Britney Spears doesn’t understand why she’s still under a conservatorship

Over the past few weeks, many of us have been worried that Britney Spears might be in the midst of some kind of relapse due to the increasing stress of her X-Factor gig. Britney has repeatedly walked off the set, giving no clue as to why she needs a break or when she’s coming back – which, as it turns out, is part of her contract. Britney’s team managed to get the sweetest contract possible, and apparently Simon Cowell can’t really say or do anything about Britney’s constant walk-offs. In addition to that, people around Britney are talking about how “loopy” and “out of it” she seems.

So… I don’t know what to make of this story in Radar this morning. Allegedly, Britney is concerned about her conservatorship – the one where her father and her fiancé Jason Trawick have complete control over her personal and professional life. Britney wants out of the conservatorship, and she doesn’t know why it still exists.

Britney Spears is eager to regain control of her life and has been asking her court-appointed lawyer when her conservatorship will finally end, RadarOnline.com is exclusively reporting. There will be a routine hearing on Thursday morning to seal the Toxic singer’s medical records, and Spears is eager to put this chapter of her life behind her and move on.

“Britney very much wants the conservatorship to end, she doesn’t understand why it has gone on this long,” a family source tells RadarOnline.com. “Britney is now a judge on a national hit television show, which will be live when it airs this fall. Britney feels she is ready to regain control of her life now.

“Britney’s dad, Jamie, has conservatorship of her personally and professionally, and this has been going on now for almost four-and-half years. When she signed on to become a judge for The X Factor, Simon Cowell suggested that Jason Trawick become one of her conservators because Jamie didn’t want be on set with Britney. Jason is basically in charge of Britney’s life now, and Jamie hasn’t lived with her in a years. Britney’s doctors just don’t feel she is ready for the conservatorship to end though, as she has a very complicated mental health diagnosis. However, Brit is hopeful that once she proves herself on X Factor this will be the impetus for the conservatorship to end.”

Among the housekeeping items that will be heard during the legal proceedings on Thursday will be allowance of fees requested by Jamie Spears and Brit’s court appointed attorney, Samuel Ingham, along with a motion to seal Brit’s medical records. Interestingly, there is a review hearing scheduled for July 21, and sources say that how Britney is dealing with her new gig could be central to the proceedings.

“Brit could absolutely be in court at that time,” the source says. “The judge wants to make sure that Britney is handling the stress of her new job appropriately. Remember, Britney could absolutely petition the court to attempt to end the conservatorship, any of the interested parties could also do so. The only person that can formally end the conservatorship though is the judge and she has to be convinced by the most important people in Britney’s life, her medical doctors, that it’s the best thing to do. Britney is grateful to her dad for giving up his personal life to save her but she wants to stand on her own two feet now.”

[From Radar]

As I’ve said before, keeping Britney in this legal and professional limbo is a massive disaster waiting to happen. Jason Trawick and Jamie Spears want to protect Britney, and I can understand that. They want to monitor her and have safeguards in place in case she does have some kind of breakdown again. But if that’s the case (and I believe it is), then why let her get engaged? Then why have her contractually obligated to do a high-stress job? Jason and Jamie want it both ways – they want to control Britney completely AND pretend that she’s a completely capable woman in her personal life and professional life. Britney has every right to wonder why her conservatorship is still around, and I hope she has questions about her fiancé now having legal control over her. I have to wonder, though – did this just occur to Britney, or was she just told about it recently? Jason was named the co-conservator months ago!

Photos courtesy of WENN.

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59 Responses to “Britney Spears doesn’t understand why she’s still under a conservatorship”

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  1. sarahtonin says:

    It doesn’t matter how many times I see these pics, I still can’t get over how uncomfortable she looks. She really doesn’t want to be there.

    She’s one celeb I truly feel sorry for.

    • Belle says:

      Agree, though I kind of wonder how this went down on her side. Maybe she really wanted to do it, and thought she was up to it. While it is clear she is terribly uncomfortable in the photos, it isn’t as clear why. Was she pressured into doing it, and really doesn’t want to be there? Or was she the one who wanted it, and her family decided they wanted to let her give it a go?

    • BitchyPerson says:

      I agree with sarahtonin, esp after the pics came out where she’s like chewing her fingers/fingernails off. There’s pics of her onstage with her fingers bleeding from her chewing on them from being so nervous. She needs to stay out of the spotlight, they want her to work bc she pays the bills.
      Also, question, if he’s her conservator does that mean he controls whether theres a prenup?
      And if she needs a conservator why would her docs let her work, shouldn’t she be considered disabled?

  2. Wendy says:

    Someone please get this girl an enema, she needs to take a good dump.

  3. Naye in VA says:

    Geez i think that’s dangerous to have an unrelated man have legal and medical (yikes) control over you. i do think its odd to say that Britney can appropriately choose a man she would like to marry (cuz really emotional decisions are huge) but not be able to end her conservatorship.

    • gg says:

      I agree. It seems like there is no one without an agenda as a watchdog for all this control. Everybody involved has a conflict of interest going on.

    • Jordan says:

      I agree. I never understood how they allowed her to make the decision to get married, yet the conservatorship stays in place so she can’t make any other decisions. It seems like a dangerous situation for her.

      • Molly says:

        I saw an article in the Boston Globe where a couple w/Down Syndrome were allowed to get married. If people w/cognitive challenges get married, why wouldn’t mentally ill people be able to get married?

  4. Kiki says:

    I read a few days ago that the reason Britney walks off the set is because she has ADD, that she has had this disorder since she was a teen and that she can’t take medication for it because it interferes with the medication she takes for her mental health. Apparently, Simon knows about this and he agreed to anything Britney may need during taping. I’m really sorry about this girl. She’s my age and when she was at the peak, every girl I knew wanted to be like her… Her body, her face, she was so hot. She had the most provocative videos -at the time-. It saddens me that I will never see that girl again… I blame K-Fed… Damn him!

    • Hakura says:

      Agreed. =( I remember embarrassing moments at age 13 trying to do my makeup like hers, & dance to her videos… She was beautiful & her body was just amazing, it made me long for that sort of life.

      I was so young. -_-‘

    • Isabel says:

      Completely agree. I grew up with her music, she is a few years older than me. I’ve seen her become a superstar and I’ve seen her hit rockbottom. So sad and horrible.
      Makes me so sad to know this girl will never be truly happy or free. Paps will always follow her around, even when she stops making music/public appearances. Someone will always have the ‘right’ to control her because she is mentally unstable.
      Her father seemed to have done a good job while being conservator, she looked happier and healthier, but think X Factor is just too much for her. I don’t understand why someone let/made her do it. Her mom seems like a Dina Lohan; writing books and making money because of her daughters fame. Dad seems like a good guy. I hope the fiance won’t regain too much control over her, hope dad still has the final say. He is still the dad and seems like a decent guy. I find it tricky that they let an outsider (fiance) control her too, especially because now her lifepartner also has control over her. How can they ever have a relationship between equals? :/
      And what if dad dies? Who is gonna be the ‘boss’ then? I almost hope it’s gonna be her little sister, she seems to be doing well for herself after having her baby and she is not so much in the spotlight. And she seems like a nice girl who takes good care of her little girl.

      • Hakura says:

        @Isabel“How can they ever have a relationship between equals? :/”

        They can’t. Because putting him in charge of every aspect of her life, what she can & can’t do, where she can/can’t go/spend, means she’s like a child, & he’s been given the role of the parent. Nothing, including the engagment, can truly be perceived as what Britney really wants.
        “And what if dad dies? Who is gonna be the ‘boss’ then? I almost hope it’s gonna be her little sister…”

        I’ve wondered about this. I can’t help but wonder if the dad allowed the fiance to become a conservator because he worries about what would happen if something were to happen to him. I think allowing the fiance could be the product of them discussing it, & Jamie trying to do what’s best for Britney (whether he’s around or not). I think, no matter how much the father trusts this guy, that it was an unfair move to Britney, & a really bad idea.

        I can’t help but wonder why Britney’s mother has never been considered. Someone said above that maybe she’s a control freak like Dina Lohan or Kris Kardashian, willing to do whatever it took to make money off her daughter’s fame.

  5. celine says:

    i want her to get out of showbizz and move back to the south living happily ever after. she deserves a life after all these years.

  6. Talie says:

    If I were her, I would feel like I was in prison, but on the flipside, she is clearly not all there. But I do find it odd that she is basically in an arranged marriage.

  7. Alice says:

    I think Brit peaked in high school. She looks like she’s been chewed up and spat out in every single photo. Also, whoever is her stylist should be banned from working.

    • Quinn says:

      So true…I think her rapid (poor) aging is a real indicator of her poor mental health AND the fact that she was put out on the stroll toooo early.

  8. Hakura says:

    …This is one hell of a mess. I sense a shit-storm brewing. I also thought it was strange for her boyfriend to be given so much power over every aspect of her life, it’s not like he was her husband at the time.

    I always feel suspicious, but was the engagement really even her choice, or did he push the issue as a conservator? Being married would mean quite a bit going for him in the bank, both during the marriage & after, if they divorced.

    It could very well be some agreement talked over with her father… Which makes it an arranged marriage, no matter how long they’ve been together. Just doesn’t sound right to me.

    • Tiffany says:

      I agree Jason has been given too much power. Not only is he now her co-conservator, but he negotiated the contract for X-Factor (like an agent), and he put a job for himself on X-Factor in that contract (he is now an X-Factor producer).

      Now, he is an investor in Viddy, and has been posting Viddy videos featuring himself and Britney (aka pimping her out to make more money off of his investment).

      Sketchy all around.

      • Hakura says:

        @Tiffany – I had no idea about the whole investing/releasing videos thing. I thought it was sketchy before, but now I’m sure of it… Part of his being a co-conservator should’ve included some serious rules about what *he* could do regarding anything financial or contracts/publication involving Britney.

        He shouldn’t have ever been allowed to become one in the first place. I just can’t see her as getting anything but hurt by his control. I’m shocked her father allowed it.

  9. christy says:

    She seems so lost I feel bad for her. Also she is not aging well at all.

  10. EmmaStoneWannabe says:

    Between this contract with her fiance and dad and the one now with Idol, it’s like she’s in a machine she has no control of or more like a prison she cant escape from. Through reading all this, her impending marriage just seems too arranged. Generally, I dont pity her, but that part is sad.

  11. Jill says:

    Well I don’t get it as well. She works, makes millions, makes albums. She can do all these things but can’t take control over her life. I know that she suffers from some mental issues but there is something off about this situation.

  12. Krissy says:

    Yeah, her dad and fiancée really care about her best interest. They only wanna make sure their work horse will keep writing them hefty paychecks. I’m sure being a judge on a reality TV show is recommended by all the best doctors to help people with mental disorders and anxiety.

    • SnarkySnarkers says:

      THIS! All day. Im sure all the doctors that recommend she stay under the conservatorship are on the “Brit-Brit money train” payroll too.

  13. I know a lot of people are saying that Jamie/Jason have good intentions, what WHAT IF they don’t? What if this is just a ploy to get control of her $? I know this has been brought up before but people seem to be forgetting it

  14. Cleveland Girl says:

    Where is Gloria Allred when you need her?

  15. Jules says:

    I feel sorry for her. By those photo’s you can see there is something wrong with her, almost like she is a trained seal. She is being used by her father, her fiance, and that ultimate creep, Simon.

  16. some bitch says:

    She looks so sad and uncomfortable. Poor girl, I just hope she can go somewhere warm and quiet and raise her children in peace.

    I remember when Britney became a huge star. I would have been in middle school, and so many girls emulated her. If you would have told me circa 2002 that she’d have such a terrible meltdown a few years later I wouldn’t have believed you.

  17. skipper says:

    Whether she still needs to have a conservatorship or not, I don’t know. Personally, if I had to have one I would want that person to be my husband. He is the one that lives with me, loves me, knows me and always has my best interest at heart. I truly hope Jason feels the same way about Britney that my husband feels about me. I wish them both the best.

  18. Sloane Wyatt says:

    Britney has been stable for years now. She has amply demonstrated, over and over again, that she is competently holding down the high stress job of touring and now a national TV show. I hope that Britney’s plan is to demonstrate she is capable of taking care of herself, and what better way of proving herself in a very public manner than on national television?

    Brit may be southern, but I think she is a canny entertainer who knows how to pick and choose the artists she works with. That alone demonstrates competence. She has the full picture of her various medical conditions and should have the right to own her life and her money. Ms. Spears is a grown woman who has more than proved herself able to run her own life now.

  19. TXCinderella says:

    I feel sorry for this poor girl. She needs to get out of the spotlight and stay there. She should get out of LA and find somewhere quiet to live. She reminds me of these other celebs whose childhood was ripped out from under them, and forced them to live in a grownup world too soon. Now these people are paying for that in their adulthood. It’s so sad.

  20. bluhare says:

    If Britney does have ADD, then why did her people negotiate a job for her where she has to sit and watch some pretty crappy acts for hours at a time? Doesn’t make sense to me.

  21. barb says:

    She has a right to run her own life, and its terrible that she’s under the control of another person. She’s an adult, and so what if she has another episode. People have a right to mess up their lives if they want to. She’s being used and manipulated.

  22. MyLeNe says:

    I think everybody made speculation about what her life look like but nobody know ! I think she’s back in her feet for real and maybe i’m naive but i think her Dad, Jason and her team have Britney hapiness in first motivation.

  23. bea says:

    If she gets out from under her conservatorship, I hope she buys some clothes that don’t look like they come from a beach tourist shop! That pink thing she has on is beyond cheap and tacky.

    I do agree – surely she has enough $ to retire, live comfortably, raise her children, and come out from time-to-time as a guest star, but I guess all the leeches (i.e. family, ex-husband, et al) have to be supported. Poor thing.

  24. TG says:

    Why do people blame K-Fed? It took both of them to have sex and have the second child right on top of the first one. And she was acting crazy long before he came around. I think this is a woman who never experience a childhood properly and so she is incapable of anything anymore. It seems there are certain things one goes thru that if not allowed to do so can affect your emotional health as an adult. I think that is one of the reasons so many child-stars end up f**cked up.

    • Isabel says:

      I think it’s best if she gets out of the spotlight asap and works on herself instead of getting a little help and then doing a big tour and X factor after it. With so much pressure behind her she can never fully recover (or in case of a mental disorder; learn to deal with it). Then she can stop having a conservator.
      Or just make the conservator stuff smaller; let her make her own decisions, but keep someone in the background to make sure she is ok. She will gain confidence then and feel less helpless (i assume).

  25. Jayna says:

    I’ve heard she is doing great on the show. Everyone is surprised at the zingers she has given a few contestants and even Simon. One quote she told a contestant that i read was funny and sarcastic. I thought she was going to be a flatliner, but I think everyone will be surprised.

  26. lucy2 says:

    I wonder if they can transition gradually, letting her have control over certain things, but still keeping an eye on the big stuff. I wish they’d stop pushing her to work though, she doesn’t need too, and doesn’t seem into it.
    I think she’s going to be someone who always needs a trustworthy person helping her out.

  27. Violet says:

    It’s such an odd situation. I mean, she’s considered responsible enough to get married and to hold down a job yet is deemed to be incapable of making other major life decisions.

    In any case, I feel bad for her. She always seems to be a bit lost and ill at ease. I hope her fiancee really loves her, and isn’t just marrying her for the money and fame.

  28. Laurie M. says:

    To me she looks dazed and not entirely “there”. I would guess it is from her medications. It sounds like she has some serious mental issues going on and I wonder if she is even aware of the extent of her sickness?
    I doubt the conservatorship will end, by looks alone she does not appear balanced and healthy for the spotlight her dad & fiance has put her in again.
    **Is it bad that my first thought if the conservatorship ends is that she would run out and buy that pink wig again?

  29. Amanda G says:

    Remember how beautiful she was as a teen? She was so uniquely stunning! And she probably has the best body ever! And now… Well, since her breakdown anyway… She’s lost all her looks and passion. I feel bad for her. I wish her fans and her handlers would just let her retire. She clearly doesn’t want to do this anymore. Her low confidence and anxiety probably kill her every time she has to step in front if a camera.

  30. anne_000 says:

    Judy Garland was probably one of the best performers in modern history, but from what I’ve read, she was a mess in real life, personally & financially. And I don’t know if she had mental disorders like Britney has. There are people who are highly capable in their field of work but destructive and incapable of making proper & healthy decisions for their personal lives, especially if they have mental health issues.

    As for Britney, if her dad hadn’t stepped in, I would seriously doubt that she would have had enough initiative to seek proper medical attention & be able to give herself healthy limitations in terms of personal & financial conduct.

    Just because she has a job as a talent judge now doesn’t mean she’s all better & normal & self-disciplined enough to take care of herself in a healthy manner. If she wants complete control of her legal & financial issues, then she should prove that to her mental health doctors & stop giving the tabloids cause to put out stories about her odd behavior at work.

    • Quinn says:

      I have read that the good old boys of Old Hollywood medicated Judy Garland to prevent her from entering puberty, and it is well documented that she was basically starved to keep the weight off her. The powers that be thought she was worth more in the ingenue “Dorothy” type roles, and tried to keep her “young” and undeveloped as long as possible. That, paired with poor mental health (probably from being told that if you gain a pound you will never work again..) really derailed Garland. I think Britney experienced career meltdown when she aged past “Lolita” years…she was a great performer in her day, but never grew professionally past sex kitten. She seems to have arrested development, along with all of her other issues.

  31. Hmm says:

    Does Britney ever SPEAK? Or do others only speak FOR HER now?

  32. Anon says:

    I hope a judge and/or family members are watching Jason and something is set up so Britney’s money and well being isn’t being exploited. It would be easy to gas-light her, there is something about Jason that well, yuck.

  33. Dee says:

    I don’t get how her marriage would be legal if she isn’t in charge of her own life. The conservatorship would have to be lifted before a wedding- no one else can conset for you to be married when you are incompetent due to mental illness. This is so bizarre.

  34. moo says:

    I feel bad for her…. how old is she? An “adult”, I’m sure…. how can other people do that? I’m puzzled too…… I mean, if you or me wanted to act crazy and spend our money wildly and shave all our hair off, would anyone take us to court and put another person in charge of us? no. So, why this??

    Maybe she’s acting “odd” cuz she’s tired of everyone telling her what to do!! I know I would be……

  35. Ailine says:

    If Britney has ADHD then has something else as well–bipolar disorder because she has definitely displayed manic episodes. For all the world to see.

  36. ria says:

    If they have their way she’ll be under her conservatorship until she retires. I’m wary of Jason. It would seem her family and Jason are using this conservatorship as a means of making money from her past instabilities. By the way they are pushing her. Not long after Jamie was awarded C’ship they had her back out asap in the studio and doing interviews. She needed more time. After 3 yrs she should be allowed to make her own decisions, she’s 30 for crying out loud. She on her meds, she’s done two sold out world wide tours since her breakdown. If she was able to do those she should be allowed to control her own career and finances. Its just pure greed now. Jason proposed to her and that is a huge step, so he felt she was stable enough to get engaged too but she not capable just yet to make her own decision regarding her finances. Something just don’t add up about him. Brit, she seems like a simply kind of girl. She’s proud of her home in Kentwood la. She a true country girl, never forgetting her roots. I agree with the poster that hoped she’d move back to LA and live happily ever after. I think she’d be the most happiest there.

  37. Isabel says:

    And I don’t understand why her husband becomes her ‘boss’ now or soon. That’s not healthy, there can never be an equal relationship now, since he has the power to control her. Not saying he will do this , but still, not right and not healthy.
    Their power in the relationship will never be balanced because of this.

  38. Mooshi says:

    20 years ago medical records were AUTOMATICALLY SEALED.

    You didn’t need a judge to do it. Now the vultures and vampiric media can get a hold of anything they wish.

    WTF? You need a judge to seal your medical records????

    We are in deep poo, folks.

  39. d says:

    well, I’m glad that at least the is relying on DOCTORS to assess Britney’s situation, as opposed to anyone else who could just as easily act in their own self interest. Clearly, it suits everyone that she’s under conservatorship.

    Now, if Britney doesn’t understand why she’s still under it, I would have thought the doctors would have explained it to her, if they haven’t already. As the story says, she has to demonstrate that she can handle the stress of showbiz in her life to prove she doesn’t need the conservatorship.

    What gets me is that if her condition is aggravated by showbiz, why stay in it? If it’s such a threat to her life, why not get out? If she has a “very complicated mental health diagnosis”, why continue the life that led her down that path anyway?

    It sounds like if she wasn’t in showbiz, it wouldn’t be an issue. I get that she needs to stay busy and be active and all that, but geez, something smells.

    But hey, it’s her medical diagnosis and that’s private. I would hate for people to know all about my medical crap, so all you can do is pray for her, and that God at least, or maybe a guardian angel or two is looking after her.

    Because it just seems like such a sad thing. I wish we’d see photos of her with real true girlfriends (I really hope she has some, and not sycophants and hangers-on) and just chilling out.

    And I wish the paps would leave her alone. Shame on them.

  40. LM says:

    Such an insightful comment!

  41. gypsy says:

    Run Britney, run!