Britney Spears addressed a Los Angeles courtroom today, amid her ongoing conservatorship battle.
The 39-year-old spoke to Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny about the conservatorship, which was established in 2008 after she suffered an alleged breakdown.
In a passionate statement, the pop singer said: “I am not happy, I can’t sleep. I’m so angry, it’s insane. And I’m depressed.”
“My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship, including my management… they should be in jail.”
“The last time I spoke to you [the judge] … made me feel like I was dead. I am telling you again because I am not lying… so maybe you can understand the depth and the degree and the damages… I deserve changes,” she said, according to The Independent.
As for why she didn’t speak out before, Britney said: “I honestly don’t think anyone would believe me. I thought people would make fun of me.”
“I’m just want my life back. It’s enough.”
The 39-year-old has requested to end her conservatorship without being evaluated by medical professionals.
In court, Britney also claimed she has to go to therapy three times a week at a facility in Westlake, California – where paparazzi take unflattering photos of her.
“They have me going to therapy three times a week and to a psychiatrist,” she said.
“I truly believe this conservatorship is abusive. I don’t feel like I can live a full life. In the meantime, I want this therapist to come to my home, I’m not willing to go to Westlake…”
“They set me up by sending me to the most exposed places. I need your help.”
In another shocking statement, Britney alleged her conservators are interfering with her hopes to have more children.
“I have an IUD in my body right now that won’t let me have a baby and my conservators won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out,” she claimed.
Just hours before her court hearing, a New York Times report claimed Britney has been quietly pushing for her conservatorship to end for years.
According to confidential documents viewed by the publication, which dated back to 2016, the singer felt the conservatorship had become “an oppressive and controlling tool against her”.
The singer was placed under a conservatorship after she suffered an alleged breakdown back in 2008.
A conservatorship is granted to those who are incapable of making decisions, such as people with mental disabilities.
The arrangement put her estate, financial assets, and some personal assets under the control of her father Jamie, and lawyer Andrew Wallet – who has since resigned from the role.
The 39-year-old’s conservatorship has been under review since 2019 after she accused her father of forcing her to enter a mental health facility.
In November last year, the songstress tried to have her father removed as her conservator, but her request was denied.
Instead, a judge named wealth management firm the Bessemer Trust as co-conservator of her estate, alongside her father.
In February this year, Jamie failed to regain sole control of his daughter’s estate.
According to the Times report, Britney told a court investigator in 2016 that the conservatorship gave her father authority over who she befriended and dated, how she designed her kitchen and what her weekly allowance was.
A representative for Jamie’s lawyer declined to comment on the New York Times report on Tuesday.
Britney’s ongoing legal battle dominated headlines earlier this year following the release of the documentary Framing Britney Spears.
Produced by the The New York Times, the film followed the singer’s rise to stardom, and the events that led to her conservatorship battle.
The film shed light on the #FreeBritney movement, and featured interviews with lawyers involved in her conservatorship.
It also showed the misogyny and media scrutiny the pop star faced throughout her career, with many viewers describing the documentary as “heartbreaking” and “shocking”.
