Inside Britney Spears’ 13 years of hell

It’s been 13 years since Britney Spears lost all control of her personal and professional life, when she was put under a controversial conservatorship following her highly-publicised breakdown. Now, a shocking new TV documentary has exposed what’s really going on with the 39-year-old singer – causing the #freebritney campaign to gather pace, as many feel she is virtually a prisoner with no say in her own affairs.

After Framing Britney Spears was aired in the US, celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker and Bette Midler posted the #FreeBritney hashtag, while Miley Cyrus used her pre-Super Bowl performance to shout, “We love Britney!” This all comes in the same week as another legal hearing took place to discuss her father’s ongoing role in her financial affairs, but with no plans to discuss dissolving the conservatorship itself.

Produced by the well-respected New York Times, the film charts Britney’s rise to fame, her public romances, being hounded by the paparazzi, becoming a mum, her emotional disintegration, and the controversy over her welfare. As well as journalists and photographers who followed the star at the height of her fame, there is an extensive interview with her former assistant and long-time friend-slash-mother figure Felicia Culotta, who indicates that Britney just wants to be free and, when that happens, she will tell her side of the story.

The documentary opens by telling viewers that Britney’s father Jamie has been in charge of her estate since January 2008, despite Britney asking the court to appoint someone else as her conservator on numerous occasions. And while he remains in charge, her career – and her life – are on hold.

A conservatorship involves a person or group being appointed to look after a vulnerable individual, if they are deemed not to have physical or mental capacity to manage either their personal welfare or financial affairs. Britney was placed under the ruling after a series of worrying incidents, ending with her being hospitalised in a psychiatric ward in 2008.

Britney’s arrangement dictates everything from her mental health care, to where and when she can travel, plus detailed accounts of her purchases – even $5 spent at Target must be submitted to the court.

The film argues that, contrary to popular belief, Britney was very much in control of her life when she hit the bigtime at the age of 16. Her fame exploded overnight following the release of iconic debut single Baby One More Time in 1998. At the time, it was she who made decisions on everything from her live shows and videos, to hiring dancers. She enjoyed the trappings of fame and had built up good relationships with the press, who saw her as a happy, healthy girl.

But it was around 2002 when she split from Justin Timberlake, amid rumours she’d cheated, that the tide began to turn. She was, the film suggests, “slut shamed”. In a TV interview, Britney broke down in tears after host Diane Sawyer told her people wanted her to die because of what she did to Justin.

Soon after, she began to rebel against her all-American-girl image, meeting and marrying dad-of-two dancer Kevin Federline within weeks in 2004. When she gave birth to their first son, Sean, in September 2005, photos of her with her baby would sell for up to $1million. She received heavy criticism after she was pictured driving with Sean on her lap, which intensified when she nearly dropped him while holding a coffee. She was pregnant with her second son Jayden at the time – born exactly a year after Sean – and a clearly upset Britney went on TV, begging to be left alone.

She split with Kevin in 2007 and, to the shock of fans, he was awarded custody of the children. Brit began partying heavily, which again saw her branded a “bad mom”. Famously, and in an act of utter despair, she shaved her head and attacked a photographer with an umbrella – with both shocking moments captured on camera.

Things came to a head in 2008, when she refused to hand Jayden back to his dad and was taken to hospital on a stretcher. When she was discharged days later, the court had granted a temporary conservatorship, which would see her father in charge of her personal life and finances. It was due to end in December that year, but it was later made permanent.

In Framing Britney Spears, her former attorney Adam Streisand claims Britney accepted that someone else should look after her finances, but wanted “a professional, somebody independent” rather than her dad, while record executive Kim Kaiman had this allegation to say about her father, “The only thing Jamie ever said to me was, ‘My daughter is going to be so rich, she’s gonna buy me a boat.’ That’s all I’m gonna say about Jamie.”

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Years passed and Britney worked like a machine – her album Circus was released just months after her stay in the psychiatric ward, and she had a Vegas residency from 2013 to 2017, ironically called Piece Of Me. Only in the last few years has the conservatorship situation regularly been hitting headlines, as more and more people became concerned for her wellbeing.

In 2019, Britney was expected to announce her second Vegas residency, but shocked fans when she refused to do so at a live streaming event. She later posted a throwback picture of her with her parents to announce she would take a “hiatus” due to father’s health (Jamie had surgery for a ruptured colon). Her lawyer, Samuel D Ingham III, later told a court that she is “afraid of her father”, adding, “She will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”

Soon after Britney’s Gram – a podcast run by US comedians Tess Barker and Barbara Gray, which analyses Britney’s Insta posts – began claiming the singer was being held against her will, kicking off the #FreeBritney movement. The podcast obtained documents that showed how much money those involved are making from Britney. The legal papers state, “The conservatee’s business activities have greatly accelerated, due to her increased well being and her capacity to be more engaged in furthering her career activities. The next several years promise to be very lucrative for the conservatorship estate.” They later state, “This conservatorship should be viewed more as a hybrid business model.”

In November last year, after a recommendation from Britney’s mum Lynne, Bessemer Trust Co were appointed co-conservators of her financial affairs alongside Jamie, who has also been temporarily removed from looking after her personal care. However, it is Britney’s stated wish that he should have no part at all in the conservatorship.

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Since the documentary aired, Britney – who still only has 30 per cent custody of her sons, despite asking for more – has made several veiled references to her situation on Instagram. In one post, she wrote, “I am taking the time to learn and be a normal person. I love simply enjoying the basics of everyday life! Remember, no matter what we think we know about a person’s life, it is nothing compared to the actual person living behind the lens.”

Her boyfriend of four years, Sam Asghari, has been less discreet, branding Britney’s father a “dick”, adding, “It’s important for people to understand that I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way.” Her brother Bryan has appeared on Britney’s Gram and, when asked how his sister feels about her conservatorship, he said, “I mean, she’s always wanted to get out of it.”

Jamie has largely remained quiet, but has stated he is only protecting Britney from “those with self-serving interests”. But those close to Britney, seem to be hoping she will finally be freed, as she edges towards 40. As former PA Felicia says, “I know at some point she will tell her story… And I’m so grateful for when that point comes. She’ll be able to sit down and everything will fall into place.”

Read more in the latest issue of heat magazine – OUT NOW.