Reactions to Britney Spears Speaking About Her Conservatorship

On Wednesday, June 23, Britney Spears gave a frank account of her life under a conservatorship to a Los Angeles courtroom. "I've told the world I'm happy and OK," she said. "I'm traumatized. I'm not happy, I can't sleep. I’m so angry I’m insane." She continued: "I’ve been in denial. I’ve been in shock. I am traumatized. I want to end the conservatorship without having to be evaluated. I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive." She claimed that she wasn't allowed to have her IUD taken out, that she had been put on strong drugs including lithium, and that she had been robbed of a full life. Her revelations immediately sparked a wildfire of support, with many expressing their anger and deep sadness that Britney had been suffering in plain sight for so long.

"All I want is to own my money…and for this to end…and for my boyfriend to be able to fucking drive me in his car. And honestly…. I want to be able to sue my family," she said. A new report from The New York Times showed that the star had been privately pushing for her conservatorship to end for years, but to no avail.

Fans Are Horrified

every new detail in Britney Spears’ testimony is more horrifying than the last. this is clearly a woman who wants to/ can take care of herself but has been forcibly denied that right because of power, greed & misogyny. 🗣 FREE BRITNEYYYYJune 23, 2021

i dont know how anyone can listen to what Britney Spears is saying in this hearing and not see her as someone who is fully capable of being in control of their own life.What they have done to her is beyond reprehensible. #FreeBritneyJune 23, 2021

I can't believe she's been through all this. My heart breaks for her. WTF. The strength she has right now to be so open & vulnerable. She's ANGRY! & rightfully so. The court tried to close the case in the beginning & she interrupted & said she wanted it open. #FREEBRITNEYJune 23, 2021

Britney’s testimony: dear god. Heartbreaking.June 23, 2021

This Britney hearing is mind blowing, every part of her conservatorship that was brushed aside as conspiracy is actually factual and so much worse than we ever thought. This woman is being abused by everyone in her life, kept silent and essentially held prisoner in her own homeJune 23, 2021

The Britney Spears situation is so disturbing.June 23, 2021

They're Also Proud of Britney

I've never been more proud to be a Britney Spears fan. What a fucking badass brave courageous woman.June 23, 2021

It's hard to wrap your head around the strength, grace, and bravery Britney has displayed (and never should have had to) throughout this entire ordeal. #FreeBritneyJune 23, 2021

#FreeBritney was NEVER a conspiracy theory. The facts are so much more worse than we thought and it completely breaks my heart reading and hearing the things that Britney had to say. She is such a strong woman.June 23, 2021

It Casts a Spotlight on Conservatorships

This Britney shit breaks my heart for many reasons but if a rich famous white woman has to go through all this shit to get off a conservatorship just imagine everyone else without even a fourth of the resourcesJune 23, 2021

The entire Britney situation feels dystopian. Other people have ownership OF HER PERSON, AND she has to pay them a salary... for what, the privilege of being owned? I'm trying so hard to wrap my head around how ANY judge could have allowed this, ever, from the start. #FreeBritneyJune 23, 2021

let me remind you britney spears is not allowed to drive a car, vote, get married, see her kids, spend her own money since 2008 and yet she went on 3 world tours, released 4 albums, did over 450 shows. make it make sense #freebritneyJune 23, 2021

I'm not knowledgeable about California conservatorship law, but if I'm a CA state legislator I'm drafting legislation to CHANGE IT this goddamn weekend. https://t.co/NB0bOwkIjfJune 23, 2021

The Misogyny Towards Her Still Endures

The media depiction and personal treatment of Britney Spears in the mid-2000s was, in a word, tragic. The fact that such treatment seemingly twisted itself into a totally DIFFERENT type of tragedy, for over a decade, as a result? Haunting, and heartbreaking, and unacceptableJune 23, 2021

britney spears was 16 years old during her first rolling stones cover and said she had no idea the photographer was going to sexualise her photos so trusted him when he asked her to undo her sweater buttons - the adults failed her repeatedly and the world judged her for itJune 23, 2021

From Justin Timberlake's public betrayal of their relationship to the relentless bullying of Chris Crocker for saying to leave her alone – every layer you peel back to Britney Spears' story, there's cruelty. We're only just starting to scratch the surface #FreeBritneyJune 23, 2021

Celebrities Are Speaking Out In Support

Bless Britney and I hope with my whole heart she is awarded freedom from this abusive system. She deserves it more than anything. I admire her courage speaking up for herself today.June 23, 2021

We love you Britney!!! Stay strong ❤️❤️❤️June 23, 2021

Also...

we all owe the LEAVE BRITNEY ALONE guy an apology; he was right and we were jerksJune 23, 2021

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Jenny is the Digital Director at Marie Claire. A graduate of Leeds University, and a native of London, she moved to New York in 2012 to attend the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. She was the first intern at Bustle when it launched in 2013 and spent five years building out its news and politics department. In 2018 she joined Marie Claire, where she held the roles of Deputy Digital Editor and Director of Content Strategy before becoming Digital Director. In her spare time, she writes fiction: her first novel EVERYONE WHO CAN FORGIVE ME IS DEAD was published in February 2024 and became a USA Today bestseller. She has also written extensively about developmental coordination disorder, or dyspraxia , which she was diagnosed with when she was nine.