Britney Spears, after 13 long years of living under the hold of her father and other family members, has been freed of the conservatorship that limited her financial and medical choices. This conservatorship began in 2008, due to Britney’s very infamous public breakdown that most famously involved her shaven head look and smashing in a car window with an umbrella. Those images have followed Britney for over a decade now and that time in her life seemed to be her downfall; until very recently.

Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, has been in control of her $60 million estate since he filed for conservatorship in February of 2008, which was granted “temporarily,” alongside attorney Andrew Wallet. This conservatorship was then extended until the end of the year, with her parents making a public statement about their concern for their daughter’s wellbeing, stating:

“We are deeply concerned about our daughter’s safety and vulnerability and we believe her life is presently at risk. There are conservatorship orders in place created to protect our daughter that are being blatantly disregarded. We ask only that the court’s orders be enforced so that a tragedy may be averted.”

But unfortunately, this conservatorship was extended indefinitely, with those involved stating that it could possibly last her lifetime. This conservatorship took away Britney’s rights to her financials, her medical decisions and even controlled her rights to see her two sons. It also took away her right to continue her family, as Britney claimed that they wouldn’t let her come off her birth control. She was forced to go on tour, to rehab and to take medications that she did not approve of. Britney was even openly unhappy about the details of her conservatorship and even related the situation to jail. 

But in 2012, her fiancé at the time was added as a co-conservator, giving him the right to decide what she could eat, wear, and even make medical decisions on her behalf. When she decided to speak out about the conservatorship in late 2016, her quote about her lack of choice in what she does was removed from the interview when it was aired. Slowly, the conservators have resigned from their positions, starting with Wallet, then with Jamie following not long after, but only stepping back temporarily.

 

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The #FreeBritney movement started in early 2019 when the pop star was hospitalized due to mental health issues and her fans got a glimpse of how little control she had in the conservatorship. This ramped up the social media campaign as fans vied for her right to have access to her financial assets and to make decisions regarding her life, for herself. Her caretaker Jodi Montgomery was then made one of her permanent conservators and the conservatorship was extended until 2021.

The social media movement grew even larger when the documentary “Framing Britney Spears” debuted earlier this year on Hulu. The fight has continued through 2021, as Britney fought for her father to be removed entirely from the conservatorship, stating that she is afraid of him and won’t perform as long as he remains in the conservatorship. Earlier in June, the singer spoke for 24 minutes in court about her lack of control and all of the mental health issues that have arisen from it, even stating she wanted to sue her family for this harm. After her appointed lawyer dropped out of the case, she hired her own, attorney Mathew S. Rosengart, a notable Hollywood lawyer, marking a positive turn-around in Britney’s case. 

Jamie Spears agreed to step down as conservator and in September 2021, a judge suspended him from the legal arrangement. Finally, this November, Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Perry ruled that the conservatorship was no longer necessary for Britney Spears and that it should be terminated. 

On November 12, 2021, Britney Spears conservatorship finally ended, giving her full rights to her life and all that she has been stripped of for the past 13 years. Britney’s happiness and bright personality have since filled her Instagram as she takes the reigns on this next chapter of her life.