‘It’s disgusting’: Britney Spears breaks silence, backing up #FreeBritney allegations of conservatorship abuse

On Wednesday, Britney Spears asked to be freed of her government mandated conservatorship. Her testimony supports the allegations of abuse #FreeBritney supporters have been saying for years. Photo by Ringo Chiu/Shutterstock

“I want to end the conservatorship ma’am,” pop star Britney Spears told a judge at her latest conservatorship hearing Wednesday in Downtown Los Angeles. It’s the first time she’s broken her silence over the 13-year long court-mandated conservatorship and made it explicitly clear she wants out. 

“I’ve lied and told the whole world ‘I’m okay. And I’m happy.’ It’s a lie. I thought I just maybe [have] said that enough. Because I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. You know, fake it till you make it. But now I’m telling you the truth. Okay? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry. It’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day,” she said. 

In a 20 minute statement, she called the legal action abusive and stated she’s been trapped in oppressive conditions. She says she works at the beck and call of restraining figures, including her father Jamie Spears. 

“The control he had over someone as powerful as me — he loved the control to hurt his own daughter 100,000%. He loved it,” Spears told Judge Brenda Penny during her testimony.

Spears’ conservatorship is one of the most famous in recent history. It followed a fateful year in the star’s life — one painted by an all-too-public mental breakdown, divorce and custody battle that dominated headlines. 

Her conservatorship status did not, however, preclude Spears from actively working. In the years since, the celebrity has recorded and released new music, as well as gone on tour and performed. 

And it was that ability to perform and record music that sounded the alarms throughout the legion of Britney Spears fans around the world. In the last decade, organizations like Free Britney have formed with all advocating for one simple thing: ending the conservatorship of Britney Jean Spears and setting her free. 

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