Britney Spears' brother, Bryan, has spoken out about the pop star's conservatorship.
While Bryan stated that Britney's conservatorship has been a "great thing" for their family, he conceded that she has "always wanted to get out" of it.
The Toxic singer has been facing renewed concern for her wellbeing following her recent social media posts during the coronavirus lockdown.
Fans have speculated that Britney may be suffering due to the conservatorship she has been under for the past 12 years. She was first placed under a conservatorship by her father back in 2008 after suffering a series of mental breakdowns, which necessitated medical intervention.
The hashtag "#FreeBritney" has subsequently been making the rounds on social media.
The singer has had much of her personal affairs – including her finances, mental health and music career – controlled by legal guardians (largely her father, Jamie Spears) under the terms of the conservatorship.
Now, her brother has spoken out for the first time about her conservatorship, while speaking on the As Not Seen on TV Podcast.
"She’s been in this thing for quite some time now. Obviously there was a need for it in the beginning," Bryan Spears explained. "Now they’ve made some changes and all we can do is hope for the best."
While he said that some fans believe his sister is being "held against her will in some capacity," he insisted that the conservatorship has been "a great thing" for their family and said they "keep hoping for the best".
"We kind of came together and not everybody agreed with it either; everyone had their own opinion like, maybe we should do it this way or that way," he continued. "But at the end I think we made the right choice."
Bryan went onto say that their father Jamie has "done the best he could, given the situation he was put in", and said that the had to "work together as a family to keep it all going."
"One person might be on stage and doing this, but it’s a sacrifice from everybody," he added. "Everyone is putting in, to some degree, a little bit to keep everything going."
Bryan then claimed that he and Britney "speak constantly";
"She’s always wanted to get out of it. It’s very frustrating to have. Whether someone’s coming in peace to help or coming in with an attitude, having someone constantly tell you to do something has got to be frustrating. She’s wanted to get out of it for quite some time."
He also said that the Toxic singer has been "surrounded by a team of people since she was 15. So at what level does everyone walk away or at what level does that get reduced?"
Watch the entire interview below: