Britney Spears reportedly ‘has considered’ a tell-all interview with Oprah Winfrey about conservatorship
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Is Britney Spears mulling a tell-all interview about her controversial conservatorship?
Entertainment Tonight reports a source close to the reclusive pop star claims she's considering telling her own story — perhaps to Oprah Winfrey, who's fresh off her buzzed-about sit-down with Meghan Markle and Prince Harry.
"Britney has considered speaking out about her past, mostly because she doesn't feel others should tell her story," the unidentified source claimed. "She's always hated doing interviews but if she ever takes that step, Oprah would most likely be her first choice. At this point, there is no plan in the works for her to do an interview but when she does, there will be steps Britney would need to take before speaking out."
Spears apparently feels more seen and supported after the New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears looked at the mistreatment she faced in the media amid her rise to stardom, as well as the conservatorship that has been controlling her life since 2008. The film also amplified the #FreeBritney movement, a fan-driven campaign to help her restore her rights.
"Britney has been much happier lately and those closest to her feel it's because she's received such tremendous support from her fans," the source told the media outlet. "The release of the documentary has inspired an outpouring of more love than ever. While she hasn't been able to make changes to her conservatorship, she's received millions of messages from fans on social media and she feels far more understood."
Spear's attorney Samuel D. Ingham III wouldn't comment on talk of an interview, telling Yahoo Entertainment, "Sorry but I can’t comment on a pending case."
While a lawyer for her dad Jamie Spears — who she's been trying to oust as conservator of her estate — has been giving interviews, Spears continues to communicate with the world via Instagram. Perhaps that's a case of once bitten, twice shy, as Framing Britney Spears resurfaced several old interviews that show the "Toxic" treatment she endured by the media in the aughts.
Diane Sawyer and Matt Lauer were two journalists that weren't seen favorably as their old interviews with Spears replayed in the doc. Sawyer pressed Spears to reveal what she did to make Justin Timberlake break up her, while Lauer questioned her parenting skills and called her a redneck. There were also clips of less famous journalists asking her even more inappropriate questions, including if she was virgin.
Spears certainly has a rapport with Winfrey, appearing on the Oprah Winfrey Show during the "I’m a Slave 4 U" era in 2002, though it remains to be seen whether or not a chat would happen now. A spokesperson for Winfey's Harpo Productions hasn't replied to our inquiry as to whether there have been talks, but we can't imagine the Queen of Interviews would turn down Spears if she came calling.
Perhaps another avenue for Spears to pursue is a memoir, as the ones penned by singers have been burning up the best-sellers list. Spear's peer Jessica Simpson released Open Book last year, which had record-breaking sales and led to a mega-deal with Netflix. That would also be easier than being put in the hot seat, especially for someone who deals with anxiety.
We're also not against some version of what Saturday Night Live suggested last month. A Spears-hosted show where people come on to apologize. Timberlake could deliver his in person, following the one he posted online last month, and it would be ratings gold.
Of course a lingering question is whether or not Spears is allowed to speak out under her constraining conservatorship.
California-based family law attorney Christopher C. Melcher of Walzer Melcher tells Yahoo Entertainment, "Britney has a conservator over her person, which means the right to make decisions over her life are in the hands of the conservator, Jodi Montgomery," who acts as a care manager, versus Jamie Spears and Bessemer Trust overseeing her fortune. "We have not seen the order defining the scope of the conservatorship so we do not know which decisions Britney can make for herself."
However, "A conservator over a person is an extreme measure reserved for adults who cannot care for themselves," explains Melcher, who does not work with Spears. "Since Britney has a conservator, the assumption is that she lacks capacity to make major decisions over her life. Whether to submit to a televised interview would be a choice the conservator would probably have to make. The potential harm and embarrassment to Britney of being questioned on TV if she lacks capacity is enough for the conservator to prevent it from happening. If Britney has the capacity to be interviewed by Oprah, then it raises a question why she needs a conservator in the first place."
We also reached out to an attorney for Jamie Spears to see if he'd support her giving an interview. And while there's no official comment, he has said, through his attorney earlier this month, that he only has his daughter's best interests in mind and hopes one day she will no longer need the conservatorship.
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