Britney Spears talks life after conservatorship in new Instagram video
Days after her 13-year conservatorship ended, Britney Spears offered some thoughts on where she goes from here
After more than a decade, Britney Spears is free, and she’s sharing her next steps with fans on social media. Days after a judge terminated the 13-year conservatorship that’s ruled her life, Spears posted a video on Twitter and Instagram to discuss her newfound independence.
Last week, Judge Brenda Perry ended Spears’ conservatorship, under which for nearly 14 years, her father, Jamie Spears, ruled her personal life and finances. The news came to the delight of Britney Spears’ fans in the #FreeBritney movement, a grassroots campaign to galvanize the public and pressure the courts to end the arrangement.
Spears’ two-minute video offers one of the most lucid and direct statements from the pop singer in quite some time—especially compared to some of her more cryptic social media posts.
In the caption for the post, Spears also teased an interview with Oprah. “I might as well do a hint of my thoughts here before I go and set things square on @Oprah,” she wrote. While it’s unclear whether that interview is happening, one assumes all she’ll have to do is pick up the phone.
“I’ve been under conservatorship for 13 years,” Spears said. “It’s a really long time to be in a situation you don’t want to be in. I’m just grateful, honestly, for each day and to be able to the keys to my car and to be independent.”
The post provides an authentic look at Spears’ life under conservatorship, particularly what’s been withheld from the 39-year-old mother of two. For example, Spears mentions being able to gain access to an ATM card, “seeing cash for the first time,” and “being able to buy candles.” But the “little things” Spears mentions only underscores how restrictive her conservatorship was.
Despite everything, Spears appears ready to go to work, advocating for people “with real disabilities and real illnesses.”
“I’m a very strong woman, so I can only imagine what the system has done to those people. So hopefully my little story, hopefully my story will make an impact and make some changes in the corrupt system.”
Finally, Spears directly thanked the #FreeBritney movement, saying, “The #FreeBritney movement, you guys rock.”
“My voice was muted and threated for so long, and I wasn’t able to speak up or say anything, and because of you guys and awareness of kind of knowing what was going on and delivering that news to the public for so long, you gave it awareness to all of them.”
“Because of you, I honestly think you guys saved my life in a way. 100%.”
She ended the video with a hardy “rock on,” which is just great. Rock on, indeed, Britney Spears.