‘Framing Britney Spears’ Documentary About Conservatorship to Air

Framing Britney Spears, a documentary addressing her conservatorship, is set to air via FX and Hulu on February 5th (watch it here). It will be the sixth episode of The New York Times Presents series’ first season.

For more than a decade, Spears has been subject to a conservatorship, where a judge appoints a guardian to manage the financial and personal affairs for someone who is incapacitated or incapable of making those decisions soundly on their own. Her father, James “Jamie” Spears was her conservator until the fall of 2019 when he stepped back due to health issues and a licensed conservator took his place.

Last year, the pop star said in a court filing that she was “strongly opposed” to her father resuming his role as her conservator and overseer of her financial affairs and estate, but the conservatorship under her father (alongside the singer’s requested co-conservator, financial company Bessemer Trust) was extended through at least next month.

A growing group of supporters, who have been concerned about Spears and questioned the conditions and motives of her conservatorship, have been advocating for the pop star under the hashtag #FreeBritney.

According to a description about the standalone documentary, “People close to Britney Spears and lawyers tied to her conservatorship now reassess her career as she battles her father in court over who should control her life.” A short new teaser from the episode discusses the pop star’s conservatorship and the singer’s objections to her father serving as her conservator, and also features thoughts from people involved in the #FreeBritney movement.