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More details about Britney Spears‘ conservatorship are emerging, and we can’t believe the shocking news. A new documentary about the situation, which was put out as the sixth episode of The New York Times Presents, is titled “Framing Britney Spears,” and features interviews from some of those closest to the star.
Although the documentary has not been released yet (it comes out on Hulu Friday, February 5, and airs on FX that night at 10 p.m.), we already have some insight on what the sources have to say (thanks to Us Weekly). Keep reading for more!
Adam Streisand, a trial lawyer who specializes in conservatorships, met with Britney in 2008 after her hospitalization, and he remembers exactly how the singer felt about her father running her conservatorship at the time.
In the documentary, he explained his interaction with the "Womanizer" singer: "The first question I had was, 'Does Britney have the capacity to be able to hire me? Does she have the ability to take my advice?'"
But his fear went away quickly after meeting her. "The first thing is Britney was able to make the judgment. [She said,] 'Hey, I get what’s going on. I get that I’m not going to be able to resist this conservatorship or avoid this conservatorship.' So, that’s a pretty sound judgment," he explained. "The second thing was, she said, 'I don’t want my father to be the conservator.' That was her one request."
He continued, "She wanted a professional or somebody independent... Britney did not want her father to be the conservator of her person, the person who makes decisions about her medical care, treatment, so on and so forth. She also didn’t want him controlling her finances."
But Britney's wishes were ignored, and her father was given power as her conservator that year.
Another important person in Britney's rise to fame also spoke out in the doc. Nancy Carson, the talent agent who helped a young Britney get an Off-Broadway role in New York City. Carson, had a few choice words to say about Britney's father.
The agent explained that Jamie was a stark contrast to Britney's mother, Lynne Spears.
Carson explained, "Jamie visited from time to time and was anxious to see this time be worthwhile so that he could justify the money that it was costing to do this."
"Her mother would do whatever it took, personally and for the family’s sake, for Britney to be a star. I never talked to her father," she continued. "The only thing Jamie ever said to me was, 'My daughter is going to be so rich she’s going to buy me a boat.' That’s all I’m going to say about Jamie."
From this account, it definitely sounds like he had money on his mind when it came to Britney's success.
Felicia Culotta, Britney's former assistant, was also featured in the show. Culotta admitted right off the bat that she "didn’t then nor do I now understand what a conservatorship is."
However, she adds that she knows "firsthand [what Britney is] capable of," taking into account the pop star's massive successes. Although Culotta's words are not exactly a ringing endorsement of disbanding the conservatorship, it does throw some doubt on any claims that Britney is incapable of handling things herself.
Plus, according to Culotta, there's no doubt that Britney will eventually speak out fully on the issue. She explains, "I know at some point she will tell her story. I know she will. And I am so grateful for when that point comes, that she’s able to sit down and... everything will fall into place."
