Britney Spears’ father, Jimmy Spears, spoke publicly for the first time in more than a decade this weekend – a year after the singer’s conservatorship ended.
In an interview with Sunday Daily Mail, he openly defied the court order and defended his role during the 13-year-old guardianship of his daughter. He also said that he didn’t know if he would be alive without it.
“Not everyone is going to agree with me,” Jimmy Spears said. “It was a hell of a time. But I love my daughter with all my heart and soul. Where would Brittany be now without that protection? And I don’t know if she would be alive. Not me.”
The father said he was “not going to paint any pretty pictures” but that the court order saved Britney Spears during a difficult time.
“To protect her and also to protect the children, conservatorship was a good tool. Without it, I don’t think she would have gotten the children back,” he added.
In November 2021, an LA judge granted the petition to end the arrangement during a hearing that lasted less than 30 minutes. This came after Britney Spears’ emotional testimony this summer, where she claimed the conservative was abusive and wanted to end it. Following the testimony, the singer was allowed to hire her own attorney for the first time, which led to an investigation into the alleged abuse.
Then, after more than a decade of the #FreeBritney movement and years of fans assuming Britney Spears was unhappy, the singer was released by court order.
Now, Britney Spears lives in Los Angeles with her husband, model Sam Asghari. In April, she announced that she is expecting her first child with Asghari. The following month, Britney Spears revealed that she had a miscarriage. She also has two sons, Jayden and Preston, with ex-husband Kevin Federline.
Jimmy Spears lives in rural Louisiana with his other daughter, Jamie Lynn Spears. told him Daily Mail He has to be careful about what he does because he doesn’t want to hurt the singer’s heart.
“I miss my two boys [Jayden and Preston] Really, really bad,” Jimmy Spears said. “I do. You know, we were very, very close. They were around the age where you could have a good time with them. But they were developing their minds. God creates things for a reason. I don’t know why but it’s been a tough three years without them. The family is chaotic. All we can do is continue to pray.
Britney Spears’ access to her two sons was also part of the protection. Although Federline initially had full custody of them, Jamie Spears said he worked out an arrangement with Federline so they could spend time with their mother.
“They weren’t spending time with their mom. They weren’t spending time with their dad. A lot of people didn’t know that. The real goal was to get Britney back in a comfortable relationship with her kids,” he said. “My relationship with Kevin gave them a sense of peace and security. Kevin will tell you this too – it was us who raised the kids. I just did what I had to do or felt like I had to do. .
Jamie Spears also claims that conservatism helped shape his daughter’s finances because “she was broke” and “didn’t have any money.”
“My understanding of conservatorship is to help someone get their life back and get back into society, and be able to live a normal life,” he added. “I want to say that I made a difference. I had a few people behind me that really helped get it to a place where we could help her.
But from an outsider’s perspective, many disagree. In January 2019, the singer canceled her second planned Vegas residency during the hiatus. A few months later, she entered a psychiatric facility, and fans soon began to speculate that her father had confessed against her will. The #FreeBritney movement also claimed that the conservative singer was being restricted.
“All I can say is that a lot of people don’t know what the truth is,” Jamie Spears said in response to the allegations. “Her lawyer doesn’t know what the truth is. The media hasn’t heard the truth. They’ve heard the allegations from Britney. I don’t mind taking that beating because I know it’s not true, and because I don’t want to. I have to start something else, so that my daughter can go deeper than that.
The Hollywood Reporter A rep for Britney Spears has been reached for comment.
