"I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive.”
Britney Spears Asks the Court to End Her Conservatorship: ‘I Just Want My Life Back’
Pop star Britney Spears (remotely) addressed a judge and lawyers in her conservatorship case on June 23, voicing her opinions both about the fate of her $60 million fortune and her own rights as an individual.
Spears asked the court to end her conservatorship “without having to be evaluated.” “I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive," she said.
“I've told the world I'm happy and okay,” Spears said. “I'm traumatized. I'm not happy, I can't sleep…I just want my life back."
“It's my wish and my dream for all of this to end without being tested,” she said, saying the conservatorship "makes no sense whatsoever."
“All I want is to own my money, for this to end, and for my boyfriend to drive me in his fucking car," she said. “And I honestly would like to sue my family, to be totally honest with you.”
In one particularly shocking part of her testimony, Spears said, “I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship I'm not able to get married or have a baby. I have an IUD inside myself right now so I don't get pregnant. I wanted to take the IUD out so I could start trying to have another baby, but this so-called ‘team’ won't let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don't want me to have any more children."
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 deserve to have a two to three-year break and do what I want to do…I'm tired of feeling alone. I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does by having a child, a family, any of those things, and more so.” Variety has a full transcript of the testimony.
After Spears' testimony, her father Jamie's lawyer said, “[Jamie] is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain. Mr. Spears loves his daughter and misses her very much.”
For the unfamiliar, Spears was placed under a conservatorship in 2008 following her highly-publicized personal struggles. Under this arrangement, Spears has no legal control over her life and finances—something many of her fans staunchly oppose. They started a #FreeBritney movement in 2019 to raise awareness of the conservatorship, and in 2021 it gained national attention after the release of the New York Times documentary, Framing Britney Spears.
Spears' boyfriend, Sam Asghari, appeared to show his support of #FreeBritney on Instagram Stories, posting a selfie wearing a shirt that sure looks like it says “Free Britney.”
Conservatorships are typically put in place when people cannot physically and/or mentally care for themselves. That's why many are having trouble understanding why Spears—who, since 2008, has gone on two world tours, released fragrances, and completed a highly-lucrative Las Vegas residency—would need one.
How Spears actually feels about the situation has been somewhat unclear, which is part of why fans were eager to hear her testimony in court. In 2008, the singer compared her situation to jail. That being said, she's also slammed the documentaries about her media exploitation for essentially continuing that exploitation.
This story originally appeared on: Glamour - Author:Condé Nast
