Britney Spears officially endorses #FreeBritney: Everything she’s said since the NYT doc
“Framing Britney Spears” documentary, all eyes have been on the pop singer with renewed interest in – and speculation about – her well-being.
The BBC has also gotten in on the frenzy over her conservatorship, releasing its own documentary “The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash and a Conservatorship” in May. And speculation over Spears has only grown after the singer spoke out in multiple court hearings condemning the 13-year conservatorship that controls her finances and important life decisions.
“I’m not here to be anyone’s slave,” Spears said, while appearing in Los Angeles court remotely via telephone in June. “I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy. It’s a lie. I thought that maybe if I said it enough, I would maybe become happy because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized … I’m so angry it’s insane. And I’m depressed.”
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July 14: Spears officially endorses #FreeBritney
Spears took to her Instagram Wednesday hours after a judge ruled she’s allowed to hire her own lawyer in her ongoing conservatorship case.
“Coming along, folks … coming along,” she wrote, captioning videos of herself performing cartwheels and horseback riding on Instagram. “New with real representation today … I feel GRATITUDE and BLESSED !!!!”
Spears also thanked her “awesome fans” for their support and shared the tag many of them have used as a rallying cry in their movement to end her conservatorship: “#FreeBritney”
Spears’ boyfriend Sam Asghari also used the hashtag on Wednesday. “Internet is about to explode,” he wrote in the comments, “#freebritney”
May 3: Spears calls documentaries ‘hypocritical’
Spears sounded off against the “many documentaries about me this year with other people’s takes on my life” in an Instagram post on May .
“what can I say … I’m deeply flattered !!!!” she said, captioning a video of herself dancing. “These documentaries are so hypocritical … they criticize the media and then do the same thing”
Though Spears said she’s had “waaaayyyy more amazing times” in her life, she added that “the world is more interested in the negative.”
“Why highlight the most negative and traumatizing times in my life from forever ago ????” she asked, noting that her sights are set on the future. The pop star said she has plans to travel this summer, visit different dance studios and install a miniature koi pond in her backyard.
Spears also addressed speculation that her Instagram is run by someone other than her. In a Page Six article published March 31, Billy Brasfield, whom the outlet identifies as Spears’ former makeup artist, claimed that he had recent text exchanges with the pop star and that “the content (of her posts) is her, but … the words are NOT how she feels.” According to BBC, the “The Battle for Britney” documentary includes an interview with Brasfield.
But Spears says Brasfield’s claims aren’t true.
“PSSSS I don’t actually talk to Billy B AT ALL so I’m honestly very confused,” she wrote. “This is my Instagram !!!!”
March 30: Spears was ’embarrassed’ by ‘Framing Britney’ narrative
Nearly two months after the release of “Framing Britney,” Spears acknowledged it directly for the first time, revealing on Instagram March 30 she “cried for two weeks” and still cries “sometimes” over the documentary.
“As the world keeps on turning and life goes on we still remain so fragile and sensitive as people !!! I didn’t watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in,” she wrote, adding that her “life has always been very speculated … watched … and judged really my whole life.”
Spears said she’s focused on “keep(ing) my own joy… love… and happiness,” especially through dance: “It takes a lot of strength to TRUST the universe with your real vulnerability cause I’ve always been so judged… insulted… and embarrassed by the media… and I still am till this day.”
March 23: Spears files petition for father to be removed as conservator
Britney Spears officially requested the resignation of her father as her personal conservator, according to documents filed March 23 in probate court in Los Angeles.
She sought to permanently replace him with Jodi Montgomery, a state-appointed conservator who has temporarily acted as her personal conservator since her father relinquished the role in September 2019 amid health issues.
In an attachment, her lawyer sought to ensure that Montgomery would have the power to make medical decisions, communicate with her doctors and have access to her medical records. She also would be able to limit Britney’s visitors with the exception of her lawyer, retain caretakers and security guards on a 24/7 basis, and prosecute civil harassment restraining orders deemed appropriate.
The petition did not make clear whether Britney Spears intends for Jamie Spears to retain his other role as conservator of her finances. His lawyers have argued he has greatly improved her financial estate, now worth around $60 million.
But a separate document in the court file shows that Jamie Spears and Bessemer Trust, his co-conservator of her finances, will have the power to access all documents and records relating to her assets, and to take actions necessary to secure them, in addition to a host of other powers typically wielded by financial managers.
The petition to remove Jamie Spears may be a direct result of what his lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, said publicly in February in response to criticism on social media and the documentary.
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March 9: Spears calls for kindness and ‘deep healing’
Reflecting on a year of “craziness” due to the novel coronavirus, Spears called for others to use self-care tactics, such as meditation, prayer and “any kind of hobby that brings joy” in a March 1 Instagram post. She promised to “devote myself to lots of tea and healing.”
She added: “I’m working on allowing myself to not be so strong all the time and to know it’s ok to cry !!!! I pray for deep healing this year for all of us and I hope we can all inspire each other !!!! Again … BE KIND – PASS IT ON AMERICA”
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Feb. 9: Spears says she’s focused on being ‘a normal person’ in wake of documentary
Following the documentary’s release, Spears said on Twitter and Instagram Feb. 9 that she’s focused on being “a normal person.”
“I’ll always love being on stage,” Spears captioned a throwback video of herself performing “Toxic” three years prior. “But I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person… I love simply enjoying the basics of every day life!”
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