Britney Spears publicly spoke out against her “abusive” 13-year long conservatorship for the first time in a court hearing yesterday. Among the many allegations against her legal team and her father Jamie Spears, one of the more shocking revelation was that Spears is forced to continue to using her IUD birth control. She is unable to take herself to the doctor for its removal. The singer also pleaded for more control over which therapist she continues to see and for a say in the medication she’s required to take.
“I’m not able to get married or have a baby, I have an [IUD] inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant,” Britney said at the hearing. “I wanted to take the IUD out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won’t let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don’t want me to have any more children.”
Spears has been in a relationship with her current boyfriend, Sam Asghari, since 2016. The singer currently has two sons, Sean and Jayden Federline, ages 15 and 14, with ex-husband Kevin Federline.
“I’ve lied and told the whole world I’m okay and I’m happy,” Spears told the judge overseeing her conservatorship. “If I said that enough, maybe I’d become happy. … I’m in shock. I’m traumatized. … I’m so angry it’s insane.”
Support flooded in for the 39-year-old star who for the majority of her adult life has lacked control over her personal life, career, and finances. After yesterday’s hearing, one former-villain in Spears’ life spoke out in complete support for the end of her conservatorship: Justin Timberlake.
“After what we saw today, we should all be supporting Britney at this time,” he wrote on Twitter. “Regardless of our past, good and bad, and no matter how long ago it was… what’s happening to her is just not right. No woman should ever be restricted from making decisions about her own body.”
“No one should EVER be held against their will… or ever have to ask permission to access everything they’ve worked so hard for,” Timberlake continued, saying he and his wife Jessica Biel, “Send our love, and our absolute support to Britney during this time.”
Timberlake concluded, “We hope the courts, and her family make this right and let her live however she wants to live.”
Timberlake and Spears were one of the most highly publicized pop culture couples of the 2000s (who could ever forget their matching full-denim ensembles). Timberlake’s used his relationship with Spears numerous times to continue his career, most notably being the release of his song “Cry Me A River,” which framed Spears as the “betrayer” in their relationship. Publications and its readers slut-shamed Spears and absolved Timberlake’s of his role in the end of their relationship. In the docu-series Framing Britney Spears, it was revealed Timberlake told interviewers that he had slept with Spears, in a time when media outlets obsessed over the hyper-sexualized pop star and her virginity. Following backlash after the release of the series in February, the former NSYNC-frontman apologized to Spears.
“I am deeply sorry for the times in my life where my actions contributed to the problem, where I spoke out of turn, or did not speak up for what was right,” Timberlake wrote in an Instagram post. “I understand that I fell short in these moments and in many others and benefited from a system that condones misogyny and racism…I specifically want to apologize to Britney Spears and Janet Jackson both individually, because I care for and respect these women and I know I failed.”
You did the right thing Timberlake... this time.