A complete timeline of how 2021 became the year Britney Spears was freed from her father and conservatorship

At the end of 2020, Britney Spears' conservatorship had been extended for a fourth time that year. But within months, public attention on her case exploded.

Questions had been mounting about the singer's wellbeing after her second Las Vegas residency was cancelled before it had begun in 2019, and she was sent to Beverly Hills facility. 

Throughout 2020, Spears had stayed relatively off the radar. But court documents revealed a brewing battle between the pop star and her father, Jamie Spears. 

February 5, 2021: The New York Times and Hulu teamed up for a documentary special called "Framing Britney Spears," which amplified the rallying cries of the #FreeBritney movement.

The documentary revisited the years leading up to 2008 when Jamie led the effort to have Spears placed under a legal guardianship that would control her day-to-day life.

"Framing Britney Spears" kicked off a new cascade of news coverage around the pop star's life under the conservatorship, with added emphasis on her fandom's efforts to #FreeBritney. Her name began trending on social platforms like Twitter, and new flurries of interviews and opinion pieces on sexism in media were published. 

All the new interest added up to one central question: Will Spears be in the conservatorship against her will forever? 

February 11, 2021: Jamie lost a key battle to have total control over his daughter's financial estate.

Less than a week after the premiere of "Framing Britney Spears," a judge made a new ruling in her ongoing legal case.

As first reported by Variety, Judge Brenda Penny "overruled Jamie Spears' objections to an order establishing Bessemer Trust Co. as a coconservator of daughter Britney Spears' estate." 

Spears' father had objected to the proposed coconservatorship with Bessemer (a third-party financial institution), "saying it improperly reduced his powers over his daughter's estate."

But the judge ruled that Jamie would have to share the conservatorship power with Bessemer.

March 2, 2021: Jamie addressed the ongoing public interest in the conservatorship through his lawyer, saying "whether or not there is an end to the conservatorship really depends on Britney."

"[Jamie] would love nothing more than to see Britney not need a conservatorship," his lawyer Vivian Lee Thoreen told CNN. "Whether or not there is an end to the conservatorship really depends on Britney. If she wants to end her conservatorship, she can file a petition to end it."

This was the first time Jamie had given a public statement since the premiere of "Framing Britney Spears."

April 27, 2021: News broke that Spears will personally address the Los Angeles court at an upcoming hearing — a rare opportunity for the public to hear from her directly.

Reuters was one of the first outlets to report that Judge Penny agreed to let Spears give her own testimony during a public hearing. 

As noted by Insider's Sarah Al-Arshani, Spears had rarely taken part in court hearings dealing with the conservatorship.

"My client (Britney Spears) has requested a hearing at which she can address the court directly," the singer's court-appointed lawyer Samuel Ingham told the court. "My client has asked that it be done on an expedited basis."

June 22, 2021: The day before the hearing is scheduled to take place, the New York Times published a report on how Spears wanted Jamie removed as early as 2014.

The New York Times published an in-depth report outlining how Spears had concerns about the conservatorship being spearheaded by her father as early as 2014.

The NYT reviewed court documents that showed a court investigator's notes from a 2016 evaluation of the conservatorship.

They had written that Spears had "articulated she feels the conservatorship has become an oppressive and controlling tool against her."

 

 

June 23, 2021: Spears addressed the court for more than 20 minutes in an explosive testimony, and the leaked audio goes viral on social media.

Prior to the hearing, the Los Angeles court had granted a set number of media reporters and interested parties access to the audio stream for Spears' testimony. 

Despite strict instructions not to record and reshare the audio, there were leaked clips of Spears' testimony all over the internet within minutes of her hearing coming to an end. 

"I've lied and told the whole world that I'm OK and that I'm happy," Spears said in her testimony. "It's a lie. … I've been in denial. I've been in shock. I am traumatized."

Spears said she was put on medication against her will, and told anecdotes about her father "loving" having control over someone as powerful as her. She also said the conservatorship overseers wouldn't allow her to have her IUD removed so she might have children. 

You can read the full testimony here.

 

June 2021: Celebrity support for Spears and the ending of her conservatorship reached a new high.

Following her June testimony, celebrities expressed support for the dissolution of her conservatorship.

Fellow pop star Christina Aguilera said it was "unacceptable that any woman, or human, wanting to be in control of their own destiny might not be allowed to live life as they wish." 

"I definitely believe in the #FreeBritney movement," former *NSYNC bandmate Lance Bass said.

Madonna even compared Spears' situation to "slavery" and vowed to get the pop star "out of jail."

 

July 1, 2021: Bessemer Trust filed to withdraw from the guardianship in light of the pop star's damning testimony.

As previously reported by Insider, Bessemer Trust's resignation was initially effective immediately, but the paperwork was later updated.

In court documents reviewed by Insider, Judge Penny said they would review this request at a later hearing, scheduled for July 14. 

Bessemer Trust was appointed by the court to be a coconservator in November 2020, but had not yet started its duties, nor received any assets or taken any fees, according to the New York Times.

July 3, 2021: The New Yorker published a bombshell investigation of Spears' 13-year conservatorship

New Yorker reporters Ronan Farrow and Jia Tolentino had been investigating the conservatorship starting months prior to Spears' June 23 testimony. Their report included details on how Jamie and others had worked to get the conservatorship put in place.

The reporters interviewed a Spears family friend, who claimed she had been "exploited" in 2008 when she was asked to provide testimony that eventually helped the conservatorship get established.

The New Yorker's investigation also said that Spears called 911 the night before her conservatorship hearing testimony to report "conservatorship abuse."

July 5, 2021: Spears' long-time manager Larry Rudolph resigned, saying he's planning to retire.

In a letter to Spears' conservators, published by Deadline, Rudolph wrote: "It has been over 2 1/2 years since Britney and I last communicated, at which time she informed me she wanted to take an indefinite work hiatus."

"As you know, I have never been a part of the conservatorship nor its operations, so I am not privy to many of these details," the letter continued. "I believe it is in Britney's best interest for me to resign from her team as my professional services are no longer needed."

Rudolph first began managing Spears in 1995, so his exit from her professional orbit struck many as a major step towards a new phase in the pop star's life.

July 6, 2021: Spears' court-appointed lawyer Sam Ingham filed to resign.

Ingham had been the court-appointed lawyer representing Spears since the conservatorship was established in 2008.

He was paid by her estate through the conservatorship, an annual salary that reportedly can reach a maximum of $520,000 — more than Spears' own living expenses, according to the New Yorker.

July 6, 2021: Spears' mother Lynne Spears filed a petition to the court requesting that Spears be allowed to choose her own lawyer.

Attorneys for Lynne wrote, in the court filing on her behalf, that Spears has been "able to care" for herself for years and asked the court to "listen to the wishes of her daughter."

Those wishes included her ability to "handpick her own lawyer by herself."

"Her capacity is certainly different today than it was in 2008," the filing continued. 

July 14, 2021: During a new hearing, Spears is granted the ability to choose her own lawyer. She appointed Mathew Rosengart.

For the first time since the very beginning of the legal arrangement, Spears was allowed to hand-select her own representative in court. She hired Mathew Rosengart, an experienced Hollywood attorney and former federal prosecutor. 

July 26, 2021: Rosengart formally requested the court to remove Jamie as a conservator. His filing included damning statements from Lynne and Spears' personal conservator,

Rosengart wasted no time. Twelve days after he was hired by Spears, he submitted a new court filing with the formal request that Jamie be suspended from the conservatorship immediately.

The filing included supporting statements from Britney's mom Lynne and Jodi Montgomery — the woman appointed to be Britney's coconservator. 

Montgomery said the pop star's entire medical team agreed that her estranged father should be removed from the guardianship because of "serious, unresolved issues" between Spears and Jamie that were "not psychologically healthy."

As for Lynne, she made an incendiary declaration in support of her daughter's request. This marked the first time Lynne had spoken out in clear opposition to her ex-husband. The two divorced in 2002.

"Since this conservatorship has been in place, the relationship between the conservatee and Mr. Spears has dwindled to nothing but fear and hatred of Mr. Spears by the conservatee due to Mr. Spears' behavior," Lynne Spears wrote her statement.

Lynne said that behavior included Jamie's "complete control" over Britney, "his mistrust of her, his coercion of her, his 'bartering' with her over what she can and cannot do for whatever reward or punishment he is willing to mete out, his constant threats, and his decision-making over all aspects of her life."

You can read more revelations from Lynne's statement here.

 

 

 

 

August 12, 2021: Jamie agreed to step down as a conservator, but refused to do so immediately.

In his own court filing, Jamie said he would work with Rosengart to transition his daughter to the care of a new conservator. But he disregarded the request for his immediate resignation.

As reported by Insider's Erin Snodgrass, Rosengart said Spears' team was looking forward to a "vigorous investigation" into Jamie's conduct over the past 13 years and hearing his sworn deposition in the near future. 

"In the interim, rather than making false statements and taking cheap shots at his own daughter, Mr. Spears should remain silent and step down immediately," Rosengart said at the time. 

September 1, 2021: Weeks later, Rosengart said Jamie was trying to "barter" $2 million in exchange for leaving the conservatorship.

A new court filing from Rosengart said Jamie's refusal to immediately resign as her estate's overseer was unacceptable.

"Regardless of the past, Mr. Spears and his counsel are now on notice: the status quo is no longer tolerable, and Britney Spears will not be extorted,"the new court filing, reviewed by Insider, said.

Rosengart's filing continued: "Mr. Spears's blatant attempt to barter suspension and removal in exchange for approximately $2 million in payments, on top of the millions already reaped from Ms. Spears's estate by Mr. Spears and his associates, is a non-starter."

Another hearing was scheduled for September 29. Rosengart said that if Jamie had not resigned by that date, then "the court must suspend him."

September 7, 2021: Jamie filed to end the conservatorship altogether — a move that came right after Rosengart asked him to hand over years' worth of documents.

Jamie made the surprising move of filing a court petition that suggested his daughter's conservatorship should come to an end entirely. 

In a statement sent to Variety, Spears' lawyer Rosengart called this filing a "massive" legal victory, and also said, "it appears that Mr. Spears believes he can try to avoid accountability and justice." 

Later it was revealed that Jamie's move came just over a week after Rosengart requested a sworn deposition and 13 years' worth of documents.

"Mr. Spears's reversal was motivated by a desire to bolster his reputation or to avoid his deposition or responding to the outstanding discovery served on him in August," Rosengart said in a court filing. 

September 29, 2021: At the next hearing, Judge Penny officially suspended Jamie from Spears' conservatorship.

Despite Jamie's attempt to simply have the conservatorship terminated altogether, Judge Penny granted Spears' request first and suspended her dad.

Prior to making her decision, Judge Penny said the current situation in Spears' conservatorship was "untenable."

As reported by Insider, Rosengart advocated relentlessly for Jamie's immediate suspension and replacement by John Zabel, followed by a 30-45 day period to work out the details of Jamie's termination ahead of a hearing on the matter.

He accused Jamie's counsel of "putting the cart before the horse" by arguing for immediate termination of the conservatorship, claiming that Jamie's team was looking for a way for their client to avoid a deposition under oath and potential prosecution after turning over conservatorship documents and assets.

A new hearing was scheduled for November to determine if the entire arrangement will continue or not.

November 12: The judge ruled that Spears' conservatorship will be terminated, effective immediately.

"Effective today, the conservatorship of the person and estate of Britney Spears is terminated," Judge Penny said during the hearing, which Insider attended.

Judge Penny's decision came after Spears and both her parents, Jamie and Lynne, filed petitions in support of the dissolution of the conservatorship.

Spears celebrated the termination of her conservatorship by sharing a video from a fan that was taken outside of the Los Angeles courthouse.

"Good God I love my fans so much it's crazy," she wrote in the caption, along with several emojis. "I think I'm gonna cry the rest of the day!!!! Best day ever … praise the Lord … can I get an Amen????"

The popstar also used the hashtag #FreedBritney, a new spin on the #FreeBritney tagline associated with her fans who had been trying to bring attention to her experience living under legal guardianship since 2008.

December 8, 2021: Attorneys for Jamie and a management firm hint at a looming battle over Spears' estate paying unresolved legal fees after she was granted financial powers.

Though the conservatorship had been terminated, there were still procedural loose ends to tie up.

At another court hearing, attorneys for Jamie and the management firm long tied to the conservatorship (Tri Star) raised the question of whether the pop star's estate would pay various legal fees.

During this hearing, Spears was granted the right to sign her own estate's financial documents for the first time in 13 years. 

January 11, 2022: Spears agreed to postpone the next court hearing after a disagreement over subpoenas with the former management firm.

As reported by Insider's Azmi Haroun, the next hearing date in Spears' ongoing court case was postponed "after a continuing disagreement over subpoenas issued to former management firm Tri Star Management Group, according to court documents."

Now those interested in Spears' estate and career will have to wait for further hearings to resolve the financial matters in the pop star's life. 

You can read the full report on this latest update here.