Culture

Britney Spears' Family Has A Dark History Of Abuse, Suicide, And Institutionalizing Women Against Their Will

The whole world watched as Britney Spears fought to end her 13-year conservatorship. Since she has been released and gained her independence, she has been on a rampage sharing all the details of how her family allegedly abused her and forced her to do things against her will. A new expose also shows the dark history of her family.

By Gina Florio2 min read
Britney Spears
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Pop sensation Britney Spears was released from her conservatorship in November 2021. Her fans erupted in celebration and many people agreed that it was a moment of justice. But since she gained her independence, she has raised questions about whether she is mentally stable. She has posted multiple nude photos of herself and written strange messages about her vagina. In the meantime, she has also shared harrowing details of abuse that her family was allegedly responsible for. A recent expose suggests that the abuse she endured from her father was just part of her family's dark history with abuse and control.

Britney Spears' Family Has a Dark History of Abuse, Suicide, and Institutionalizing Women Against Their Will

Vulture released a cover story written by Kerry Howley, which details the freaky history of Britney's family and how her past female relatives were also abused. Britney's father Jamie Spears has long rumored to have taken advantage of Britney, control her every move, and exploit her for his own financial gain. It turns out his mother, Britney's paternal grandmother, Emma Jean Forbes, committed suicide when she was only 32 years old. Britney's legal name is Britney Jean Spears and she was named after her grandmother.

“She used to talk about how she couldn’t believe she was named after her grandmother who killed herself,” her uncle William said in 2007. And the frightening part is, according to the Vulture article, there's much speculation that Emma Jean's death was actually a murder by the hands of Britney's grandfather, June Austin Spears. He apparently also abused his second wife Jo Ann, reportedly beating her and berating her—and even institutionalizing her against her will. After he left her at a "nut house," he moved to another state and brought his children with him. Soon after, he divorced Jo Ann and married his own stepsister.

Jamie Spears' father controlled him and ensured he was a successful athlete who won championships, perhaps setting him up to treat his own child like that later on in life. Jamie was an alcoholic who hid his addiction from his family, and there was even an incident when he drove drunk with Britney in the car. She was only five years old at the time.

Just before 16-year-old Britney released her first single, her parents filed for bankruptcy and defaulted on a mortgage. Jamie's land was seized and auctioned off and his car was even taken away. Many people have said for years that Britney was used by her father to earn money for the family and bring them wealth.

Howley writes that there is generational trauma in the Spears family, and much of it fell on Jamie Spears when he was growing up in Kentwood, Louisiana. “To me, this has been a ghost story from the beginning. Here is a place that will not let go of its favored child. The history of Kentwood has this epic quality, this compounding tragedy, all of which makes comprehensible Britney’s devastating isolation in Los Angeles,” Howley writes.

There was an incident when Britney's mother Lynne came to visit her in her LA home, and Jamie sneaked in behind her even though Britney didn't want to see him. Britney's manager, Sam Lutfi, told Jamie to leave because she was afraid of him. Sam alleged in court that Jamie shouted at him, chased him around Britney's kitchen, and even spit and lunged at him. Three days later, Britney was hospitalized against her will for the second time, very much like her grandfather's second wife.

Today, Lynne still lives in the mansion that Britney built for her years ago (under the condition that she divorce Jamie, which she did) but she is estranged from her daughter. Jamie lives about 10 miles away in an RV, above which is a large warehouse full of Britney's memorabilia and old outfits from previous concerts.