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Britney Spears appeared in court yesterday, to challenge the conservatorship she has been placed under for the past 13 years.
Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, has been her conservator and legal guardian – and therefore in charge of her personal and professional life and finances – since 2008 after she was hospitalized following concerns over her mental health.
The 39-year-old singer appeared before a Los Angeles court via Zoom yesterday in an attempt to end the conservatorship, which she described as “embarrassing and humiliating”, once and for all.
In a 20-minute long statement to the court, she said that she was “not here to be a slave”, before calling the conservatorship “abusive” and likening it to “sex trafficking”.
It’s the first time she has spoken in an open court about her conservatorship – and she wanted to make sure that everyone was listening to what she had to say!
She went into huge amounts of detail about the mental and physical effects the conservatorship has had on her, and made some truly shocking confessions…
From the stuff we already knew such as her father controlling her career, to things we had no idea about such as him allegedly stopping her from having her IUD removed so she could have another baby, allegedly stopping her from getting married, and even minor details such as allegedly choosing the color of her kitchen cupboards, Britney Spears left no detail out in her 20-minute confession to the court.
She also told the court that she had been put on lithium – a drug commonly used to treat those with bipolar disorder – against her wishes, which made her feel drunk and unable to converse.
The most heart-breaking confession might be admitting that her fans were right all along…
Remember when she consistently reassured her fans that everything was fine on social media, and her Instagram posts weren’t a cry for help?
Turns out the fans – most of whom are part of the #FreeBritney movement – were right all along, but she was just posting positive messages to keep her father – who her lawyer previously said she was afraid of – happy…
“My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship, including my management … they should be in jail,” Britney told Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny yesterday.
“I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy. It’s a lie. I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized.
“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.”
The singer then pleaded with the court to consider ending her 13-year conservatorship, making it very clear that she didn’t know she could have petitioned the conservatorship to end, hence why she is only just doing it…
“I didn’t know I could petition the conservatorship to end. I honestly didn’t know that,” she continued.
“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 demoralizing 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.”
Britney Spears then continued to list some of the reasons why she wants the conservatorship to come to an end, including the fact that she wants to get married and have another child (we assume with her boyfriend Sam Asghari) which her conservatorship didn’t allow…
“I want to progressively move forward … I want to get married and have a baby,” she continued.
“This conservatorship is doing me way more harm than good. I deserve to have a life! I’ve worked my whole life. I feel ganged up on and I feel bullied and I feel left out and alone. I’m tired of feeling alone.”
Her father, who also appeared virtually along with her mother, Lynne Spears, didn’t immediately comment on Britney’s statements, but his lawyer released a short statement shortly after on his behalf…
“Jamie is sorry to see his daughter in so much pain,” Jamie’s attorney, Vivian Lee Thoreen, said.
“He loves his daughter and misses her very much.”
We’ll keep you posted with more updates as and when we get them.