After the #FreeBritney movement took off on social media earlier this month, Britney Spears' father, Jamie Spears, is addressing rumors about his relationship with his daughter.
The pop icon, 38, came under a conservatorship in 2008, when she suffered several public mental breakdowns. Since then, Jamie Spears, 68, has been managing her financial assets, estate and career negotiations, along with an attorney. Numerous fans have called to end the arrangement.
In an interview with the New York Post published Saturday, Jamie Spears called the #FreeBritney movement "a joke" and denied accusations that he's stealing from his daughter.
“All these conspiracy theorists don’t know anything," he told the outlet. "The world don’t have a clue. It’s up to the court of California to decide what’s best for my daughter. It’s no one else’s business.”
Addressing the rumored theft, he said: “I have to report every nickel and dime spent to the court every year. How the hell would I steal something?"
"I love my daughter,” Jamie Spears added. "I love all my kids. But this is our business. It’s private."
TODAY reached out to Jamie Spears for comment but did not immediately hear back.
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For years, many of Britney Spears' fans have questioned the conservatorship and have pushed for her to become the sole decision maker in her life and finances. According to court documents filed in 2018, she's worth at least $59 million.
But most recently, it's the hitmaker's social media presence that has people concerned. Many #FreeBritney advocates insist that her captions and videos contain secret cries for help. In addition, earlier this year, the conservator arrangement was extended until Aug. 22, so fans are rallying around the possible, new end date.
Over the past few weeks, hundreds of thousands of people have signed circulating petitions online to #FreeBritney and secure the "Stronger" singer her own lawyer. Celebrities, such as Miley Cyrus, have also come out in support of the movement, but the pop star herself has yet to address the controversy explicitly.
That said, in a post back in 2019, when the #FreeBritney movement first went mainstream, she told fans, "Don't believe everything you read and hear."
"Things that are being said have just gotten out of control!!! Wow!!!" she wrote. "There’s rumors, death threats to my family and my team, and just so many things crazy things being said ... My situation is unique, but I promise I’m doing what’s best at this moment ... You may not know this about me, but I am strong, and stand up for what I want!"