At last, Britney Spears is a free woman. On Friday (November 12th), Judge Brenda Penny formally terminated the singer’s conservatorship, ending a 13-year period in which every aspect of Spears’ life and career was controlled by her father.
“The court finds and determines that the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is no longer required,” Los Angeles County Judge Penny said during the hearing. “Effective today… the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Jean Spears is hereby terminated.”
The decision came after her father, Jamie Spears, agreed to step down as conservator and petitioned the court to end his daughter’s conservatorship amid mounting pressure and public outcry. Judge Penny suspended Jamie as conservator during a hearing in late September, but did not make a final determination on the conservatorship as a whole until today.
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Needless to say, it’s the stunning culmination of a legal battle that has persisted for years — mostly in secret. Spears’ conservatorship was first put in place in 2008, following a series of mental health issues and public breakdowns. For years, Spears hinted at her displeasure over the conservatorship through legal filings and cryptic social media posts, prompting fans to launch the #FreeBritney movement.
Finally, in June 2021, Spears went public in a bombshell court appearance during which she described the conservatorship as “abusive” and said her father should be investigated. She spoke about being barred from marriage and forced to continue using an IUD despite her desire to have more children. She also said she’d been put on lithium against her wishes.
