In the past twelve months, fans of pop icon Britney Spears have been vocal about their concerns over her mental health—creating the now-viral #FreeBritney movement that seeks to see her father, Jamie Spears, removed as her conservator. The ongoing drama over her conservatorship—which has been in place since 2008—was explored in a new documentary, Framing Britney Spears, as part of The New York Times Presents series.
While those of us in Australia have watched on at the response of the explosive doco—including a judge ruling against her father Jamie Spears in a new court proceeding—we’ll finally be able to watch it for ourselves, with news it will premiere on Tuesday, March 2, at 9pm on Channel Nine (right after Married At First Sight).
“People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life,” a description of the documentary reads.
While Spears herself is not involved in the documentary, a newly released sneak peek shows that several people involved in the #FreeBritney movement will make appearances.
Take a look below:
Interested in learning more? Below, everything to know about Spears’ ongoing drama and the upcoming documentary, Framing Britney Spears.
When Did Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Begin?
In February 2008, Britney Spears was put under a temporary psychiatric hold in Los Angeles, where she was treated at a UCLA facility following a mental breakdown. Following those measures, her father and an attorney were granted a temporary—then permanent in October 2008—conservatorship over her assets, estate, and business affairs.
The order has been in place ever since, although her father stepped down as a conservator in September 2019 due to “personal health reasons”, with Britney’s longtime “care manager”, Jodi Montgomery, taking his place.
In 2020, court documents obtained by People showed that Britney was “strongly opposed” to Jamie returning as conservator and instead “strongly prefers” that Montgomery continue in the role.
On November 10, 2020, a judge denied Britney’s request to remove her father from her conservatorship. “That’s the subject of another discussion down the road,” Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny said, according to CBS.
Per The New York Times, Britney’s conservatorship has been extended to at least 2021, and the singer’s requests—including permanently removing her father from his role—will not be approved or altered until next February.
What Exactly Is The #FreeBritney Movement?
Amidst recent attempts by Spears to remove her father as a conservator, coupled with viral fan theories on TikTok and Instagram about the singer’s mental wellbeing, the #FreeBritney movement was ignited—a fan-driven push to restore her autonomy.
The online campaign first began on a fan website called BreathHeavy.com, back in 2009, but it began to gain traction once again in April 2019, when an anonymous voicemail was sent to Britney’s Gram, a podcast hosted by comedians Tess Barker and Barbara Gray. It came from a paralegal who claims he worked for one of Spears’ lawyers.
Since then fans involved in the #FreeBritney movement believe that the singer is sending the world messages via her Instagram page.
One such theory has since been labelled the ‘yellow top’ theory, wherein one of Britney’s posts on TikTok, a concerned fan commented: “If you need help, wear yellow in your next video.”
Taking to Instagram to post her next video, Britney was wearing a bright yellow top, even commenting on the look in her caption.
“My florist surprised me today by making the flower arrangement all different colours,” she captioned the video. “I was so excited I threw on my favourite yellow shirt and just had to SHARE.”
What Has Britney Said About The #FreeBritney Movement?
While the singer is yet to respond directly to the movement, she did say she was doing great in an Instagram video posted on November 2.
“Hi. So I know that there have been a lot of comments and a lot of people saying a lot of different things about me, but I just want to let you guys know that I am fine,” she says in the short clip. “I’m the happiest I’ve ever been in my life. I’m sending all of you guys a lot of prayers, wishes and a lot of love.”
When Will Framing Britney Spears Be Released?
The documentary originally aired on Feb. 5, in the U.S. and will air on Channel Nine on March 2 at 9pm.
