Soon after Netflix dropped the first trailer for a Britney Spears documentary titled "Britney vs Spears", netizens sparked social media uproar, accusing the makers of earning money on her painful story of conservatorship.
While a source close to Britney Spears told the Page Six entertainment site on Wednesday that this is "another unauthorised documentary without her blessing or participation", Lady Gaga's manager, Bobby Campbell, and Britney Spears' fiancé, Sam Asghari, accused the makers of using her story for financial gain without transparency or value.
"How much money is being made by third parties from this documentary leveraging Britney's personal story and its value in the media? There needs to be transparency about how or whether the filmmakers are profiting from this doc, or if defense, or to legal defense funds to aide those who do not have the financial resources to fight against undue conservatorships", Bobby Campbell commented on the Netflix Instagram post.
Britney Spears' fiancé, actor Sam Asghari said, "Even if it is in support of freeing Britney, this appears that it could be exploitative".
"I hope the profit from these docs goes towards fighting against injustice", Sam added.
With the hashtag #FreeBritney, her fans have taken to social media slamming Netflix and the makers for purportedly cashing in on her painful experience and her fight for justice.
However, a section of netizens opined that this documentary is not an exploitation of Britney. Rather, it will shine a spotlight on the issue and her struggle, and will help her get freedom from her conservatorship.
Flashback to Conservatorship Case
In 2008, pop star Britney Spears was facing mental issues as well as drug and alcohol addictions following her divorce from American rapper Kevin Federline in the late 2000s. A US court placed the singer under conservatorship and named her father, Jamie Spears, as her guardian.
After 12 years, Britney approached the court to have her father removed from her conservatorship. She accused him of conservatorship abuse and claimed she was drugged, forced to perform against her will, and was banned from getting married, having a child, and even riding in her boyfriend's car unsupervised.
While Jamies' lawyers have denied that he was responsible for the restrictions placed on his daughter, he agreed to step down last month from her conservatorship and also stressed that the public doesn't know about his daughter's problems.