Britney Spears said that when she first received the letter about testifying, she wasn’t ready to speak on her experience. But the time has come. “I was immediately flattered and at the time I wasn’t nearly at the healing stage I’m in now,” she wrote.
Britney Spears has accepted an invitation by Congress to testify on conservatorships, she said on Instagram, noting how “grateful” she was that her story was “acknowledged.”
On Dec. 1, 2021, Spears and her attorney, Matthew Rosengart, were sent a letter by Congressmen Charlie Crist and Eric Swalwell. In it, they said they were “elated” that she was able to remove her father as a conservator.
“Your journey towards justice will inspire and empower many others who are improperly silenced by the conservatorship process,” the letter said.
“Many concerning issues that are commonplace in the guardianship and conservatorship process were brought to light,” they wrote. “Especially troubling was news that, for years, you were unable to hire your own counsel to represent your personal and financial interests. Other issues surrounding the initial petition, the eventual permanence of the conservatorship, and being forced to engage in employment against your will, are all equaling concerning.”
Spears said that when she first received the letter, she wasn’t ready to speak on her experience. “I was immediately flattered and at the time I wasn’t nearly at the healing stage I’m in now,” she wrote.
Now, she said she is ready to share her story. “I want to help others in vulnerable situations, take life by the balls and be brave,” Spears said.
In her post, she reflected: “I wish I could have been (brave). I was so scared and nothing is worse than your own family doing what they did to me.”
She also expressed gratitude that she was contacted by the elected officials. “Because of the letter, I felt heard and like I mattered for the first time in my life!!!," she wrote. “In a world where your own family goes against you, it’s actually hard to find people that get it and show empathy."
Congressmen Crist and Swalwell said that they hope to learn more about “the emotional and financial turmoil” the star faced.
Spears' father, Jamie Spears, had been in control of the pop singer's conservatorship for nearly 14 years.
Previously, Spears, 39, had testified via telephone testimony, criticizing her father's control of the conservatorship and saying the conservatorship was abusive and forced her to receive medical treatment and to perform when she was sick.
Her father has denied all of those claims and said he was trying only to protect her. He was removed from the conservatorship in September. The court named John Zabel, a California accountant, as temporary conservator of the singer’s finances, a move which Spear’s attorney, Michael Rosengart requested.
In November, Spear’s legal conservatorship came to an end after a judge sided with Spears attorney and court-appointed administrators to dissolve the conservatorship.
