‘She shouldn’t be trapped for life’: New doccie sparks fresh calls to #FreeBritney

‘Framing Britney’ delves into the singer’s conservatorship and her relationship with the media at the height of her career

09 February 2021 - 16:43 By Khanyisile Ngcobo
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Singer Britney Spears' controversial conservatorship has come under the spotlight following the release of a new documentary. Stock photo.
Singer Britney Spears' controversial conservatorship has come under the spotlight following the release of a new documentary. Stock photo.
Image: Reuters

A new documentary looking into US pop star Britney Spears’ controversial conservatorship has sparked the revival of the #FreeBritney movement and growing calls for the pop star to be “liberated” from it.

The documentary Framing Britney aired last Friday in the US and focused on the 12-year conservatorship and the #FreeBritney movement it inspired, according to the BBC.

Spears’ treatment by the media over the years and her subsequent meltdown are also mentioned in the film. 

The documentary was produced by the New York Times.

Spears has been under conservatorship since her 2008 public meltdown when a court granted her father, Jamie Spears, and her attorney the power to manage all her business and personal affairs as she was not considered competent to do so.

Last November Spears lost the battle to have her father removed as conservator. The case continues on February 11.

Days after the release of the documentary, celebrities and fans of the star have taken to social media to express their support for Spears and call for an end to the legal arrangement.

Actors Amber Tamblyn and Sarah Jessica Parker and talk show host Andy Cohen have  joined the call to #FreeBritney in the wake of the documentary.

#FreeBritney supporters also called for media outlets to apologise to the pop star for the way they treated her at the height of her fame.

Framing Britney has so far aired in the US with no indication when it will air in other countries.


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