Amy Love

Bussiness/Science Editor

aml7458@psu.edu

On September 7th, Jamie Spears, the father of famous pop star Britney Spears, filed to end  his daughter’s conservatorship. In 2019, Mr. Spears stepped down from being a personal conservator to only managing her money, however Britney Spears has clearly stated that she will not work again while he is still in control. This decision is not up to him, the decision is solely on Judge Brenda Penny. 

Mathew Rosengart, the pop star’s attorney, has stated that this is a “massive victory” for the case. He also has stated that Jamie Spear’s recent filing is a way for him to avoid repercussions from future hearings.Rosengart originally filed for Jamie Spears’s removal,
“allegeding he had mismanaged his daughter’s money and affairs, and suggesting that he had used the conservatorship for his own gain.”

Mr.Spears has repeatedly stated that all he wants is the best for his daughter. However, he has fought tooth and nail to maintain the conservatorship. He has spent a great sum of legal fees to maintain his position, including media outlets to keep his side of the story into existence. Many of these media outlets have painted Britney Spears as the villain as a result.  This petition he has filed is stirring up chaos and including the question of, why now?

Fans of the singer has spoken out against Spears still being in a conservatorship and sparking an online movement called #FreeBritney. The movement started in 2009 after the conservatorship was initiated and has been growing since then. After Spears made a public statement while she was filing for a court case, the movement sparked again. Numerous celebrities, such as Justin Timberlake, Miley Cyrus and  Christina Aguilara to name a few, spoke in support of Spears ending the conservatorship. The movement has been trending on multiple media apps, so there is a lot of public support for Britney Spears to lean against. Most people who were part of #FreeBritney painted her father in a negative light and as a villain. His decision to petition to end all of this could have resulted from the pressure that happened with #FreeBritney. 

This conservatorship was established in 2008 after Britney Spears had numerous public mental struggles. The media was completely obsessed with her and had paparazzi watching her every move. During this time, she was also struggling with the terms of not having full custody of her children. She was able to spend limited time with her children, but after an attempt to keep the children after visitation times led to her losing full custody. After Spears goes through a “5150”, which is an emergency psychiatric hold, her family begins to consider the idea of placing her into a conservatorship. This would have Spears give up essentially her whole life, which is exactly what has happened for the last 13 years. She has said that she has been forced to work nonstop against her own will and is forced to take certain medications. 

Britney Spears has spoken out against this conservatorship, stating that it “is doing me more harm than good.” 

The hearings are still scheduled to be heard on September 29th and these hearings will discuss whether Spears’s conservatorship will completely end and she will have full control to make her own decisions or if her conservatorship will simply be overseen by another individual.