Britney Spears Pushed to End Her Conservatorship for Years, Despite Father’s Claim Otherwise: NYT

Screenshot From The New York Times Presents – Framing Britney Spears

Just one day before Britney Spears is set to directly address the Los Angeles court at a conservatorship hearing, The New York Times revealed that the pop star has been pushing for years to end her father Jamie Spears’ control over her life.

As the #FreeBritney movement was gaining traction — largely thanks to the bombshell documentary, The New York Times Presents: Framing Britney Spears — Jamie addressed the conservatorship in a statement made through his attorney Vivian Lee Thoreen. 

“[Jamie] would love nothing more than to see Britney not need a conservatorship,” said the statement. “Whether or not there is an end to the conservatorship really depends on Britney. If she wants to end her conservatorship, she can file a petition to end it.”

On Tuesday, the Times reported that confidential court records obtained by the publication reveal that Britney has been pushing to end the conservatorship for years, despite Jamie’s claim to the contrary.

“She articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her,” a court investigator assigned to her case wrote in a 2016 report, according to the Times. 

The Times also reported that Britney said the system had “too much control,” adding, “Too, too much!”

“Ms. Spears informed the investigator that she wanted the conservatorship terminated as soon as possible,” reported the Times’ Liz Day, Samantha Stark, and Joe Coscarelli, adding that the court investigator wrote, “‘She is ‘sick of being taken advantage of’ and she said she is the one working and earning her money but everyone around her is on her payroll.’”

Britney reportedly told the court that she felt obligated to perform against her will and that was felt forced by the conservatorship to stay at a facility for her mental health.

“The newly obtained court records show that Ms. Spears has called into question his fitness for the role,” added the Times report. “As early as 2014, in a hearing closed to the public, Ms. Spears’s court-appointed lawyer, Samuel D. Ingham III, said his client wanted to explore the removal of her father as conservator, citing his drinking, among other objections she had raised in what he called a ‘shopping list’ of grievances.”

In a November hearing, Ingham requested that Jamie be suspended from Britney’s conservatorship, telling the judge, “My client has informed me that she is afraid of her father,” adding, “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”

Although Britney admitted she was “embarrassed” by the Times documentary, she has remained relatively quiet regarding the media attention over her conservatorship, while her attorneys have also spoken for her in court throughout the years.

Britney will now address the court directly when taking the remote stand on Wednesday before Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny.

The star is expected to address the “status of the conservatorship,” which she has been under since 2008.