Miley Cyrus, Hayley Williams, and more express support for Britney Spears

A number of celebrities have spoken out in support of Britney Spears, following the premiere of a New York Times documentary which delved into the singer’s ongoing conservatorship and the resulting #FreeBritney movement.

The film, titled Framing Britney Spears, tracks the singer’s rise to pop stardom, her struggles with mental health and subsequent hospitalisation, and her notorious conservatorship battle, which has seen her father control her career and finances for over a decade.

In light of its release on Friday (February 5), Miley Cyrus gave a shout-out to Britney during her performance at yesterday’s Super Bowl (February 7). “We love Britney,” she declared during the rendition of her 2009 hit “Party in the U.S.A”.

Paramore’s Hayley Williams said of the doc on Twitter: “Holy fuck. No artist today would have to endure the literal torture that media/society/utter misogynists inflicted upon her. The mental health awareness conversation, culturally, could never be where it is without the awful price she has paid.”

In an Instagram comment, Khloe Kardashian said she was “praying for queen Britney”, adding that the documentary is “so, so, so sad”.

Sarah Jessica Parker also showed her support for the singer, simply tweeting: “#FreeBritney.”

RuPaul’s Drag Race star Tatianna said: “Framing Britney reaffirmed my hatred for Jamie Spears, my dislike of Justin Timberlake, my disappointment in Diane Sawyer, and my love for Britney.”

Courtney Love previously spoke out about the situation, claiming that she knows “more about the Spears case than almost anyone”. The Hole frontwoman added: “It’s one of the worst things I’ve ever seen done to another woman, and trust me I’ve seen it all.”

Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, was appointed her conservator in 2008 after she was admitted to psychiatric hospital for five days. Despite the conservatorship scheduled to end in 2009, it’s still ongoing today. Though it’s mostly been handled privately, it’s come to public attention in recent years, in part due to the #FreeBritney movement – a hashtag started by concerned fans campaigning for Britney’s independence.

The conservatorship was recently extended, and Britney’s former estate manager says she could be under it “for the rest of her life”. The singer’s lawyers have said she won’t perform again until her father is removed as her conservator. 

Watch the trailer for Framing Britney Spears below.