Britney Spears Says She Was Forced To Perform Sick As Fever Video Resurfaces

Updated September 8, 2021

Although the conservatorship arrangement imposed on Britney Spears for the past 13 years has long been the subject of suspicion by her fans, these concerns appeared to be confirmed during her virtual appearance at a Los Angeles court on June 23.

During this hearing, Spears revealed some surprising details about the extent to which this conservatorship established by her father Jamie and attorney Andrew Wallet controlled her life. As we previously discussed, she said it even prevents her from choosing whether she can get married or have more children.

But while was among the most shocking revelations to hit the public that day, it was far from the only one.

During her hearing, Spears mentioned that living under the conservatorship arrangement has left her more traumatized than she has previously let on.

Although she had previously made evasive statements on Instagram about documentaries such as Framing Britney Spears by The New York Times, she has since revealed that any statements suggesting she was in good spirits were lies.

She described these statements as the result of denial and the faint hope that if she said she was happy enough times, it would become true.

In her words, "But now I’m telling you the truth, OK? I’m not happy. I can’t sleep. I’m so angry it’s insane. And I’m depressed. I cry every day."

And while there are many reasons why her conservatorship has her feeling this way, one of the most significant factors is the lack of control over her finances and work schedule.

As she said in a statement transcribed by Variety, she has been subject to what amounts to constant 10-hour shifts seven days a week with no days off.

She also alleged that if she tried to refuse a gig or take a break, her team and even previous therapists would threaten her with rehab stays at her own expense or suddenly increase the severity of her medication.

And in the name of generating as much revenue as possible for those in her life, she said that she is forced to adhere to this schedule "no matter what."

As she put it, "I just don’t like feeling like I work for the people whom I pay. I don’t like being told I have to, no matter what, even if I’m sick."

And that seems to be the case no matter who is in charge of her conservatorship.

While her father started taking a less active role in her conservatorship in 2019 due to health reasons, she said that she is still forced to work while sick under its current administrator, Jodi Montgomery.

And for a fan named Zachary Gordon — who recorded a brief video of a 2018 performance in New Jersey — this revelation puts what he saw in a whole new light.

In his clip, Spears can be heard saying, "I'm about to pass out, I'm sick. I have, actually, a 102 fever right now."

Although Gordon tweeted that he thought he was simply witnessing Spears' dedication to her fans at the time, he has since come around to believe that she had no choice in whether she performed that night.

As he put it, "Now I can see with clear eyes that this was a dig at the people controlling you, making you go onstage, performing under high powered lights, all while you had a high-grade fever."

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