Under a controversial legal guardianship since 2008, US pop singer Britney Spears is scheduled to address a Los Angeles court on Wednesday in the battle over her father’s control of her affairs.
The 39-year-old star’s finances and personal life have been largely managed by Jamie Spears since her highly public breakdown more than a decade ago, leading some adoring fans to launch a “FreeBritney” online campaign in recent years.
Spears has rarely spoken directly about the issue herself in that time, but will get her chance to address the judge remotely via an internet link on Wednesday.
“Britney wants to address the court directly,” her lawyer Samuel Ingham said in April, without specifying exactly why the singer wanted to be heard in person by Judge Brenda Penny.
But it is widely expected that Spears wants to tackle the terms of her guardianship, and specifically the commanding role of her father, with whom she has long had a difficult relationship.
Spears filed last year to remove him from the conservatorship and give sole power over her estate to a financial institution. Her court-appointed lawyer said she was “afraid” of her father.
Devoted Spears fans have long scoured her social media accounts for hints about her well-being, and any signs that she may be eager to throw off the guardianship.
Confidential records published Tuesday by the New York Times say Spears told a court investigator that the conservatorship had “become an oppressive and controlling tool against her” as far back as 2016.
Spears reportedly said the guardianship system had “too much control… Too, too much!” and was prevented from making her own decisions on friendships, dating, spending, and even the color of her kitchen cabinets.