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.
Mickey Mouse Club Years
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.
First Tastes of Fame
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
The year following her big explosion, she finally admitted to dating Justin Timberlake from ‘N Sync. The two had been friends for ages, and while touring with his band, the two began dating. Justin and Britney would become the hit couple for the next few years.
Britney & Justin
At the end of 2002, the couple split after four years of dating. There were lots of rumors about why, but the two tried to keep their personal life quiet.
Pepsi & Britney
In 2001 Britney would sign one of her most lucrative contracts. Pepsi had been well known as the company that works with big stars ever since teaming up with Michael Jackson in the ’80s. So Britney took the opportunity to sign a two-year contract with the beverage company.
Pepsi & Britney
Over the next two years, she released some of the most memorable Pepsi commercials and continued working on her career, including a major motion picture and two albums.
First & Second Marriage
In 2004, Britney would get married twice. The first time it was a Las Vegas spur-of-the-moment wedding with her longtime friend, Jason Alexander. This marriage only lasted 55 hours before being annulled.
First & Second Marriage
Then later that same year, Britney would tie the knot with the future father of her children, Kevin Federline. She and the dancer would be married for two years before divorcing after their second child was born.
Britney Becomes a Mom & a Divorcee
Just months after walking down the aisle with Kevin, Britney announced that she was pregnant with her first child. During the pregnancy, she kept working on her music and also had some television roles.
Britney Becomes a Mom & a Divorcee
The following year on Letterman, she told the world she was excited for her second child. Even with all the controversy, she seemed happy, but then two months after giving birth to her second son, she filed for divorce.
Mental Break
Three months after filing for divorce, Britney checked into rehab but only stayed a day before deciding she was okay. But two days after this, the infamous head-shaving incident happened. This will be the first in a series of concerning situations.
Mental Break
She would also take an umbrella and attack a car and lose physical custody of her children to their father. While all this is happening, she continued to work and release her fifth studio album.
Custody Battle
Though she did not have physical custody of her children in 2007, she was able to have visitations. But soon, that would be taken from her as well. The visitation was suspended after a run-in with the LA police.
Custody Battle
Those were months she would also be committed to the psych ward. Britney would end up staying for an involuntary psychiatric hold. The young pop star would be released in February after the psychiatric hold was up.
Second Psychiatric Hold
After the second psychiatric hold, her father stepped in and petitioned for an emergency conservatorship. This is where someone is granted the legal guardianship of someone else and that person’s assets.
Second Psychiatric Hold
Typically this is granted when the person in question is deemed mentally unable to make reasonable decisions. Many experts thought this was an unusual request for someone so young. Eventually, the petition was granted.
Conservatorship Starts
The power over Britney’s assets and money are all handed over to her father, Jamie Spears, and her lawyer, Andrew Wallet. This power gave them the ability to control everything from negotiating contracts to who she was allowed to see as well as management of her financials.
Conservatorship Starts
Originally this conservatorship was only good in the state it was initiated in, but eventually, Jamie asked for it to be extended to 10 states.
Still Winning
Even with all the problems she was going through, Britney still was coming up roses in her career. She won several more awards and had a lucrative residency in Vegas. The success of her career and even her personal life showed she was on the upswing.
Still Winning
In fact, when her financials were revealed in 2018, she was worth over $50 million, with over $1 million of that going to legal and conservatorship fees.
New Beau
Through the battles, she has been involved with two men starting with Jason Trawick and her recent beau. During all the hectic battles Britney was going through, she managed to find new love as well. Sam Asghari and Spears met on the set of one of her music videos and hit it off. They started dating in 2017.
New Beau
Through the last few years of legal battle, the young man has stayed by Britney’s side and been her rock. It seems that maybe Britney has found the one.
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.