Britney Spears’ father Jamie Spears will remain in charge of her business and personal affairs. A court in Los Angeles did not approve the singer’s request for her dad to be replaced as her conservator. Instead, Judge Brenda Penny extended the current conservatorship until February 2021, according to a document posted online.
In 2019, the singer’s father appointed Jodi Montgomery, Britney’s long-time manager, to temporarily replace him as his daughter’s guardian, after he experienced health issues. The singer’s lawyer filed documents saying that Britney, 38, doesn’t want her father to be her conservator and wants Montgomery to continue in that role. The singer’s lawyer said she is "strongly opposed" to her father controlling her affairs. However, the judge declined the request.
The news prompted an angry backlash online, with social media users demanding justice for Britney and claiming that her dad bribed the judge.
Where's the justice in that? 😡😡😡
— • coronater (@v1neado) August 19, 2020
her dad has to be paying the judges or something
— ondine ミ☆ (@fandomtropica) August 19, 2020
The singer was placed in a 12-year conservatorship in 2008 following a series of mental breakdowns. The court-approved measure gives her father legal control over her assets, career, and personal decisions. Sources close to the family claim the conservatorship is necessary, as the singer is suffering from mental issues and is unstable. Netizens have dismissed these allegations, noting that the singer has managed to revive her career and has been working tirelessly for years.
You guys need to stop with the whole "the conservatorship is needed for her survival" thing.
— Stella 🌟 (@LiveLikeMusic5) August 19, 2020
If she was actually that unstable, she shouldn't/wouldn't be able to perform the way she has.
Also, that's why her Mom is now involved cause of all the shady things her Dad has done!
So, basically, according to her father and the law, she's incapable of having a normal life... But they had her working tirelessly for years, releasing albums, making videos, international tours, residency in Las Vegas, commercials, etc 🙄
— Mauricio Alexis 🏳️🌈 (@MauricioAV88) August 19, 2020
Others blasted the singer’s parents, who users claim are using Britney’s money and keeping her locked up.
Yes her Dad is awful but so is Lynne! Where the hell has Lynne been all these years besides living like a queen off Britney's fortune as she has done most of Britney's life?
— Josie Sinclair (@ScoutFi35990465) August 20, 2020
Sad that someone of grown age has to be controlled. By her father there is something bad wrong here. Her father using her money to keep her( locked up) pretty much.
— Billy dale (@BassBuster68) August 20, 2020
Many users contended that the public is not being told important information and warned that the ugly truth will be revealed after the singer’s death.
Something is not right with her they wouldn’t keep things the same with her conservetership . Something they aren’t telling us.
— dyna graham (@dgrahamm22) August 20, 2020
shes gonna wind up dying and then all the dirt will come out..about all the drugs they were sedating her with. And all those "doctors" who were saying she was mentally ill were paid by her father to say these things...I'm so sad for her.
— StubbornlyTv (@StubbornlyTv) August 20, 2020
Still others believed that without conservatorship, the singer would have been broke and sick.
Apparently, she still struggles with mental health issues. Being conserved is the best thing for her. She has her boys, her family. She should be counting her blessings & Thanking her father, she is still breathing, with a roof over her head. 💯
— TRckLux (@TRock59816817) August 20, 2020
If it wasn’t for her dad she’d be broke, homeless, and probably 💀.
— Naranjita Dulce (@NaranjitaDulce) August 20, 2020
The campaign #FreeBritney has existed for more than a decade and numerous celebrities, including actress Rose McGowan, socialite Paris Hilton, and singer Miley Cyrus have voiced support for it. Members of the movement claim that she is being kept prisoner by her family. The campaign saw a resurgence in 2019 after Spears reportedly spent time in a mental facility.
Her father Jamie Spears recently commented on the allegations, calling them "a conspiracy theory" and a "joke". "I love my daughter. I love all my kids. But this is our business. It’s private", he added.
