Britney Spears‘s private turmoil can no longer be ignored.
During a remote court hearing in Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 23, the pop star issued a rare public statement regarding the decades-long conservatorship that she says has controlled nearly every aspect of her life.
Britney asked the judge to terminate the legal agreement, and per NBC News, who was present during the hearing, she described being “enslaved” by her father and conservator, Jamie Spears.
Britney testified, “Nothing has been done to this generation for doing wrong things, but my precious body, who has worked for my dad for the past f–king 13 years, trying to be so good and pretty, so good. I’m told the state of California allowed my ignorant father to take his own daughter—who only has a role with me if I work with him—they sat back and allowed him to do that to me? That’s given these people I’ve worked for way too much control.”
Jamie was appointed the co-conservator of her estate in 2008 alongside Andrew M. Wallet, who resigned in 2019. Although Jamie temporarily stepped down that same year as well, he has since continued to serve as the conservator of her estate alongside the Bessemer Trust Company.
According to NBC News, Britney alleged that she was forced to check into a live-in rehab treatment.
“The control he had over someone as powerful as me, as he loved the control to hurt his own daughter 100,000 percent. He loved it,” she testified, according to a transcript of her statement published by Variety. “I packed my bags and went to that place. I worked seven days a week, no days off, which in California, the only similar thing to this is called sex trafficking.”
“Making anyone work against their will,” she continued, “taking all their possessions away—credit card, cash, phone passport—and placing them in a home where they work with the people who live with them. They all lived in the house with me, the nurses, the 24-7 security.”
Britney testified that if she didn’t “work from eight to six at night…seven days a week, no days off” that she wasn’t allowed to “see my kids or my boyfriend.”
JB Lacroix/WireImageAdditionally, Britney alleged that she’s been “traumatized” by her father and explained how it has affected her mental health.
“I’ve lied and told the whole world ‘I’m okay. And I’m happy.’ It’s a lie,” she said. “I thought just maybe I said that enough. Because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. You know, fake it till you make it. But now I’m telling you the truth. Okay? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry. It’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day.”
Following Britney’s remarks, Jamie’s attorney, Vivian Lee Thoreen, issued a statement on his behalf. “Mr. Spears is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in so much pain,” the statement read. “Mr. Spears loves his daughter and misses her very much.”
Courtesy of FXJust three months ago, Jamie’s attorney also told People that Britney could end her conservatorship.
“Any time Britney wants to end her conservatorship, she can ask her lawyer to file a petition to terminate it; she has always had this right but in 13 years has never exercised it,” Vivian said in March. “Britney knows that her Daddy loves her, and that he will be there for her whenever and if she needs him, just as he always has been—conservatorship or not.”
Vivian told CNN that same month, “Jamie is not suggesting that he is the perfect dad or that he would receive any ‘Father of the Year’ award. Like any parent, he doesn’t always see eye-to-eye on what Britney may want. But Jamie believes every single decision he has made has been in her best interest.”
Click here to read through the timeline of Britney’s conservatorship.
