Britney Spears’s father, Jamie Spears, is finally speaking out about the #FreeBritney online movement.
In an interview with Page Six Jamie said that any attempt to remove the pop star from her conservatorship via public pressure “is a joke.”
He added, “All these conspiracy theorists don’t know anything. The world don’t have a clue. It’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business.”
He also denounced claims that he’s withholding money from his daughter, explaining, “I have to report every nickel and dime spent to the court every year. How the hell would I steal something?”
Britney has been under the conservatorship of her father since 2008. However, Jamie temporarily relieved himself due to health reasons last year, handing over the conservatorship role to the singer’s care manager, Jodi Montgomery. Britney’s mother, Lynne Spears, also reportedly filed legal documents in July to secure a role in decisions made regarding her daughter’s finances.
“People are being stalked and targeted with death threats. It’s horrible. We don’t want those kinds of fans,” Jamie continued. “I love my daughter. I love all my kids. But this is our business. It’s private.”
These statements came after the pop star’s routine conservatorship hearing in July was Zoom-bombed by protesters who refused to get off the call, forcing the judge to reschedule the meeting. While there have been rumors since the conservatorship was first put in place that Spears or those around her were attempting to end it, according to TMZ, no one has ever filed a motion and there has never been a court proceeding to terminate the permanent conservatorship since it began.
However, at the end of July, Spears’s brother, Bryan, did tell the As NOT Seen on TV Podcast that his sister has “always wanted to get out of it. It’s very frustrating to have. Whether someone’s coming in peace to help or coming in with an attitude, having someone constantly tell you to do something has got to be frustrating. So yeah, she’s wanted to get out of it for quite some time.”
More Great Stories From Vanity Fair
— Inside Ghislaine Maxwell’s Life on the Lam
— Did Meghan and Harry Make Their Royal Exit to Tell the Truth About the Commonwealth?
— How Prince Andrew and Ghislaine Maxwell’s Friendship Became a Scandal
— The Stranger-Than-Fiction Secret History of Prog-Rock Icon Rick Wakeman
— Everyone Is Homeschooling. Not Everyone Is Doing It Like the Ultrarich.
— How Quarantine Introduced the Real Camilla to the World
— From the Archive: The Trouble With Prince Andrew
Looking for more? Sign up for our daily newsletter and never miss a story.