Pop star Britney Spears pours out her heart in an emotional court hearing and vents her anger: “I’m traumatized,” the singer said in a telephone switchboard on Wednesday, as reported by US broadcaster CNN and other media.
“I’m not happy, I can’t sleep. I’m so angry, this is crazy. And I’m depressed. I cry every day.” In the more than 20-minute flow of speech, the 39-year-old made it clear several times that she was fed up with the guardianship that has existed over her person and her finances since 2008.
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This is abuse, the singer explained in the hearing before Judge Brenda Penny in Los Angeles. She wants the guardianship to end. She feels exploited by her family and managers. She is controlled by everyone and cannot determine her own life.
The event included Spears’ divorced parents, Jamie and Lynne Spears, her attorney Sam Ingham and court-appointed supervisor Jodi Montgomery. In April, the singer (“Baby One More Time”) requested the hearing. In the legal dispute over her guardianship, Spears herself had hardly spoken publicly until then.
Spears reads allegations against family over the phone
After the singer collapsed mentally due to professional and private problems, a court decided in 2008 to transfer guardianship to her father. Since then, James Spears has managed his famous daughter’s fortune and other concerns.
In 2019, the father stepped back for health reasons, since then he has only managed his daughter’s assets as a guardian. Montgomery was appointed guardian for their personal affairs, including medical decisions. A financial trustee was added in 2020.
Most recently, the singer had tried through her lawyer to completely release the father from his guardian role. At the hearing on Wednesday, Spears made clear for the first time that she was completely opposed to guardianship.
On the phone, Spears read the statement peppered with fierce allegations against her family and caregivers. She wishes that the whole world would know the truth. She accused her parents of exploitation. For 13 years, they would profit from her money and control her personal life. The singer’s net worth is estimated at $60 million. She would prefer to sue her family, Spears emphasized in court.
Spears wants to get married and have another child
According to Spears, she was forced to give concerts. She was also pressured to take the drug lithium, even though she felt bad afterwards. Lithium is used to treat manic depression.
The singer lamented that she was not allowed to make her own decisions in her private life either. She would like to get married and have another child, but has not been allowed to see a doctor to have her birth control coil removed. Spears has been friends with dancer and fitness instructor Sam Asghari since 2016. From her marriage to Kevin Federline, which ended in 2007, she has two sons aged 14 and 15.
Spears attacked her 68-year-old father particularly sharply. “He loved” wielding power over her. She was treated like a slave under guardianship. Everyone involved should be in jail.
After the hearing, Jamie Spears made a brief statement through his attorney, Vivian Thoreen. “He is sorry to see his daughter suffering and in pain,” Variety quoted the attorney as saying. “Mr. Spears loves his daughter and misses her dearly.”
The next court hearing is scheduled for mid-July. At first it was not known whether the singer wanted to formally submit an application for the termination of guardianship.
A documentary published in early February by the New York Times about Spears’ life under her father’s tutelage had sparked heated discussions, especially on social networks. Among other things, the documentary asks whether someone can simultaneously be a global superstar and a barely sane person who needs to be kept under control.
Many celebrities and fans then expressed their support for the singer under the hashtag “#FreeBritney”. Dozens of fans lined up in front of the court on Wednesday with posters and protest signs. Singer Justin Timberlake (40), an ex-boyfriend of Spears, wrote on Twitter that he and his wife Jessica Biel would send their love and “full support” to the singer. “We hope that the court and her family will fix this and let her live as she wishes.”
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