Pulling the curtain. A new documentary focuses on Britney Spears‘life and career, offering a rare view of those in his inner circle about his long battle for guardianship.
The sixth episode of The New York Times Presents, entitled “Framing Britney Spears”, features interviews with insiders, including the Princess of Pop’s longtime family friend and former assistant, Felicia Culotta; the marketing executive at Jive Records who helped shape her career, Kim Kaiman; several journalists and photographers who have covered Spears, 39, over the years; and lawyers who were involved in the guardianship.
The 75-minute film takes viewers through the childhood of the Louisiana native, her days in Star Search and The new Mickey Mouse club, his highly successful musical career, his romantic relationships with Justin Timberlake and Kevin Federline, his infamous collapse in the mid-2000s, his return and the indefinite hiatus of work he has been on since 2019, while fighting for control of his life and money.
In February 2008, Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, he was appointed the conservator of his person and his property. She has remained under court-ordered guardianship since then and rarely speaks about it publicly, although her lawyer, Samuel D. Ingham III, told a judge in November 2020 that “she is afraid of her father” and refuses to ” to act so long since his father is responsible for his career. ”
Although Britney applied that same month for Jamie, 68, to be removed as a conservator from his property and replaced by a third party, he later told CNN that they were on “good terms” until August 2020. Jamie has argued that he should continue on the case, as it had been instrumental in saving Britney’s life and career when she was at her lowest point.
The mother of the singer “Toxic”, Lynne Spears, is considered an interested party in guardianship, although she never played a formal role like that of her ex-husband. Lynne, 65, indicated, however, that she is on Britney’s side in terms of easing restrictions. The Through the storm the plaintiff’s attorney, Gladstone Jones, said at a hearing in November 2020 that “Lynne believes it’s time to start from scratch, given the circumstances of Britney’s request [to remove Jamie]. “
In the midst of the drama, Britney’s diehard fans launched the #FreeBritney campaign on social media to express concerns about possible injustices in the case. Ingham said in a September 2020 court case that “Britney welcomes and thanks the informed support of her fans” as she tries to “regain some personal autonomy” during her time out of the spotlight.
Scroll down to read more of “Framing Britney Spears”, which starts airing on Hulu on Friday, February 5th, and airs on FX that night at 10:00 pm Eastern time.