Britney Is Trending Again - So What Has Happened Since The 'Framing Britney' Doco Aired?

Britney Spears wants to set the record straight herself in the ongoing conservatorship battle against her father in court. 

As ABC reports, the US pop star - who is seeking to remove her father, Jamie Spears, as her conservator - has had a request to personally address the court approved with a hearing date set for June.

"My client has requested a hearing at which she can address the court directly," Spears' lawyer, Samuel Ingham said in court on Tuesday.

"My client has asked that it be done on an expedited basis."

What's this court case about? 

After suffering a public breakdown and hospitalisation in 2008, a court-mandated conservatorship was put in place where Jamie Spears was appointed as the conservator in which he oversees the singer's estate, as well as decisions made regarding her professional and personal life. 

Following public outcry and the #FreeBritney social media movement, lawyers for Britney Spears pushed for her father to be removed as conservator in August 2020, arguing that she is "afraid of her father”.

While the request to have Spears removed was rejected, Bessemer Trust was added as a co-conservator.

What is the #FreeBritney movement?

Following a hugely-successful residency in Las Vegas, Spears abruptly announced "an indefinite work hiatus”  and called off a new Vegas run in January 2019, just three months after it was announced, after her father fell ill.

After disappearing from the public eye and social media for some time, Spears reemerged in April and began sharing ominous posts on Instagram that drew concern from fans. 

A podcast dedicated to all things Britney Spears, Britney's Gram, hosted by Tess Barker and Barbara Gray, began to closely follow the situation and were told “You guys are on to something" from an anonymous caller who claimed to be involved with one of the law firms dealing with the conservatorship.

The #FreeBritney hashtag began to trend and led to the release of the Framing Britney Spears documentary earlier this year, which saw a number of celebrities throw their support behind the movement including Miley Cyrus.

Has Spears responded to the movement?

Despite the new request to personally address the court regarding the conservatorship, Spears has insisted against any questionable misconduct on social media. Just days after the Framing Britney Spears documentary premiered in the US, Spears wrote on Instagram that "Each person has their story and their take on other people’s stories".

The following month, Spears issued a more direct post on Instagram.

"I didn't watch the documentary but from what I did see of it I was embarrassed by the light they put me in," the post reads.

"I cried for two weeks and well... I still cry sometimes!!!! I do what I can in my own spirituality with myself to try and keep my own joy...love ..and happiness."

So, what happens next?

An LA judge has agreed to let Spears personally address the court at a hearing on 23 June, however it is yet to be specified what the singer is going to specifically discuss.

Meanwhile, a new request to remove Jamie Spears as conservator has been postponed to July.