Since April 2019, Britney Spears’ fans have been flooding social media with the hashtag #FreeBritney in hopes of uncovering the truth about the Princess of Pop’s conservatorship.
Spears was placed under the legal guardianship in February 2008 after she suffered a public breakdown amid her divorce from Kevin Federline, with whom she shares sons Preston and Jayden. Her father, Jamie Spears, has been the main conservator of Britney’s person and her estate, but attorney Andrew Wallet and licensed fiduciary Jodi Montgomery have also had roles in the case.
Wallet abruptly resigned as co-conservator in March 2019, two months after the “Toxic” singer announced that she was going on an indefinite work hiatus. Britney subsequently spent a month in a mental health facility. That September, Jamie temporarily relinquished his powers to Montgomery, citing “personal health reasons.” Wallet took legal steps to return to his role in August 2020 but ultimately was not brought back.
Montgomery’s stint is set to end in August 2021, but Britney stated in court documents in August 2020 that she is “strongly opposed to having [Jamie] return.” She asked that Montgomery continue as the conservator of her person and that a “qualified corporate fiduciary” replace her dad’s control of her estate.
“With Jodi in the mix, Britney’s been more driven and hopeful and continues to take steps in the right direction,” a source exclusively told Us Weekly at the time, adding that the Grammy winner is “ready to take back control after 12 years.”
In September 2020, Britney publicly addressed the #FreeBritney campaign for the first time in a landmark court filing slamming Jamie’s request to close her conservatorship hearings to the public.
“Britney herself is vehemently opposed to this effort by her father to keep her legal struggle hidden away in the closet as a family secret,” her attorney, Samuel D. Ingham III, said in court documents obtained by Us.
Ingham also blasted Jamie for saying in an August 2020 interview with Page Six that #FreeBritney is “a joke” made up by “all these conspiracy theorists.” In the same interview, the former building contractor denied stealing money from his daughter’s estate, saying, “I have to report every nickel and dime spent to the court every year.”
With the premiere of the “Framing Britney Spears” episode of FX and Hulu’s The New York Times Presents series in February 2021, countless celebrities took to social media to call for Britney to have more freedom and to publicly apologize for the way she was treated by the public in the mid-aughts.
Scroll down to see which stars have supported #FreeBritney over the years.
“I hope that documentary and the conversation around the #FreeBritney movement allows her to have more autonomy in her life and hopefully take control over her own decisions,” the Carrie star said on Watch What Happens Live With Andy Cohen in February 2021.
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“I’m all for [#FreeBritney]. I’m big on the hashtag,” the “You Raise Me Up” singer said on Watch What Happens Live in February 2021. “It’s always good to reflect, and it looks like it’s a step in the right direction, right? Something happened in the court that was in her favor. And I think it’s an excellent thing for journalists to go back and revisit times in our pop culture where we all could’ve thought differently, done better.”
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“The way people talked about Britney Spears was terrifying to me then, and it still is now,” the Mrs. Doubtfire star wrote a New York Times op-ed in February 2021. “Her story is a striking example of a phenomenon I’ve witnessed for years: Our culture builds these girls up just to destroy them. Fortunately people are becoming aware of what we did to Ms. Spears and starting to apologize to her. But we’re still living with the scars.”
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The “Gravity” crooner opened up about how watching “Framing Britney Spears” struck a chord with him. “I almost cried five times during that,” he said while guest cohosting SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in February 2021. “There’s a debate as to whether the times in and of themselves kind of encased this behavior. Like, it’s hard to go back into the sap and cut into it because it is sort of suspended in amber, some of this stuff. But, to see the sadness in this human being. … I was on the edge of tears five times because if you understand what this business/industry/lifestyle does to a person, to go through this and come out the other side OK is to have infinite grace for those who struggle with it.”
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“[My mom and I] were watching that Britney Spears documentary, but I had to turn it off when I realized my mom has, like, way more of a case to take over my finances than Britney’s dad ever did,” the comedian joked on Saturday Night Live in February 2021. “I was like, ‘Wait, she could do that and she hasn’t? Doesn’t she love me?’ All Britney Spears did was shave her head. I got a life-size tattoo of the Tootsie Pop owl.”
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The radio host, who once called Britney a “train wreck,” said on The Howard Stern Show in February 2021, “I think I’m #FreeBritney now. I think I’m full-on #FreeBritney.”
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“I feel for her,” the Grease star said on the “Gawndy & Maz Catch Up” podcast in February 2021. Her daughter, Chloe Lattanzi, added, “I’m completely #FreeBritney. … I hope Britney gets her freedom.”
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“Britney Spears’ music was my first exposure to POP music. Her impact was/is profound and it always baffled me as to why people were so brutal to her when she was down,” the “Attention” crooner tweeted in February 2021. “It’s great the world is more sensitive to mental health now, but upsetting it took this long in Britney’s case.”
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“I am always rooting for her comeback,” the View cohost said during a segment about “Framing Britney Spears” in February 2021. “I’ve actually been following the #FreeBritney story for a while. … It’s really compelling. The story is about her conservatorship. And basically, to sum it down, we’re supposed to believe that this is a woman who is competent enough to be a judge on The X Factor, to perform in sold-out shows that I saw personally, [to] be an incredible performer, do endorsement deals, do all these things that a competent person can do, but she’s not allowed to have control over her own finances. She’s not allowed to go to Target and spend her own money.”
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“We were all watching a woman, a young woman, a girl, in pain and doing nothing about it,” the lawyer said on The View in February 2021. “We are all complicit — and especially complicit, in my view, is the legal system because if you look at this conservatorship, which she has been under for 12 years, almost 13 years at this point, that legal device is supposed to be for someone who is incapable of handling their own life, their own finances. And as Meghan mentioned, this is a woman who seems to be able to perform, who seems to be able to raise her children, who seems to be able to function quite well, yet she can’t seem to be able to handle her own finances? That is not what that conservatorship is supposed to be about.”
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"I have always wanted nothing but the best for my better half and will continue to support her following her dreams and creating the future she wants and deserves," the actor and personal trainer, who has been dating Britney since 2016, said in a statement to People in February 2021. "I am thankful for all of the love and support she is receiving from her fans all over the world, and I am looking forward to a normal, amazing future together."
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After tuning in to "Framing Britney Spears," the talk show host tweeted in February 2021 that it would be "an understatement to call it heartbreaking."
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"I watched this the other night, and I was shocked," the dancer said on The Talk in February 2021. "I don't think the interviews that you see on this ['Framing Britney Spears'] documentary would even be allowed today. You wouldn't be able to say what these people are asking her and telling her, and it is so sad. ... I think that Diane Sawyer does owe her an apology [over their 2003 interview]. I think the whole world owes her an apology."
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"I watched the NYT doc on Britney Spears and it is SO messed up that they aren't letting this very successful adult woman be in charge of her own life," the Last Comic Standing alum tweeted in February 2021. "She's made it very clear she does not want her dad to have any part of her finances and life decisions. That should be enough."
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"Ughg [sic] I just want to help @britneyspears so much!" the fashion designer tweeted in February 2021. "Just have to figure out how I wonder??"
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"#FreeBritney," the Tony winner tweeted in February 2021.
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After calling "Framing Britney Spears" a "gut punch" in a February 2021 tweet, the Hot in Cleveland alum listed Jamie, Federline and Britney's ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake as some of the "many horrible men/leeches" in the pop star's life.
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"Britney deserves better," the Euphoria star tweeted in February 2021. "To the people that made merch off her having a psychotic episode you're hackey and suck.. However, in the same year she bounced back w/ an iconic album that still dilates my pupils to this day: Blackout #FreeBritney."
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"The rage and sadness I felt watching #FramingBritneySpears last night traveled with me into my dreams," the Princess Diaries star tweeted in February 2021. "I woke up wanting to burn everything down and be her friend. #FreeBritney."
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"I highly recommend watching the @nytimes doc Framing Britney Spears about her ongoing conservatorship battle on @hulu," the Real Housewives of New York City star wrote via Instagram in February 2021. "Watching the clips of her being scrutinized by misogynistic interviewers (including females), chased by paps while holding her baby, being chewed up and spit out by the sick media. Anyone with a soul would've been crushed by this. It's the soulless people who can handle this without being affected. @britneyspears ILYSM I hope you tell your story one day. #freebritney."
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“The Framing Britney Spears doc holy f--k,” the Paramore lead singer tweeted in February 2021. “No artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media/society/utter misogynists inflicted upon her. the mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.”
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The Keeping Up With the Kardashians star wrote in an Instagram comment in February 2021 that she was “praying for queen Britney,” calling the situation “so so so sad.”
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The Sex and the City alum tweeted the hashtag in February 2021.
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“Everyone should watch the NY Times documentary on @britneyspears that just came out,” the country singer wrote via her Instagram Stories in February 2021. “Never has one person been so used and abandoned by every facet around her. My heart goes out to her. She has always been such an inspiration to me my whole kid/teen life. Wish she could get a re-do.”
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“Good morning! have a great day! And: #FreeBritney,” the Watch What Happens Live host wrote via Twitter in February 2021.
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When Cohen likened #FreeBritney to the “Hero” singer’s own history with mental health issues on Watch What Happens Live in October 2020, she responded, “I don’t feel comfortable commenting on anybody else’s personal situation, particularly when it seems so intense, so I would just send love.”
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The "Dip It Low" singer shared her support for Britney in September 2020, posting the #FreeBritney hashtag on her Instagram Stories while working out to the Crossroads star's 2011 hit "Till the World Ends."
"I miss Britney Spears," she said. "I'm gonna need some hits right now. Bring it on, I'm ready. I need some hits to work out to. You too, [producer] Max Martin."
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“I just love her so much. I feel like if you are an adult, you should be able to live your life and not be controlled,” the socialite said of her longtime friend on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live in September 2020. “I think maybe that stems from me being controlled so much, so I can understand how that would feel, and I can’t imagine right now if that was still happening to me. After just working your whole life and working so hard, she’s this icon, and I just feel like she has no control of her life whatsoever, and I just don’t think that’s fair.”
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“Britney, like anyone else, should have the freedom to live the life that’s most authentic to her,” the “Wrecking Ball” singer said of her “SMS (Bangerz)” collaborator during an iHeartRadio Canada interview in August 2020.
Cyrus also spoke out after the premiere of “Framing Britney Spears,” saying, “We love Britney!” on stage during her pre-Super Bowl LV performance in February 2021.
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“She Worked Hard,Was The Golden Goose,Made Lots Of [Money],Got Sick,Now She’s The CASH COW,” the legendary entertainer tweeted in August 2020. “Does anyone Who’s Making [Money] Off Her Being Sick,Want Her Well!? Someone Who Doesn’t Want Anything From Her Should Look Into Her Dr. … Everyone in Vegas heard Stories.”
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“Obviously she’s got some problems. I don’t know what she’s going through. I don’t know exactly what her diagnoses are, but online these videos are definitely out of character for her. This is kind of a new thing,” the former ’NSync member said on his podcast, “The Daily Popcast,” in August 2020. “She feels very happy and wants to do these videos. I don’t see any danger in it. I think they’re kind of fun and positive. I would be more worried if she disappeared from social media.”
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“#freebritney Love you Queen @britneyspears,” the Jersey Shore star captioned an Instagram photo of herself in an Oops!… I Did It Again tank top in July 2020.
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“Britney I know you’re strong af and have your own brain and thought process. To me you look happy and like you’re having a blast!” the Orange Is the New Black alum wrote of her Crossroads costar via Instagram in July 2020. “Keep up the happy posts and your faith in Jesus Christ. How about instead of #freebritney we say #GodIsWatchingOverBritney. How about let’s give this wonderful woman the dignity she deserves and earned. Until you know the facts stop speculating and perpetuating the father of lies. We all know she’s under a type of control that’s unfair and things will be fixed. Have faith. Wish her well! Send good vibes of no fear! Please! #alldarknesscomestolight.”
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“I just love her so much.. want her to be happy/healthy. Need more information but I just want her to be well!” the R&B singer tweeted of her “Slumber Party” collaborator in August 2019. Eleven months later, she wrote in a since-deleted tweet, “#FreeBritney.”
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“Fame will really drive you insane. Not only will fame drive you insane, but it’s like, once you have money, everybody just wants to take it from you,” the “WAP” rapper told Entertainment Tonight in May 2019. “When you’re a celebrity, everyone wants to sue you, everyone wants a piece of the money that you work for. It’s very frustrating. Then you have, like, the whole world looking at you. No privacy, it’s crazy. I can’t imagine if you do it for such a long time like her.”
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“The one thing about Britney that’s always broken my heart about her is that she was working from a very, very young [age]. She was on Broadway at, like, 10 or something ridiculous, and she’s worked her entire life” the Osbournes alum said while cohosting The Talk in April 2019. “Nobody works for her for free. They work for her because they get a percentage of what she earns. So when there’s a lot of money involved, nothing would surprise me. … It’s time for her to have a life, and maybe her dad can find a job.”
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“I’ve always been a Britney fan,” the Talk cohost said during the same episode while wearing a #FreeBritney shirt. “I want her to be getting the help she’s getting, but not under duress. Hopefully this is putting the right eyeballs on it if, God forbid, anything wrong is happening. … We’re praying for her.”
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“Prayers for peace of mind,” the “Work It” rapper tweeted in July 2020 in response to a fan who posted a clip from Spears’ 2008 MTV documentary, Britney: For the Record.
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While paying tribute to the late Brittany Murphy via Instagram in July 2020, the Charmed alum added, “There’s another Britney on my mind today, too, one that is alive, one that can be saved from the leaches that are controlling and trafficking her. Free all the Britneys and all those who get hurt by the trauma of Hollywood values and toxic ‘rules.’ #FreeBritney.”
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