Initially, the #FreeBritney movement consisted of fans of the pop star, but following the numerous documentaries and the highly publicized court case, more and more people have come out to support her. This article will discuss Britney’s controversial conservatorship, the beginning of the #FreeBritney movement and the developments of the court case.
Why a Conservatorship
It’s important to first discuss why it was ruled for Britney to be under conservatorship.
Custody Battle
In the late 2000’s, Britney Spears had some very public scandals – she often appeared intoxicated in public, she went into rehab, then she shaved her hair (likely because she feared the court could test her hair for drug use), and all of this in front of the cameras. Despite all this, she still records music and performs throughout 2017.
These incidents, however, influenced the court’s decision to award her ex-husband Kevin Federline the sole physical custody of their children. When Britney refused to give the children back to Kevin in January 2008, she was restrained and taken to Cedar-Sinai Medical Center for a 5150 Hold (72-hour medical lockdown). This event resulted in Federline receiving full custody of their children.
Conservatorship First Granted
Following the 5150 Hold, Britney’s father – Jamie Spears – petitioned for gaining temporary conservatorship over Britney, which was soon granted. ‘A conservatorship is a court case where a judge appoints a responsible person or organization (called the “conservator”) to care for another adult (called the “conservatee”) who cannot care for himself or herself or manage his or her own finances’ according to the Judicial Branch of California.
While the public thought the move was reasonable back then, they didn’t know the full details and they didn’t expect the conservatorship to become permanent, which it did in October 2008.
How was the Conservatorship Granted
Recent documentaries attempted to demystify the infamous conservatorship case. The Battle for Britney (2021) discovered court documents that suggest the conservatorship was granted on the basis of Britney having dementia. The legitimacy of the documents is yet to be proven, but they appear to be real.
The documentary’s host – Mobeen Azhar – says there are two possible interpretations of the findings. One, Britney has dementia that she’s been hiding for years while releasing new music and touring. The more sinister and plausible explanation though is that James Spears lied and thus the conservatorship was granted through fraudulent means.
Up until 2019, James was the sole executor of Britney’s estate (finances, musical career etc.). He slowly gained more powers by constantly filing petitions to extend the conservatorship and his rights as conservator. James even receives a salary and has appealed numerous times to increase its amount.
Back in 2009, the attorney Jon Eardley contacted Britney to tell her that her civil rights were violated, and he tried to appeal the conservatorship, albeit to no avail.
#FreeBritney Movement
The “Free Britney” campaign first started in 2009, with the website freebritney.net created in response to the conservatorship case. The website was created to bring awareness to the pop star’s case, and it now includes a massive archive of articles dating as far back as 2008.
The fan-led campaign received more attention of late due to a hearing of the conservatorship case in 2019, which removed Jamie Spears as the sole conservator and hired a company to share his responsibilities. The campaign was later revived because of Britney’s social media posts. In July 2020, fans notices that Britney was acting weird. One person asked the star to wear a yellow top, while another asked her to spin around in the next video if she needed help. To everyone’s surprise, she did both things. Another fan tested the theory and asked her to wear a blue shirt this time, which she again did.
These two posts sent her fans into a frenzy and #FreeBritney started trending. The documentaries that came out this year further put Britney’s situation in the limelight, and received the support of celebrities like Miley Cyrus, along with the support of Britney’s mother, brother, and sister. Britney’s son, Jayden, went as far as to blame his grandfather for his mother’s situation and said he hoped James died.
The 2021 Hearing
Britney has addressed her conservatorship a few times over the years, and she seemed to agree to the arrangement. However, during the June 2021 hearing, she confessed to the opposite. Britney said that she felt she had no say in the matter last time (2019), which discouraged her to appeal to the court.
For the first time, the pop star revealed terrifying details about her conservatorship. She claimed she was forced to go touring in 2018 and to perform in Las Vegas during her residency. Apparently, her own management threatened to sue her if she declined. Britney also claimed that she was forced to take the drug lithium, which made her incapable of having a normal conversation. Lastly, she confessed to having an IUD against her will as to prevent her to have more children. Currently, she cannot get married or have children without approval; apparently, she can’t even go outside.
Britney begged the court to hear her pleas this time and to remove the ‘abusive’ conservatorship. Another court hearing is scheduled for 14th July 2021, which will hopefully lead to better results.