If you’ve somehow missed it, the latest documentary surrounding Britney Spears’ conservatorship, titled Britney vs Spears, was released on Netflix on Tuesday — and it’s taken the internet by storm.
Produced by Netflix and Story Syndicate Productions, the documentary offers in-depth insight into how Spears has coped under the terms of her conservatorship — which has seen her life and finances legally controlled by her father, Jamie Spears, and lawyers for the past 13 years.
One of the most shocking things that came to light in the film was a letter that Spears allegedly wrote and gave to an old friend of hers, Andrew Gallery, back in 2009.
The letter details how, contrary to the narrative unfolding publicly at the time, Spears was allegedly being "threatened" and "silenced" by her conservators.
According to Gallery, who worked on the 2008 MTV documentary, Britney: For the Record, the letter was written by Spears in response to her ex-husband Kevin Federline’s appearance in the December 2008 issue of People.
Spears allegedly wrote the letter in the third person and asked Gallery to read it on television, in a bid to make her situation known to the public.
In one shocking claim, the letter says Spears — who shares two kids with Federline, Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden James, 15 — had been "forced" to divorce him by her legal team.
"As for Kevin saying Britney divorced him, she was forced to by her lawyers because she went to visit him in NY and he wouldn’t see her and the children and her lawyers said if she doesn’t divorce him he’s going to do it himself," the letter reads.
The letter goes on: "So Kevin trying to play the innocent victim is hardly irrelevant. He left her and the babies. Her going on the mend partying two years ago has nothing to do [with] the situation now."
Spears filed for divorce from Federline after two years of marriage in 2006, citing "irreconcilable differences."
The letter claims that she and Federline often fought because of his time spent "waking and baking to marijuana at 5:00 in the morning."
“No one talks about these things [because] no one knows the truth,” the letter adds. “[Spears] was lied to and set up. Her children were taken away and she did spin out of control which any mother would in those circumstances.”
The letter then claims that Spears had been "silenced" and was unable to speak out about the reality of her situation, before drawing attention to her conservators’ monetary gain from their respective roles within the conservatorship.
“The people controlling her life have made 3 million dollars this year,” the letter says, claiming that Spears had also “given her brother a 2 million dollar apartment,” her mother a $4 million "estate in Louisiana,” and her father “the best job in showbusiness.”
Elsewhere in the documentary, Spears’ former co-conservator, Andrew Wallet, allegedly described her conservatorship as a “hybrid business model” in leaked court documents from 2018 — something that was overlooked by the courts in charge of her case.
And the letter says Spears wants the public to become aware of her situation.
“She would love for new eyes to see her situation, but if she brings it up she’s constantly threatened that the conservators will take her kids away,” the letter reads. “So how long does this go on for? As long as the people are getting paid and she has no rights it could go on for a while, but it doesn’t make it right at all.”
Gallery said in the documentary that he considered Spears’ letter to be an initial “emotional response” to Federline’s interview, and so didn’t immediately read it on TV as she’d requested. However, he said he’d planned on “revisiting” it with Spears “a couple days” later.
But Gallery went on to claim that he’d received a phone call from the lawyers days later, seemingly objecting to the release of the letter.
“And then a couple days later, I got a phone call from the lawyers [saying] the letter had some information that would be really bad if it came out or something like that,” Gallery said. “So, all of a sudden, the letter turned into a much bigger thing … I just brought it in and showed it to [the lawyers], and that was that.”
And Gallery maintained that similar instances of Spears attempting to make the public aware of her situation by available means would “often” occur.
“Things like this would happen often,” he said. “Not necessarily like this letter, but, like, trying to use my phone to call people. Those are the things you had to look out for and steer her away from.”
As well as Spears’ alleged letter, the documentary also included audio of a leaked voicemail from 2009, in which the singer can be heard very clearly expressing concern about how her father had allegedly “threatened” to take her children away amid her attempts to end the conservatorship.
“Hi, my name is Britney Spears,” she can be heard saying. “I just wanted to make sure that during the process of eliminating the conservatorship that my father has threatened me several times, to you know, he’ll take my children away.”
She continues: “I just want to be guaranteed that everything will be fine with the process of you guys taking care of everything [and] that things will stay the same as far as my custodial time. That’s it, bye.”
In recent months, Spears has publicly condemned her conservatorship on multiple occasions, following a court hearing back in June where she first publicly denounced her father and conservators.
“I would honestly like to sue my family, to be totally honest with you,” Spears said. “I also would like to be able to share my story with the world, and what they did to me, instead of it being a hush-hush secret to benefit all of them. I want to be able to be heard on what they did to me by making me keep this in for so long. ... I’ve been so angry and I cry every day. It concerns me. I’m told I’m not allowed to expose the people who did this to me.”
“My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship and my management who played a key role in punishing me — ma’am, they should be in jail,” she told the judge. “I’m here to get rid of my dad and charge him with conservatorship abuse," she added. "I want him investigated. … This conservatorship has allowed my dad to ruin my life.”
Jamie Spears has repeatedly claimed that he only wants what’s “best for [his] daughter” and denied the allegations of abuse. He also filed documents shortly after her June testimony in which he expressed concern about her “management and care” and asked the court to investigate the claims she’d made.
Just yesterday, another court hearing took place amid Spears’ battle to end the conservatorship, which saw her attorney, Mathew Rosengart, object to all of her father's “exorbitant” requested fees and costs.
As seen in the latest documents, Rosengart maintained that most of the payments that had been billed to Spears were unnecessary and shouldn’t have been approved by the court in light of her father's lack of sufficient explanation.
And in a scathing statement given to the court, Rosengart described Jamie Spears as “a reported alcoholic and gambling addict, with zero financial background or experience in financial matters, who previously filed for bankruptcy and has a Domestic Violence Restraining Order currently in effect against him.”
You can read Britney Spears' alleged letter as it was shown in the documentary here:
What happened to Britney was a year ago and people need to get with the times.
And as for Kevin saying Britney divorced him, she was forced to by her lawyers because she went to visit him in NY and he wouldn’t see her and the children and her lawyers said if she doesn’t divorce him he’s going to do it himself.
So Kevin trying to play the innocent victim is hardly irrelevant. He left her and the babies. Her going on the mend partying two years ago has nothing to do w/ the situation now.
She is a completely different person and most of their fighting was done back then b/c of his problem waking and baking to marijuana at 5:00 in the morning.
No one talks about these things b/c no one knows the truth.
She was lied to and set up. Her children were taken away and she did spin out of control which any mother would in those circumstances.
Now this year Britney has been silenced to speak out about anything that’s really going on.
The people controlling her life have made 3 million dollars this year.
She would love for new eyes to see her situation, but if she brings it up she’s constantly threatened that the conservators will take her kids away.
So how long does this go on for? As long as the people are getting paid and she has no rights it could go on for a while, but it doesn’t make it right at all.
Britney has given her brother a 2 million dollar apartment. Her mother an [$4 million] estate in Louisiana and her father the best job in showbusiness. She is a very giving person and would love to get the respect she deserves.