How Britney Spears’ Family Reacted To Her Dad’s Removal From Her Conservatorship

Britney Spears’ father Jamie was officially suspended as conservator of her estate on Sept. 29, effective immediately. Now, he must turn over all documents on the conservatorship to John Zabel, who has been appointed the temporary conservator of Spears’ $60 million estate. The singer’s lawyer intends to use this information to investigate Jamie’s conduct during Spears’ controversial conservatorship, which she has been under since 2008. An end to the legal arrangement is now in sight, but for Jamie, it may mark the beginning of a huge legal battle.

Spears first spoke out against her father in a bombshell testimony during a June 23 court hearing, in which she confirmed the #FreeBritney movement’s suspicions that she’s been unhappy under the conservatorship. She also claimed her conservators forced her to work against her will and revealed she’d like to charge Jamie with conservatorship abuse.

In response to the explosive testimony, Spears’ fiancé Sam Asghari officially endorsed the #FreeBritney movement. Her sister Jamie Lynn offered her support for the “Overprotected” singer — which proved controversial among fans, as she’s the trustee of Spears’ estate under her conservatorship. Spears’ mother Lynne told The New Yorker in a July 2021 report, “I don't know what to think. It’s a lot of pain, a lot of worry.” On July 5, she urged the court “to listen to the wishes of her daughter, and as a first step,” let her choose her own lawyers. Spears then hired a new lawyer, Mathew Rosengart, whose appointment was approved by Judge Brenda Penny on July 14.

Rosengart’s first step as attorney was filing a petition to remove Jamie as conservator. Days later, Jamie responded and declared his intent to step down. In a surprise move, he filed to terminate the conservatorship completely on Sept. 8. However, Rosengart argued to suspend Jamie first on Sept. 29, in order to properly investigate his conduct during the conservatorship.

Following Spears’ legal victory, some of her loved ones and family members have shared their responses to Judge Penny’s ruling, including Jamie himself. Here’s everything they’ve said, so far.

Jamie Spears’ Response To The Sept. 29 Hearing

On Sept. 30, the day after the hearing, Jamie’s lawyer Vivian L. Thoreen issued a statement defending the singer’s father and slamming Judge Penny’s decision. “Mr. Spears loves his daughter Britney unconditionally,” she wrote in a statement obtained by Bustle. “For thirteen years, he has tried to do what is in her best interests, whether as a conservator or her father. This started with agreeing to serve as her conservator when she voluntarily entered into the conservatorship.” Allegations in Netflix’s new documentary Britney vs. Spears and Hulu’s film Controlling Britney Spears reveal that Spears has consistently opposed her father as conservator since 2008 and attempted to hire her own lawyer multiple times to remove Jamie from the conservatorship, all of which were denied by the court.

Thoreen also expressed her client’s opposition to Judge Penny approving Zabel to temporarily oversee Spears’ finances. “Respectfully, the court was wrong to suspend Mr. Spears, put a stranger in his place to manage Britney’s estate, and extend the very conservatorship that Britney begged the court to terminate earlier this summer,” she wrote, noting once again that Jamie filed to terminate the conservatorship completely, which his daughter agreed to. “Despite the suspension, Mr. Spears will continue to look out for the best interests of his daughter and work in good faith towards a positive resolution of all matters.”

Sam Asghari’s Response To The Sept. 29 Hearing

After Judge Penny ruled that Jamie would be suspended, Spears’ fiancé Sam Asghari took to his Instagram Story to celebrate the big news. “Free Britney! Congratulations!!!!!!!!!” he wrote in one post. In the next slide, he shared a photo of Spears holding his hand and showing off her new engagement ring. He also acknowledged #FreeBritney supporters by posting a picture of a lioness, which he often calls Spears as a cute nickname to signify her strength while under the conservatorship. “She did this,” he wrote. “Her fan base is a called the army for a reason.”

Ahead of the hearing, Asghari also responded to Britney vs. Spears, Netflix’s new documentary, by leaving a comment on Netflix’s Instagram account’s post of the film’s official trailer on Sept. 23. “I hope the profit from these docs go towards fighting agains[t] injustice #freebritney,” the 27-year-old actor and fitness model wrote.

After his comments went viral among fans, Asghari shared more of his thoughts on the recent documentaries centering Spears via Instagram Stories on Sept. 24, as reported by People. “Apparently my opinion has increased in value over last few days. Past docs left bad after taste. I'm hopeful this one will be respectful,” he wrote. “I don't blame CNN, BBC or Netflix (which got me thru lockdowns) for airing them because, as an actor I tell other people's stories too. I question producers who made them ‘just to shed light’ without input or approval from subject.”

While Spears’ fiancé specifically called out CNN, BBC, and Netflix — three networks that have either aired or are planning to air documentaries about the pop princess — he notably did not mention Hulu, FX, or The New York Times, which collaborated to produce Framing Britney Spears and its follow-up, Controlling Britney Spears.

Jamie Lynn Spears’ Response To The Sept. 29 Hearing

Spears’ sister Jamie Lynn has not yet responded to the results of her Sept. 29 hearing. However, the singer seemingly referenced the Zoey 101 star in her own Instagram post after the hearing, writing “Pssss bringing the ship home JL.”

Lynne Spears’ Response To The Sept. 29 Hearing

Spears’ mother Lynne has yet to respond to Jamie’s suspension. However, in July, Lynne backed her daughter’ request to remove Jamie as her conservator, saying in her own court filing that the singer faced Jamie’s “constant threats and his decision-making over all aspects of her life.”

Kevin Federline’s Response To The Sept. 29 Hearing

Kevin Federline, Spears’ ex-husband and father of her two children, Sean Preston and Jayden James Federline, has yet to respond to the Sept. 29 hearing. However, Federline has previously expressed his support for Spears to be freed from the conservatorship. In 2019, the dancer was granted a multi-year domestic violence restraining order against Jamie, ordering Spears’ father to stay away from him and his children with Spears after he was allegedly involved in a physical altercation with Sean Preston, who was just 13 years old at the time.

Britney’s Kids’ Response To The Sept. 29 Hearing

Britney’s teenage sons Sean Preston and Jayden James Federline have not commented on the Sept. 29 hearing. However, as noted in an Instagram Live in March 2020, Jayden is not a fan of Spears’ father. According to Page Six, when a fan asked, “Is your grandpa a jerk?,” during the livestream, Jayden responded, “Yeah, he’s a pretty big d*ck. He can go die.”