WASHINGTON — At times, Congress can seem hopelessly divided. But there is one issue uniting members from both parties and chambers. Just days before the Fourth of July, Americans of all political stripes are coming together for the cause of liberty: #FreeBritney.
Following a mental health crisis in 2008, pop star Britney Spears has lived under the strict confines of a conservatorship that gives her father, Jamie Spears, almost plenary control over her personal life and massive fortune. Last week, the singer petitioned a California court to end the conservatorship, telling Judge Brenda Penny, “I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy,” she said. “I’m in shock. I’m traumatized … I’m so angry it’s insane.” I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m OK and I’m happy. I’m in shock. I’m traumatized … I’m so angry it’s insane
Spears’ testimony has sparked conversations across the nation about mental health, treatment, recovery and where to draw the limit on paternalistic interventions. Members of Congress have also begun to weigh in, calling Spears’ treatment outrageous.
“It’s time we #FreeBritney and countless other Americans wrongfully subjected to predatory conservatorships,” tweeted Alabama Republican Rep. Barry Moore.
Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas simply tweeted “#FreeBritney,” as did House Oversight Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y.
Rep. Matt Gaetz has been the most vocal lawmaker calling for Spears’ release from conservatorship. The Florida Republican, who is attempting to weather allegations that he paid for sex with a 17-year-old, has tweeted multiple times about Spears, appeared on Fox News to discuss the matter and mentioned it at a House Judiciary Committee markup of antitrust legislation Thursday.
“I do believe the nation was quite taken with the control that the guardianship and conservatorship process has on far too many Americans,” Gaetz said. “I would reiterate the call that ranking member (Jim) Jordan and I made to Chairman (Jerrold) Nadler to allow us to hold hearings on conservatorship and guardianship and abuse, and I think the very first witness before the Judiciary Committee should be Britney Spears.”
Jordan, R-Ohio, and Gaetz wrote a letter in March to Nadler requesting a hearing on conservatorship abuse that pointed to Spears as the “most striking example” of the issue.
Massachusetts Democratic Rep. Seth Moulton was a bit more circumspect when he tweeted Friday, admitting that conservatorship was “a word I didn’t know until yesterday” and asking his followers if Congress should investigate. The overwhelming majority said yes.
Spears, 39, has spent the last 13 years under the court-ordered conservatorship while going on to record albums, tour the nation and appear as a talent judge on the TV show “The X Factor.” Her fans have argued that a temporary solution while the pop star recovered from mental health and substance use struggles has turned into a de facto prison.
Under the conservatorship, Spears has been prohibited from speaking out about her situation and has had limited access to her $60 million fortune earned as a multiplatinum recording artist. Jamie Spears receives a salary as her conservator and a large cut of his daughter’s earnings.
It can be extremely difficult for individuals under adult guardianship to end their supervision. Spears is petitioning the court using a lawyer she herself could not select, but who is being paid a stipend per the conservatorship’s terms.
In February 2021, The New York Times released a documentary, “Framing Britney Spears,” that examines her career and hardships in the entertainment industry that led to her public mental health struggles in 2008, including the conservatorship and losing custody of her two children with ex-husband Kevin Federline.
The film spurred interest in the “Free Britney” movement, and supporters have argued that the conservatorship is unnecessary given her ability to continue to perform and work.
