Britney Spears’ revival of teen pop, which earned the name Princess of Pop, was a wonder to behold. Aged 17 and 18, Britney released two of the best-selling albums of all time. At the time, she was by far and away the best-selling teenage artist.
People of all ages rocked to Spears’ hits, but she left behind the young teen audience as she adopted mature and provocative themes. Her most critically-acclaimed album, Blackout, dropped at a time of personal turmoil for the beloved Britney.
Britney’s downward spiral forced the court to place her under conservatorship led by her father, Jamie Spears. This piece will look at Britney’s tumultuous relationship with her father.
Jamie Spears states that he’ll step down as conservator but will resist attempts to force him out
Britney has made no secret of her desire to break free of the conservatorship agreement that gives Jamie power over her finances. Jamie was in charge of Britney’s person and finances before he stepped down as her personal conservator in 2019.
Spears has made damaging statements in court regarding her father’s control over her finances. “I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse,” Britney said in court. “I was extremely scared of my dad.”
“They were always trying to make me feel like I’m crazy, which I’m not. I think they were trying to kill me.” Britney’s lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, filed a motion petitioning the court to remove and suspend Jamie Spears.
Jamie responded by stating that he will step aside ‘when the time is right.’ A filing by his lawyer said that Jamie doesn’t believe that a public spat with Britney serves her interests. “Mr. Spears intends to work with the court and his daughter’s new attorney to prepare for an orderly transition to a new conservator,” the filing read.
Matthew Rosengart welcomed the filing, telling The Guardian that it was ‘a major victory for Britney Spears and another step toward justice.’ However, Mathew changed his tone in a recent supplementary court filing in which he accused Jamie of trying to extort Britney.
The filing suggests that Jamie has asked for a payment of $2 million to step down. “Britney Spears will not be extorted,” Rosengart’s filing reads. It further says:
“The only question before the court – which has, unfortunately, been lost for years – is whether Mr. Spears’ prompt suspension and removal are in the best interests of Britney Spears. The unequivocal answer is yes.”
The court will address Rosengart’s filings on 29th September 2021.
Britney reportedly detests the influence that her father has on her life
In 2008, a California court put Britney Spears on conservatorship. The court named Jamie Spears and lawyer Andrew Wallete as Britney’s conservators. Under the conservatorship, Britney couldn’t make personal or financial decisions without her father’s oversight.
Despite calls by fans to ‘Free Britney’ from the conservatorship, Britney never publicly complained of her father’s influence in her life. In early 2019, Britney displayed her love for her dad when she canceled her shows to take care of him after he’d suffered from a colon rupture. Britney attached the following caption alongside a throwback Instagram photo of her father and mother:
“A couple of months ago, my father was hospitalized and almost died. We’re all so grateful that he came out of it alive, but he still has a long road ahead of him. I had to make the difficult decision to put my full focus and energy on my family at this time.”
In September 2019, Jamie requested to be temporarily replaced as Britney’s conservator before he regained his health. In January 2020, Jamie was reinstated as Britney’s conservator. In March 2020, Us Weekly reportedly that Britney had developed resentment for her father. A source reportedly told the outlet:
“Britney has expressed that she doesn’t want to work again because she doesn’t want to continue to essentially keep herself under the conservatorship. Britney resents that her dad is given a monthly allowance which is around $10,000 a month for his services overseeing her finances.”
In early May, a judge ordered that Britney’s conservatorship continue until the end of August. Britney’s mental health has come under the spotlight in recent months. In early July 2020, some of her Instagram followers voiced their concerns after she posted an unusual video on her page.
Britney’s father has a strained relationship with Britney’s sons
In September 2019, Britney’s ex-husband and father of their two sons, Kevin Federline, accused Jamie Spears of physically abusing his grandson Sean. Kevin claimed that Jamie allegedly shook Sean during one of Sean’s visits to Jamie’s house.
The District Attorney’s office of Ventura County declined to prosecute Jamie after reviewing the evidence. However, the event put a strain on Jamie’s relationship with Britney and his grandchildren. Kevin also put out a restraining order against Jamie, which prevents him from seeing his grandsons for three years.
Jamie’s other grandson, Jayden, expressed his hatred for Jamie during an Instagram live session posted in early May 2020. He used nasty words to refer to his grandfather and suggested that Britney may ‘quit’ music. Jayden said:
“I remember one time I asked her, I said, ‘What happened to your music?’ and she was like, ‘I don’t know, honey. I think I might just quit it.’ I’m like, ‘What? What are you saying? Like, do you know how much bank you make off of that stuff?’”