Ep 514 Britney Spears’ conservatorship battle

In 1998, a fresh-faced 16-year-old Britney Spears became an overnight global superstar with the release of her debut single Baby One More Time. She went on to sell over 150 million records, win multiple awards and gain a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. But for nearly half of Spears’ impressive career, the singer hasn’t had full control over her life. For the last thirteen years, she has been under a conservatorship controlled by her father, which gives him the legal right to make decisions on her finances, work commitments, health and personal life. This summer, Spears has been fighting the conservatorship in court, describing the details of her life in a harrowing testimony which shocked fans around the world. In today’s episode, Róisín Ingle speaks to Kimberly Wehle, Professor of Law at the University of Baltimore about the details of her conservatorship battle and to journalist Louise Bruton about the life and career of America’s biggest pop star.