her children, or even pick the color or her kitchen cabinets. Every aspect of her life is controlled by her father and her team. Spears has another hearing date set for July 14th. To find out everything she said in court, read the full transcript.
1 Justin Timberlake Shows His Support
Justin Timberlake has received a lot of backlash after how he was portrayed in Framing Britney Spears. He publicly apologized to Spears and Janet Jackson after the documentary dropped. "I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed," he said in an Instagram post. Fans were mad after he had been showing lack of compassion for Spears and commented on the status of her virginity.
Now, after Spears spoke up in court after everything she has been through, Timberlake has taken to social media again saying that "we should all be supporting Britney at this time." The two dated back in the early 2000s and were Hollywood's "It" couple back then. He continued by saying, "Jess and I send our love, and our absolute support to Britney during this time. We hope the courts, and her family, make this right and let her live however she wants to live." Hopefully, Timberlake reaches out privately to Spears to apologize to solely her.