From around 2000 until 2007, singer/songwriter/performer Britney Spears was pop royalty with a string of successful albums and tours. She was the "Princess of Pop".
Then in 2007 came the infamous meltdown. She shaved her head and physically attacked a car with an umbrella. She literally went nuts. In the wake of that, her volatile father Jamie Spears was appointed as her conservator, which basically means he has absolute control over her and her estate.
2007 was a fall from grace for the "Princess of Pop". She acknowledged her struggles with bipolar disorder. A special "cocktail" of drugs was prescribed. Whether these meds were about controlling her mental health issues or controlling Britney (or both) is a question that remains unanswered.
Then came a triumphant return with her 2014 -2017 "Piece of Me" residency at Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas. She loved it. She had a swish 8,000 square foot suite. It gave her stability.
By 2018, she had signed to do another Las Vegas residency at Park MGM. "Domination" was to begin in February of 2019. In January of 2019, she pulled out of the show, citing her father Jamie's health problems as the reason. She declared an indefinite hiatus from work.
Since then, things have taken a bizarre turn or two, with a strange, sometimes scary Instagram post by Spears, coupled with a thus-far unsuccessful attempt to have her father removed as her conservator.
Fans concerned by her weird Instagram posts have launched a #FreeBritney movement. But some think that would be a big mistake. Here's why.
Comatose Patient
That's what one lawyer in the hearing to remove Jamie Spears from the conservatorship compared Britney to. The only thing was it was Sam Ingham, Britney's own attorney! Ingham kept telling the judge that Britney wanted her father removed as conservator and when the judge, quite logically, asked for proof of that in the form of a written statement from Britney, Ingham compared her to a "comatose patient" who was incapable of making legally binding decisions for herself.
Weirding Out On Instagram
Back at the end of the summer, Britney posted a totally weird video talking about what a great summer she had had. The only thing was her makeup was smeared and she was rocking back and forth, appearing to give a pre-scripted performance. Fans decided that Britney was fine, but that the problem was those around her controlling (drugging) her.
Free Britney became their mantra. But is that what she really needs? Britney has acknowledged that she is bipolar. Sometimes her meds work. Sometimes they don't. Sometimes she refuses to even take them. Rumor has it that her refusal to take her medications was the reason that her father Jamie (and not Britney herself) canceled the 2019 Las Vegas residency.
That was when she declared an "indefinite hiatus" from work and launched her campaign to have her father removed as conservator. Thus far, that has been unsuccessful, but the courts have agreed to appoint the Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator alongside her father Jamie. Apparently, Britney and Jamie are not even speaking these days.
This is a woman who walked out of court one day barefooted. This is a woman who, after she lost her battle to have her father removed as conservator, posted a totally freaky video offering to answer so-called questions from fans.
Fans learned that her favorite holiday is Halloween and her favorite subject in school was history.
Fans were astounded. It was like, "Hey Britney, nobody is asking those questions". In other words, Spears appeared to be totally out of touch with reality.
She is and has been, mentally ill for much of her life. She has been surrounded by people who do everything for her for most of her life. Her own lawyer admits she is not capable of making binding legal decisions for herself.
Britney's former estate manager lawyer Andrew Wallet has slammed the #FreeBritney movement, saying they "don't have a clue' about how the law works or why Britney needs to be protected from 'undue influences' ".
He said it is possible the 38-year-old pop princess will be kept in the conservatorship for the rest of her life.
It is interesting to note that Wallet is very much in the Jamie Spears camp. Both men have been accused of, well, mismanagement of Britney's affairs. Read "stealing".
So, where do we get to? Given her fragile, volatile mental state, "Freeing Britney" to do her own thing would appear to be the worst thing that could happen to her. The better focus of the campaign is who the conservator should be, not whether there should be one.
Appointing the Bessemer Trust as a co-conservator is a step in the right direction. It is clear to some that Jamie Spears is more in it for himself than out of concern for Britney. What Britney needs now is not "freedom", but better, more responsible management. And many feel that cannot be provided by Jamie Spears.