Timeline of Britney Spears' Conservatorship - Business Insider

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A complete timeline of Britney Spears' conservatorship

Hillary Hoffower and Eve Crosbie

Updated

2023-10-23T16:25:20Z

Britney Spears was under a conservatorship for 13 years. David Becker/Getty

• Britney Spears' conservatorship, implemented in 2008, left her with no legal control over her estate or assets.
• The rallying cries of the #FreeBritney movement were amplified by the 2021 documentary "Framing Britney Spears" 
• Spears succeeded in ending her conservatorship in November 2021.

Britney Spears didn't legally control her life and fortune for 13 years between 2008 and 2021.

The conservatorship — a legal guardianship typically enacted for those incapable of making their own decisions — was approved in the Los Angeles Superior Court in 2008 after Spears had several public breakdowns.

The arrangement put her estate, financial assets, and some personal assets under the control of her father and a lawyer. 

On June 23, 2021, Spears officially asked the court to end her conservatorship in what was her most public statement on the subject at that point.

"It's my wish and my dream for all of this to end," she said of the conservatorship. "I just want my life back. The conservatorship should end. I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive."

From its implementation, the conservatorship generated a lot of controversy among Spears' fans. Some thought she was being controlled and manipulated, which fueled the #FreeBritney movement. In a 2020 court filing, Spears' lawyer wrote that the #FreeBritney movement is "far from being a conspiracy theory."

In November 2021, the conservatorship was finally ended following Spears' testimony and the #FreeBritney campaign.

Here is a breakdown of what happened.

In the late 2000s, Britney Spears had several public breakdowns.

Britney Spears' conservatorship began in 2008. Gus Ruelas/AP

During this time, Spears was spotted driving her SUV with her son Sean on her lap and not strapped in a car seat. She also famously shaved her head and was seen hitting a photographer's car with an umbrella.

In 2008, Spears made several trips to rehab and was committed twice to a psychiatric hospital, also known as a 5150 hold in California, where Spears lives, reported the Los Angeles Times.

This tumultuous period led to Spears' court-approved conservatorship, which was implemented in 2008.

Britney Spears' father applied for a temporary conservatorship in 2008. GABRIEL BOUYS/Getty Images

Her father, Jamie Spears, petitioned for an emergency "temporary conservatorship" after Britney's second psychiatric hold in February 2008. The conservatorship was made permanent in October 2008.

A conservatorship is also known as a legal guardianship. It's granted to those who are incapable of making decisions, such as people with mental disabilities and those with dementia.

Under the conservatorship, Spears had no control over financial or personal decisions. That power was granted to her father, Jamie Spears, and her attorney, Andrew Wallet.

Britney Spears' conservatorship was made permanent in October 2008. Frazer Harrison/Getty Images

Jamie Spears was granted oversight of her estate and health, which involved everything from negotiating business opportunities to restricting visitors, while attorney Wallet was assigned to help manage her financial assets.

The exact details of the arrangement aren't known, but it was ruled that all of Spears' financial decisions had to be documented in court reports.

In 2018, the singer had a net worth of $59 million. Philip Ramey Photography, LLC / Contributor

In 2018, Spears had a net worth of $59 million. That year, she spent $400,000 on living expenses and $66,000 on household supplies.

She also spent $1.1 million on her legal and conservator fees that year. Her father took home $128,000 of that, according to documents cited by Entertainment Tonight.

Spears remained incredibly active in her career during the time her conservatorship was implemented.

Spears' last studio album was "Glory" in 2016. Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Until 2019, Spears dropped an album every two to three years.

She also had a four-year Las Vegas residency; her final performance grossed $1.1 million, the highest ever reported for a single theater Las Vegas residency show at that time, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

That's not to mention her "Piece of Me Tour" in 2018 grossed an estimated $54.6 million, according to Touring Data.

During this time, Spears also launched clothing and perfume lines, landed a luxury fashion campaign, and served as a judge on "The X Factor."

At the beginning of 2019, Spears took a step back from her career to check into a mental health facility, which prompted #FreeBritney supporters to express concern.

Spears checked into a mental health facility in 2019. Jason Merritt/Getty Images

In early 2019, Spears put her Las Vegas residency, "Domination," on hold to focus on her mental health.

In April 2019, a fan podcast called "Britney's Gram" released a voicemail from an anonymous source who said he was a former paralegal involved with the conservatorship. The person said Spears was forced to go to the mental health facility. The podcast hosts told the Washington Post they verified the source's employment but didn't give specifics.

But a source close to Spears told CNN that she checked in to the mental health facility voluntarily to deal with the serious health issues her father was facing and because her medication stopped working.

Around this time, Spears' lawyer, Wallet, resigned as co-conservator but didn't give a reason for his resignation. This left her father, Jamie, as the sole conservator.

Andrew Wallet resigned as co-conservator in 2019. Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

Wallet wrote in court filings the "conservatorship is engaged in numerous ongoing business activities requiring immediate attention" and that it was best he resign immediately, the Los Angeles Times reported. 

One lawyer told the publication that his resignation could be a sign that Wallet disagreed with Spears' father on the conservatorship terms.

During a status hearing in May 2019, Spears reportedly asked the judge to consider ending the conservatorship.

Britney Spears asked a judge to reconsider her conservatorship in 2019. Evan Agostini/Invision/AP

A source close to Spears told CNN this was nothing new: "Of course she wants it to end, because she's not of the right mental state to understand her issues."

After the May hearing, Larry Rudolph, Spears' manager, said he wasn't "sure if or when she will ever want to work again."

In a second hearing in September 2019, Jamie asked to be temporarily removed as a conservator. The role was temporarily appointed to Britney Spears' care manager.

Spears' father temporarily asked to step down in 2019.