Britney Spears has opened up about her life under conservatorship for the last 13 years. While much of the world is shocked to discover just what a lack of control Britney has over her own life, workload, earnings, and more, many are feeling justified in a years-long pursuit of the truth.
The #FreeBritney movement has often been dismissed as internet conspiracy nonsense, but Britney's own words proved that to be false. Many of the issues she touched on in her 24-minute statement about the trauma she's suffered under her conservatorship were concerns voiced by Britney supporters.
Now celebrities, including some of those responsible for inflicting trauma on Britney in her darkest days, are coming forward in support of a resolution that gives Britney control of her life back and sees her recover from all she's endured.
On the afternoon of June 23, Britney Spears finally let the world into what her life has been like for the last 13 years under conservatorship. In her 24-minute statement, Britney detailed years of abuse at the hands of medical professionals and other handlers, including her father.
Britney explained that she didn't want to do her 2018 tour, but her management made her feel as though she had no other choice. When she decided to shut down a second Vegas residency, her managers called her therapist to say she was uncooperative and not taking her medications.
"Three days later, after I said no to Vegas, my therapist sat me down in a room and said he had a million phone calls about how I was not cooperating in rehearsals, and I haven’t been taking my medication. All this was false," she shared.
"He immediately, the next day, put me on lithium out of nowhere. He took me off my normal meds I've been on for five years. And lithium is a very, very strong and completely different medication compared to what I was used to. You can go mentally impaired if you take too much, if you stay on it longer than five months. But he put me on that and I felt drunk. I really couldn't even take up for myself. I couldn't even have a conversation with my mom or dad really about anything.
"I told him I was scared, and my doctor had me on six different nurses with this new medication, come to my home, stay with me to monitor me on this new medication, which I never wanted to be on to begin with. There were six different nurses in my home and they wouldn't let me get in my car to go anywhere for a month."
Britney explained her family didn't do anything to help her during this time and even helped keep her from her kids during the holiday season. There had long been suspicion that Britney's parents have played a role in keeping her from having more custody of her children, especially since they have a restraining order against Jamie Spears.
Instead of treatment, however, Britney was forced to work seven days a week without access to her finances or the outside world, even taking away her license and passport, which she likened to sex trafficking. She was told she wouldn't be able to see her boyfriend or children if she didn't comply.
Britney minced no words about her dad's involvement, which has also been a major concern of the #FreeBritney movement.
"Ma'am, my dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a huge role in punishing me when I said no — ma'am, they should be in jail," she said.
"But my precious body, who has worked for my dad for the past [expletive] 13 years, trying to be so good and pretty. So perfect. When he works me so hard. When I do everything I'm told and the state of California allowed my father — ignorant father — to take his own daughter, who only has a role with me if I work with him, they've set back the whole course and allowed him to do that to me."
Britney said she also understands there are people out there who think she is incapable and lying just to gain access to her money. "That's why I didn’t want to say any of this to anybody, to the public, because I thought people would make fun of me or laugh at me and say, 'She's lying, she's got everything, she's Britney Spears,'" she noted.
"I'm not lying. I just want my life back. And it's been 13 years. And it's enough. It's been a long time since I've owned my money. And it's my wish and my dream for all of this to end without being tested."
Arguably the most horrifying revelation is that conservators are also putting limitations on Britney's reproductive rights.
"I would like to progressively move forward and I want to have the real deal, I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship, I'm not able to get married or have a baby, I have a (IUD) inside of myself right now so I don't get pregnant," she shared.
"I wanted to take the (IUD) out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won't let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don't want me to have children – any more children. So basically, this conservatorship is doing me waaay more harm than good."
There have been rumors for over a year that Britney was hoping to marry and have more children. While many suspected the conservatorship wouldn't allow it, they didn't anticipate this kind of violation of Britney's rights.
"I deserve to have a life. I've worked my whole life. I deserve to have a two to three year break and just, you know, do what I want to do. But I do feel like there is a crutch here. And I feel open and I'm okay to talk to you today about it. But I wish I could stay with you on the phone forever, because when I get off the phone with you, all of a sudden all I hear all these no's — no, no, no," she concluded.
"And then all of a sudden I get, I feel ganged up on and I feel bullied and I feel left out and alone. And I'm tired of feeling alone. I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does, by having a child, a family, any of those things, and more so."
The reaction to Britney's words was swift. Many celebrities came out in support of Britney, even some of those responsible for causing her pain.
Celebrity gossip blogger Perez Hilton tweeted about standing with Britney and reminded the public he apologized to her for tearing her apart as an artist and a parent in his blog years ago.
But perhaps an even more surprising statement came from none other than Britney's ex, Justin Timberlake.
Justin tweeted a long statement in support of Britney, though it's unclear if he's ever directly apologized to her for aiding in her public bashing. "After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time," he wrote.
"Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was… what’s happening to her is just not right. No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body.
"No one should EVER be held against their will… or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for. Jess and I send our love, and our absolute support to Britney during this time. We hope the courts, and her family make this right and let her live however she wants to live."
Britney's next court date is July 14, but many fear for what could happen to her between then and now. After giving that powerful statement, many have noted that she's forced to return to the same environment with the same players who are responsible for her current state. It's everyone's hope that Britney gets what she needs to live life on her own terms, but it's unclear what that process will look like.
