Britney Spears became a music superstar when her first single, "...Baby One More Time," was released in late September 1998. The storied career that followed, however, eventually took many turns that I doubt any fans were expecting, when the singer was embroiled in a number of very public struggles and had to undergo involuntary psychiatric evaluations. A little less than 10 years after she had her first hit, on February 1, 2008, she was placed under a conservatorship, which was partially run by her father, Jamie.
That conservatorship ended in November 2021, and she’s been open about claims of abuse/neglect on the part of several of those in her family since the summer of that same year. To help you keep track of what’s gone on, we have for you now a timeline of Spears’ allegations against her family.
Britney Spears Spoke Out Against Her Conservatorship For The First Time In June 2021
Fan fears for the “(You Drive Me) Crazy” singer had been mounting for several years, but publicly, she didn’t speak about the court order controlling her every move. That changed in June 2021, when she asked to address the court about her conservatorship. Spears proceeded to shock many people with her numerous allegations of abuse, including likening her life under the order to that of someone who endures “sex trafficking.” According to Variety, she said, in part:
I worked seven days a week, no days off, which in California, the only similar thing to this is called sex trafficking. Making anyone work against their will, taking all their possessions away — credit card, cash, phone, passport — and placing them in a home where they work with the people who live with them. They all lived in the house with me, the nurses, the 24-7 security…They watched me change every day — naked – morning, noon and night. My body – I had no privacy door for my room. I gave eight vials (?) of blood a week.
The star claimed that she had no say in her schedule and that unless she worked “10 hours a day, seven days a week, no days off,” she wasn’t permitted to see either her two sons or boyfriend (her now husband, Sam Asghari).
The Next Month, Spears Blamed The “People Closest” To Her For Leaving Her “Drowning”
In mid-July 2021, she posted on Instagram (via Today) but later removed her comments, which blamed the “people closest” to her for leaving her “drowning” during her conservatorship, and said:
There’s nothing worse than when the people closest to you who never showed up for you post things in regard to your situation whatever it may be and speak righteously for support … there’s nothing worse than that !!!! How dare the people you love the most say anything at all … did they even put a hand out to even lift me up at the TIME. How dare you make it public that NOW you CARE … did you put your hand out when I was drowning ????
While the Crossroads star didn’t mention people by name, she appears to have been speaking about her mother, Lynne, and younger sister, Jamie Lynn, who had both come out to show support for her after she opened up in court.
Around The Same Time, Spears Said She Won’t Perform Because Conservatorship “Killed My Dreams,” And Pointed To Her Dad And Sister
At around the same time, in July 2021, Spears told her Instagram followers that she’d be unlikely to perform in the future, because working conditions under the conservatorship “killed my dreams”:
Look I’m not gonna be performing on any stages anytime soon with my dad handling what I wear, say, do, or think 🚫🙅🏼♀️🚫!!!!...I don’t like that my sister showed up at an awards show and performed MY SONGS to remixes !!!!!
She also said that she’d been “begging” to add new music to her shows and to have “real deal” remixes for her concerts, seemingly referring to her sister’s 2017 tribute performance at the Radio Disney Music Awards, which also included other singers covering her songs.
The Pop Star Claimed Her Father Is Extorting Her In Early September 2021
Spears had her lawyers file legal documents which claimed that her dad was attempting to extort her. This allegation was due to Jamie, supposedly, asking for almost $2 million for a “quid pro quo” in order to quit his role in her conservatorship, which he’d already agreed (on August 12, 2021) to do.
Two Months Later, She Accused Her Mom Of Introducing The Idea Of The Conservatorship
Only two months later, in early November 2021, the Princess of Pop posted (via TMZ) and deleted a conservatorship rant mostly aimed at her mother, where she admitted to sounding “mean,” but accused the elder Spears of being the one who gave her father the idea for the court order. She added that her mom “secretly ruined my life,” and told her to “go fuck yourself.”
In Late December 2021, The Singer Said She Wasn’t Allowed To Perform New Music Under Conservatorship
Roughly a month and a half after her conservatorship was finally over, the embattled star took to social media yet again, and told fans that she was “set up” to “fail” during her Las Vegas residency, because she “asked for 13 years to perform new songs and remixes of my old songs,” but was always told no, even while trying to keep that show exciting for fans.
Spears Claimed Her Sister “Exploited Her For Monetary Gain” In January 2022
The “Circus” singer began feuding with her little sister on social media in the summer of 2021, but took things much further in January 2022, when she had her lawyers send Jamie Lynn a cease and desist letter (reported on by Variety on January 18) during the promo tour for her memoir, Things I Should Have Said. Because the book and many of the interviews regarding it were partially focused on Britney, the letter claimed that she was “shocked” to see that her sibling had “exploited her for monetary gain.”
A Few Days Later, She Called Jamie Lynn “Scum,” Alleged She Knew What Happened During Conservatorship, And Was Lying
On January 29, 2022, a few days after news of that cease and desist letter went public, the “Gimmie More” singer went back to Instagram with a now-deleted post about her sister. She alleged that the Sweet Magnolias star’s claims that she didn’t know what Britney endured during her conservatorship were “bullshit,” adding, “you’re lying and making money off of me!!!! You are scum, Jamie Lynn.”
In April 2022, Spears’ Lawyer Reported That Her Mother Benefitted From Conservatorship To The Tune Of At Least $1.7 Million
After her mom asked her superstar daughter to pay the legal fees she reportedly took on while attempting to help free her, early April saw Spears’ lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, report in his response (via ET) that her mother had spent “at least a decade” living in a large home owned and paid for “continuously” by her oldest daughter, with the total spent during that time being “approximately $1.7 million.”
In May 2022, Her Lawyers Alleged That Jamie Spears Made Millions From His Daughter’s Conservatorship
After months of the pop star’s dad reportedly dodging her lawyers’ attempts to depose him, Rosengart alleged in legal documents obtained by TMZ that Jamie Spears paid himself at least $6.3 million of his child’s money, while also using her funds to pay tens of millions more to others working for the conservatorship.
Spears Posted Audio Of Several New Allegations, Including That Events Leading To Conservatorship Were “Premeditated,” In August 2022
Late August 2022 saw the “Hold Me Closer” performer post and then deleted a 22-minute audio clip to YouTube (via Newsweek) that included many new allegations against her family. As she discussed the night she was taken away in an ambulance while surrounded by paparazzi, Spears said her mom told her beforehand that “people” were coming to talk to her, and added:
Then four hours later, there were over 200 paparazzi outside my house, videotaping me through a window of an ambulance holding me down on a [gurney]. I know now, it was all premeditated…A woman introduced the idea to my dad and my mom actually helped him follow through and made it all happen. It was all basically set up. There was no drugs in my system, no alcohol, nothing. It was pure abuse.
Soon After, The Superstar Alleged That Ex-Husband Kevin Federline Hadn’t Worked In 15 Years
In early September 2022, Spears responded to her teen son, Jayden, who had spoken to a documentary crew (via Daily Mail) about why neither of her children attended her recent wedding to Asghari. In her post, she alleged that their father and her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, “hasn’t had a job in 15 years,” alluding to the fact that she helped to support him and his new family financially as their sons continued to live with him.
In Late September 2022, Spears Claimed That Her Family Locked Her Up ‘For Four Months’
Just a few weeks later, the “Work Bitch” songstress went back to Instagram in a post that’s since been deleted, to tell followers about what she felt was the worst part of the conservatorship, and said that it was when her family, allegedly, had her locked up somewhere for several months. Her post said:
After 14 years of telling me no to what I wanted ... it’s ruined for me ... but that wasn't the worst part ... the worst part was my family locking me up in that place for four months … Jesus fucking Christ … I'd like to see somebody tell Jennifer Lopez to sit down 8 hours a day 7 days a week ... no car, own security of 5 years telling me at my own door I can’t walk outside for 4 months. . . .I'd like to see a management team tell Jennifer Lopez to go through what I went through ... what the fuck do you think she would do ... her family would NEVER allow that.
We’re not sure where this supposedly occurred, but her noting that she wasn’t allowed outside of “my own door” makes it seem like she was kept at her home and not able to leave of her own free will.
On October 10, 2022, She Accused Her Mom Of Having Slapped Her One Night
In early October of the same year, Spears went back to her social media (right before she deleted her page again) and made another surprising accusation, telling fans about a time her mother allegedly hit her:
The first time I ever got slapped was the one night Paris [Hilton] and Lindsay [Lohan] dropped me off at my beach house with my babies!!! Kevin left me at that point, so I had a small beach house and my mother was watching Jayden and Preston…yes I partied till like 4am and my mother was PISSED!!!! I walked in she looked at me and hit me so hard that I will never forget it!!! Psss since then I’ve always wondered what it must feel like to slap someone…GUESS I WILL NEVER KNOW!!!! Stay classy folks!!!
We can probably expect the superstar to keep speaking out against those she feels wronged her for so many years. Luckily, it seems that she is beginning to mend fences with at least some of her family members, because she accepted a visit from her mother in May 2023, while June of the same year saw her have a pleasant meet up with her sister. Hopefully, this means that she and her bonds with her family can actually heal.
