Britney Spears' father makes his first public statement in over ten years.
Britney Spears' father Jamie Spears has spoken to the Daily Mail, speaking for the first time in more than a decade, and a year after his daughter's controversial guardianship ended. He defended the 13-year-old court decision, opposition to which has spawned the #FreeBritney movement on social media.
"Not everyone will agree with me," he said. "I love my daughter with all my heart and soul. Where would Britney be today without this guardianship? And I don't know if she would still be alive. I don't know." He called the court ruling "a great tool" and said it helped protect Britney and her children: "Without it, I don't think she would have gotten her kids back."
16,000 and a percentage of the concerts
The guardianship was decided in 2008, following erratic public appearances by the artist. She entrusted her father with decisions about her assets and finances, as well as many decisions about her personal life, including, she said, her reproductive rights. Jamie Spears earned $16,000 a month during this period and received a percentage of concert proceeds. A Los Angeles court ended this arrangement in November 2021, after the performer gave 30 minutes of testimony claiming the situation was abusive.
Jamie Spears currently lives in rural Louisiana with her youngest daughter, Jamie Lynn Spears, with whom past feuds appear to be over if Britney Spears' recent Instagram posts are to be believed. The Daily Mail describes a storage unit full of Britney memorabilia, although she, the 41-year-old singer and their father are not currently speaking.
A Britney Spears book to come
Jamie Spears said he was reluctant to make any public statements for fear of sending her "further down the line", but admitted he missed seeing his two grandsons, the 17 and 16-year-old boys Britney had with Kevin Federline, very much. "They were at the age where you could start having fun with them. But they were developing their own minds. God makes things happen for a reason. I don't know what that reason is, but it's been a tough three years without them. The family is in a bad way. All we can do is keep praying. My relationship with Kevin has given [the children] a sense of peace, and protection," he added. "Kevin will tell you too – we were the ones who raised the kids. I just did what I was supposed to do, or what I felt I should do."
Britney, who regularly updates her Instagram posts, did not respond to the Daily Mail interview. In June, the singer married Sam Asghari at their home. Neither her parents nor her sister were present. The wedding was briefly disrupted by her former husband, Jason Alexander, who crashed the event by broadcasting it live.
Britney's long-awaited book is due to be released next month. Her contract with Simon & Schuster is worth an estimated $15 million, and there are reportedly three different versions.