Britney Spears Drops 22-Minute Video Sharing Her Story

Singer Britney Spears dropped a 22-minute video on YouTube on Sunday to tell her story "openly."

The "Oops!... I Did It Again" singer revealed that she has gotten plenty of opportunities to tell her story on Oprah and through other interviews, but she wanted to share her story directly with others to help them feel less "alone."

Scroll to the bottom of the article to listen to the full 22-minute interview. 

Britney said that the conservatorship actually began when she was 25. She said that she remembered her mother was sitting on a couch and told her that people were going to talk to her. Britney said she openly wondered who was coming to talk to her and thought it was a lawyer.

She then said, four hours later, she was in an ambulance and there were over two hundred paparazzi outside of the house trying to take photos of her. She said that there were “no drugs” and “no alcohol” in her system. She said the conservatorship was a “setup” and “pure abuse.”

She said her father, Jamie Spears, wanted “control” and mentioned that her father was really hard on her brother, Bryan Spears, and noticed these controlling tendencies when he was playing football when he was younger. She also alleged that she was “never allowed to leave or go anywhere” under her father’s controlling rules.

Brittney said that she was told that she was "fat" on a daily basis and forced to go to the gym when she was working on her "Circus" album. She said she felt "demoralized" and they made her feel "like nothing." She described how she wasn't allowed to "go anywhere" and how, especially during her Las Vegas Residency, many of her friends seemingly abandoned her while she was stuck on a busy work schedule.

"I just had to play this role that everything was okay all the time," Britney continued, describing how her friends would go to parties and drink when she was not allowed to. On one occasion, Britney recalled how her friends went to a spa, and Britney was not allowed to enter for some reason. She said they did not even "acknowledge" her and described it as "demoralizing."

At this point, Britney said that she was 30 years old under her dad's rules and she was unhappy to see her whole family - mainly her mother, Lynne Spears, and her brother, going along with her stifling conservatorship.

Britney said that she actually saw her followers on "morning shows" during the height of the #FreeBritney movement wearing pink t-shirts with the slogan to support her. At one point, Britney said that she heard one supporter saying that they felt in their heart that something was wrong with her and that she needed help.

However, Britney said that it was "confusing" that "people on the street" were fighting for her, and her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears, and her mother were not there to support her. Britney said that she believes that her mother and her sister actually liked her being the "bad one" and was surprised and disappointed to see her family let her conservatorship go on for as long as it did. Her conservatorship, which began in February 2008, did not end until November 2021.

Britney said that she literally feels like her family "threw [her] away," and lamented how seriously she took her work when no one seemed to appreciate it, saying, "I was a machine. I was a f---ing machine. Not even a human. It was insane how hard I work."

Many fans were grateful to hear her Britney share her story, with one fan writing, "Britney, you did nothing wrong. You were a young girl going through so much at the time. You were bullied and stalked by the world, going through a divorce and custody battle. People took advantage of you. You are strong and you are beautiful. Thank you for sharing your story. You are loved by the world and your fans. You inspire us every day."

"We all love you so much Britney!" another follower commented. "You’re so strong, never forget that! You’ve been through so much that no one could even fathom, the strength you have to share your story is remarkable! Don’t be embarrassed, the people who put you through that should be jailed & embarrassed!! Your strength is an inspiration."

"You are brave, you are strong, you are loved, you are seen. We love you Britney and we thank you for just sharing this with us when you shouldn't if you didn't wanted to," another fan commented. "We really don't deserve you, we love you so much, keep being strong and we are here for you.”

Fans can also listen to her first song in six years, "Hold Me Closer," with Sir Elton John by clicking here. The song was released on Friday, August 26.