Spears testified over the phone on Wednesday afternoon during a hearing in a case that seeks to permanently replace her father Jamie Spears—who has controlled many key aspects of her life since 2008—with her professional care manager Jodi Montgomery as conservator. Prominent media and entertainment industry figures offered support for Spears on social media, with many agreeing that she should be released from the legal arrangement.
“Britney Spears has every right to be angry,” actress Rose McGowan tweeted shortly after the testimony. “How would you feel if your life was stolen, dissected, mocked? I pray she gets to live [her] life on her terms. STOP CONTROLLING WOMEN. #FreeBritney”
“How is what has been done to Britney Spears not a human rights crime?” The View co-host Meghan McCain tweeted. “Isolation, controlling her capacity to reproduce without her consent, forcing her to work under inhumane conditions. If she were any other person the people who did this to her would be in jail.”
“We love you Britney!!! Stay strong,” singer Mariah Carey tweeted.
“Sending so much love to @britneyspears today,” tweeted drag queen Shea Couleé ahead of the testimony. “We’re rooting for you. We’re ALL rooting for you #FreeBritney”
“Wishing All the luck in the world to Tahani’s good friend, Britney Spears today,” actress Jameela Jamil tweeted, referencing her character from The Good Place. “It is the most bizarre theft of freedom that has happened right in front of our eyes for over a decade now, and I hope she finds assistance with organizing her life that she is comfortable with now.”
“We love you SO MUCH @britneyspears,” tweeted singer Tinashe.
Spears told Judge Brenda Penny on Wednesday that the conservatorship was causing “way more harm than good” and said that she hoped to petition to end the arrangement “without being evaluated” over the state of her mental health.
The singer said that her father and others involved in the conservatorship “should be in jail” and alleged that she had been treated like a “slave” and at times forced to perform against her will. She also said that she was wanted to remove a contraceptive intrauterine device (IUD) that had been implanted as part of the arrangement.
Spears’ fans gathered outside the courthouse ahead of the hearing, some carrying signs reading #FreeBritney. Many fans have questioned why the singer needed to be in a conservatorship— an arrangement typically reserved for people who have lost the ability to care for themselves—during a time while she was simultaneously mentally competent enough to work as a highly successful entertainer.
Newsweek reached out to Spears’ representative for comment.
