Britney Spears has argued that her father should "be in jail" over his role in the controversial conservatorship she has been under for 13 years.
During a virtual appearance at a court hearing on Wednesday, June 23, the 'Toxic' singer urged the court to consider terminating the conservatorship, which she candidly revealed has made her severely "depressed".
Per Independent, Britney told Judge Brenda Penny: "My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship, including my management … they should be in jail."
"I’ve told the world I’m happy and OK," the 39-year-old pop star went on. "I lied. I am not happy, I can’t sleep. I’m so angry, it’s insane. And I’m depressed."
Britney has been under the control of her conservatorship since 2008 when she was hospitalized over concerns about her mental state. It was then that her father Jamie was placed in charge of her finances and personal affairs.
During her emotional statement, Britney described how essentially every aspect of her life - personal and professional - is controlled by her conservator and management team. She even claimed that she had been forced to perform live at one point.
"Ma’am, I am not here to be anyone’s slave. I can say no to a dance move," Spears said.
Britney then referenced a previous court hearing regarding her conservatorship back in May 2019, saying: "The last time I spoke to you [the judge] … it made me feel like I was dead. I am telling you again because I am not lying … so maybe you can understand the depth and the degree and the damages … I deserve changes."
Referring to the control she was under as "abusive", she urged the judge to allow her to have autonomy over her affairs once again.
"My family didn’t do a God d*mn thing," she said. "Anything I had to do, [my dad] was the one who approved all of it. My whole family did nothing."
She continued: "I’ve done more than enough. I don’t owe these people anything. It’s embarrassing and demoralizing what I have been through. I just want my life back. It’s been 13 years."
In response to the megastar's emotional account, the judge told her: "I’m sensitive to everything you’ve said ... It takes a lot of courage."
It is believed that Britney has wanted to end her conservatorship for years, with The New York Times reporting that she had referred to it as an "oppressive and controlling tool used against her" in 2016.
It was last year that her lawyer Samuel D. Ingham III filed a petition to have her father dismissed as her conservator.
Wednesday's hearing marks Britney's first public statement over her conservatorship, which was the subject of a number of explosive documentaries in recent months.