Mickey Mouse Club Years
The Mickey Mouse Club was the place where young stars like Britney, Christina Aguilera, Justin Timberlake, and Ryan Gosling got their start, and it was also the place where Britney got her start. However, in order for little Britney to be accepted for the group, she had to go through two separate auditions. The first time, she was turned down due to the fact that she was too young. She was successful with her second effort, and when she was 11 years old, she not only received her big break but also met the boy she would eventually marry.
First Tastes of Fame
After the club was closed down, she ventured out into the world and eventually secured a recording contract with Jive Records, which was her very first label. It was in this studio that she laid down the tracks for her first major hit, “…Baby One More Time.” The single was not available in the United States until later. After that, she embarked on a tour with ‘N Sync, and it was around this time that her debut single broke into the Billboard charts. In the same year, she appeared on television for the first time and also posed for her first magazine cover during this time.
Britney & Justin
She finally revealed her relationship with ‘N Sync’s Justin Timberlake a year after her breakout year. They’d been friends for a long time before they started dating while she was on tour with his band. For the next few years, Justin and Britney would be the hottest coupling.
Britney & Justin
After four years of dating, the pair called it quits in 2002. A lot of people speculated as to why they broke up, but the two sought to keep their private life private.
Pepsi & Britney
One of Britney’s most lucrative contracts was signed in 2001. Since its 1980s partnership with Michael Jackson, Pepsi has built a reputation as a company that regularly collaborates with A-list celebrities.
Pepsi & Britney
As a result, Britney agreed to a two-year deal with the beverage company when she was in town. While filming a big motion picture and releasing two albums, she also made some of the most memorable Pepsi advertisements in the following years.
First & Second Marriage
Britney Spears married twice in 2004. Jason Alexander, a longtime acquaintance, proposed to her in Las Vegas on the spur of the moment. This union lasted only 55 hours until it was declared null and void.
First & Second Marriage
Later that year, Britney would marry Kevin Federline, the man who would become the father of her future children. After the birth of their second kid, she and the dancer separated after a two-year marriage.
Britney Becomes a Mom & a Divorcee
It was only a matter of weeks after her wedding to Kevin that Britney learned she was pregnant. When she was pregnant, she continued to concentrate on her songs and appeared in a few television shows.
Britney Becomes a Mom & a Divorcee
On Letterman the following year, she announced to the world that she was expecting a second child. Despite the drama, she appeared to be content, but she filed for divorce two months after the birth of her second child.
Mental Break
Rehab was simply a one-day stay, three months after Britney’s divorce was finalized. A famous head-shaving incident occurred two days later. This is just the beginning of a succession of worrisome events.
Mental Break
As a result, she would lose physical custody of her children to their father by attacking a car with an umbrella. In the midst of all of this, she released her fifth studio album.
Custody Battle
In 2007, she was able to see her children even though she didn’t have physical custody of them. But soon, she would lose that, too. After a run-in with the LAPD, the visitation was halted.
Custody Battle
These were the months she’d spend in the psych ward as well. Britney would eventually be placed on an involuntary psychiatric hold and be required to remain in the facility. After the psychiatric hold had expired, the pop singer would be released in February.
Second Psychiatric Hold
Her father petitioned for an emergency conservatorship after the second psychiatric hold. This is the process through which someone is given legal custody of another person’s property and the other person’s person.
Second Psychiatric Hold
The most common rationale for granting this type of protection is that the person in question is deemed mentally incapable of making sound decisions. An unexpected request for someone so young was deemed to be a bit out of the ordinary. The petition was eventually approved.
Conservatorship Starts
Her father, Jamie Spears, and her lawyer, Andrew Wallet, now have complete control of Britney’s assets and finances. They had complete control over everything, from contract negotiations to who she could see and how much money she had.
Conservatorship Starts
Jamie eventually made a request for this conservatorship to be extended to ten additional states, which resulted in it having previously only been valid in the state in which it was established.
Still Winning
Even though she was going through a lot, Britney was still a success in the music industry. More accolades and a lucrative residency in Las Vegas followed. Her professional and personal accomplishments indicated that she was on the rise.
Still Winning
When her financial information was made public in 2018, she was found to have a net worth of more than $50 million, with legal and conservatorship bills eating up more than a million of that total.
New Beau
With Jason Trawick, the man she is currently engaged to, she has been involved in two relationships during the conflicts. Britney was able to discover fresh love despite her turbulent personal life. On the set of one of Spears’ music videos, Sam Asghari and Spears struck up a friendship.
New Beau
They’ve been seeing each other since 2017. The young man has remained by Britney’s side and been her rock during the past few years of legal wrangling. Britney may have finally discovered her true love.
Dad & Lawyer Take Over
With the conservatorship in full swing, her father and lawyer moved in and began to make big decisions for her. This included filing restraining orders against people like her previous manager. Sam Lutfi was accused of being one of the biggest bad influences that contributed to her mental breaks.
Dad & Lawyer Take Over
They also signed big deals and managed who she can see, which is why she ended up falling for Jason Trawick.
What Is the Arrangement?
The division of labor when it comes to conservatorship is pretty straightforward. Britney’s dad would be in charge of the estate and her overall health. This, as we have said, would include creating a budget and deciding who she could have around her.
What Is the Arrangement?
The lawyer would handle all the financial assets and business contracts. Together these two men were granted the ability to make a decision that would be in the young star’s best interest.
Poor Decisions
It seems that the conservatorship has done what it was intended to. Britney seems to have a better handle on her mental health, and there has been less poor decision-making. However, there are those that find the arrangement troubling.
Poor Decisions
Even still, over the years, the tight reins and watchful eye have allowed her to have more time and gain custodial rights to her two boys. So maybe this odd arrangement has worked.
#FreeBritney Begins
As we said, some feel the conservatorship is not a good thing for the young pop star. In fact, some fans believe that this is just a way for the powerful men in her life to control her and steal from her. This is why the #FreeBritney movement began.
#FreeBritney Begins
In 2009, a fan site started the campaign. The site has continuously been in action, and other young stars like Miley Cyrus have voiced the same concerns.
No Manipulation
Even though there is a large movement that believes this conservatorship is a big manipulation, those closest to Britney say that it couldn’t be farther from the truth. They say that the extent of the mental health and legal guidelines of the conservatorship is beyond most peoples’ grasp.
No Manipulation
The claim has been investigated, and no evidence was found that Britney was being harmed by the conservatorships. In fact, it showed that Britany has more control over her life than people think.
Britney Stays Active
Throughout the conservatorship, the pop star has continued to work and build her wealth. She has dropped several albums and did a four-year residency in Las Vegas. In fact, her last performance in 2017 grossed more than any other residency to that date.
Britney Stays Active
After this, she went on a pretty popular tour, launched several other businesses, and was a judge on The X-Factor.
Mental Health Break
In early 2019 Britney decided she needed to take a break from her career. Part of this break included a stay at a mental health facility. This, of course, stirred up the #FreeBritney campaign all over again.
Mental Health Break
Putting her new residency on hold, she took a little time to recollect herself. Of course, this sparked some concern and brought out some people who wanted to make a buck off of it.
Britney’s Lawyer Resigns From Conservatorship
At the same time that Britney decided she needed a little mental health break, the longtime partner to her father and her lawyer resigned his position. There was no reason given, but her father was left as the sole conservator.
Britney’s Lawyer Resigns From Conservatorship
The court document insinuated that there was a lot of work going on and that he had to resign immediately. There were also rumors that he had asked for a raise but was refused.
Britney Asks to End Conservatorship
That same year in May, Britney had a court hearing. In this hearing, she asked the judge to reconsider ending the conservatorship. In the end, the decision was that she was still not in the right mental state to be able to understand her situation.
Britney Asks to End Conservatorship
During this hearing, the lawyer for Britney also mentioned that Britney wasn’t sure when she would want to get back to work.
Jamie Spears Steps Down Temporarily
Later in 2019, there was yet another hearing. In this one, Jamie Spears, Britney’s dad, shocked some by asking to be removed temporarily as the conservator. This came after a reported altercation with one of Britney’s sons.
Jamie Spears Steps Down Temporarily
The request was partially approved, and the role of a conservator for her personal life fell to Britney’s care manager. Jamie remained the conservator for the financial aspects of Britney’s life.
Britney’s Dad Sues Blogger
In that same year, Jamie also took a blogger that had links to the #FreeBritney campaign to court. Britney’s dad accused the blogger of distributing false and defamatory information. The court sided with Britney’s dad on this one.
Britney’s Dad Sues Blogger
In December of 2019, the court instructed the blogger to stop distributing false information, especially about the conservatorship. This was partly because the allegations were creating a life-threatening situation for Jamie Spears.
Mom Tries to Step In
Britney’s mom, Lynne, would also get her hand in the mix when it came to the conservatorship in 2019. Along with this, Lynne was also allegedly involved in the #FreeBritney movement. Britney’s mom filed a motion so that she could stay informed about her daughter’s health.
Mom Tries to Step In
Along with this, it was reported that Lynne had been caught by many of the posts about the campaign to free Britney.
Conservatorship Extended Twice
In the early part of 2020, the conservatorship would be revisited. Both times the conservatorship was extended. The first extension had the conservatorship in power until the end of April.
Conservatorship Extended Twice
The first extension was pushed through so that the parties involved could decide how to handle the situation. Then, of course, the world was turned upside down hence the second extension. Of course, the posting of a video talking about how Britney burned down her gym with candles may not have helped the case either.
#FreeBritney Gets More Attention
In July of 2020, the movement #FreeBritney got some more attention. With the spotlight on the campaign again, a person close to Britney came forward with some potentially damning evidence.
#FreeBritney Gets More Attention
A photographer read a handwritten letter allegedly written by Britney at the beginning of the conservatorship. In the letter, which was posted by The Daily Mail, Britney talks about how she was forced to divorce Kevin and discussed the incident that led to her hospitalization in 2008.
Spears Asks for Dad to Be Removed
In the fall, Britney once again went to court, and this time she asked for her father to be removed as conservator. Britney instead wanted Montgomery, the woman who had been the temporary conservator, to take over the role permanently.
Spears Asks for Dad to Be Removed
Spears’ reason was that she wanted someone who understood finances and was responsible to be in charge of her estate. She simply didn’t want her dad back in the role.
Conservatorship Extends Into 2021
With the new motion into consideration, the court heard both sides. In the end, the judge opted to deny the request and extend the conservatorship into 2021. This was, of course, a blow to Britney.
Conservatorship Extends Into 2021
She appears to feel very comfortable with the conservatorship as long as it is handled by someone that she trusts and is competent. That must have been a hard thing for her dad to hear.
Jamie Lynn Named Trustee
That very month court documents were released that had another surprise when it came to the conservatorship. The surprise was that Britney’s sister, Jamie Lynn, had been named a trustee. This had actually been done back in 2018.
Jamie Lynn Named Trustee
In fact, she had recently filed for more control over the finances. Along with this trusteeship, Jamie Lynn took over responsibility for distributing Britney’s wealth to her children if anything happened to the pop star.
Future Court Hearings to Be Public?
In September, Britney had her lawyer file with the court to make all future proceedings public. Some think this is a clear sign that Britney supports the #FreeBritney movement. Apparently, this is one way that Britney is showing her disfavor for the secrecy.
Future Court Hearings to Be Public?
Many feel that the steadfastness of Britney’s dad to keep the proceeding secret is a way that he tries to maintain control.
Trying to Reinstate Former Lawyer
In that same hearing, Britney was adamant that she was against the reinstatement of her lawyer as a partner in the conservatorship. Later her father actually withdrew the motion. Of course, that was after Britney’s lawyer argued that this was a retaliatory action.
Trying to Reinstate Former Lawyer
Her lawyer argued that the previous conservator was not qualified for the position. Wallet himself actually said in an interview that he believed the only person hurting Britney were those that were part of the Free Britney movement.
Power Withdrawn?
The following month Britney went back to court to ask for her father to be removed immediately. This time the motion was spurred on by Britney finding out that her business manager had resigned.
Power Withdrawn?
Jamie had hired a new one and not discussed it with Britney at all. Acknowledging the star’s concerns, the judge appointed a third party firm as co-conservator but refused to remove Britney’s dad from his position.
Fourth Extension
By the end of 2020, the conservatorship was extended for the fourth time. The court decided to extend it all the way into late 2021. Though the court was meant to review how the conservatorship had been handled by Britney’s dad, they opted to continue their hearings in 2021.
Fourth Extension
Of course, Jamie made a heartfelt speech about how a family should be there to look after those that can’t look after themselves. He went on to say he misses his daughter and loves her very much.
It’s Not Over Yet!
On the flip side, Britney herself refused to perform and would continue her work hiatus if her father stayed on as her conservator — and, thus, she hasn’t worked or performed since early 2019. Now, although Britney’s request to remove her father was denied, she did have a small win of some sort.
It’s Not Over Yet!
The judge did approve to add a co-conservator to her estate, which is exactly what Britney’s team had requested. It looks like the fight isn’t over yet!
Stripped Away
Just a couple of months later, in January 2021, Britney’s attorney, Samuel Ingham, argued that “it would be highly detrimental to Britney’s interest” to give her father any additional power over her estate.
Stripped Away
This was in response to Jamie’s proposed order in which he argued that some of his powers had been stripped away when he and Bessemer Trust had become co-conservators. Ingham then claimed that Jamie was attempting to ensure that Bessemer would never become sole conservator of Britney’s estate, which was initially the star’s request.
Stronger
February 2021 was an eventful month for the pop star. Not only did the Framing Britney documentary debut that month — making people much more aware of what was really happening behind the scenes — but the star’s now-fiancé Sam Asghari spoke out against Jamie Spears.
Stronger
The same day that Sam addressed the conservatorship via Instagram, Britney’s attorneys went back to court to request that Jamie Spears be removed as his daughter’s conservator, according to The New York Times.
Forced to Perform
The following month, Jamie Spears publicly announced that he too wants the conservatorship to end. Over the course of the next couple of months, the truth would continue to come out and things would change in Brit’s favor.
Forced to Perform
By the time June 2021 rolled around, a tell-all report had been published in The New York Times disclosing information from a closed court appearance in which Britney claimed that she was forced to perform on stage with a fever, calling it one of the scariest moments of her life (pictured).
Showing Support
June was yet another eventful month in which Britney spoke for the first time in court, making a 24-minute statement in court before Los Angeles judge Brenda Penny. At this point, celebrities — including Mariah Carey, ex-Justin Timberlake, and Halsey — reached out and showed their support for Britney on social media.
Showing Support
Not long after, Brit took to Instagram to apologize to fans for pretending that she was okay when she really wasn’t. Shortly after, younger sister Jamie Lynn Spears spoke out in support of her sister.
Britney Is Free
In July, after Britney’s attorney and manager both resigned, the star hired a lawyer of her choice — Mathew Rosengart. Mathew filed a petition to replace Jamie as the conservator with Jason Rubin, a CPA who specializes in forensic public accounting.
Britney Is Free
By the end of September, Jamie was officially suspended as conservator of Britney’s estate. It wasn’t until November 12th, 2021 (just a couple of weeks ago), though, that Judge Brenda Penny ended the conservatorship, effective immediately. Britney is finally free, although some of the legal battles do continue in terms of settling ongoing financial concerns.