No Hollywood star in the early 2000s would be complete without sparkling rhinestones, glamour, and chunky blonde highlights on stage. Behind the celebrity known for his upbeat songs and comedy skit performances was a dark battle with mental health.
Singer Britney Spears and actor Amanda Bynes were among the most popular celebrities to become subject to court-ordered conservatorships over the past two decades. Their conservatorship left their families in control of their finances and personal affairs.
A conservatorship is a legal arrangement in which a court can appoint someone to manage the financial, medical, and personal affairs of an individual who is deemed incapacitated due to mental illness or other reasons.
In Spears' case, she was placed into an involuntary conservatorship. Spears' guardian from the age of 26 to 39 was her father, James Spears. Until 2019, she had attorney Andrew Wallet also serve as her co-guardian. Spears shaved her head to avoid handing her over to her father, attacked paparazzi with her umbrella, and locked herself in her room with her child Jaden Federline. Her actions were called into question.
Spears then went on to say that her father abused her, not allowing her to see friends or talk about what was going on. Spears also claims that her father tried to control her body image, drugged her and forced her to go on tour. She had no control over remarrying or having children. In 2021, Spears sued her father for conservatorship abuse.
In California, where the conservatorship system was established, the court reviews cases every year after its inception and every two years thereafter. To end a conservatorship, the court must receive a motion to terminate and issue a formal court order ending the arrangement.
For celebrities, conservatorship is for their own health and money, so they should be able to easily end it if they decide to do so themselves. Also, evaluations should be conducted more often than every two years to determine whether guardians have the capacity to make their own decisions.
It should be reconsidered, especially if a celebrity is undergoing mental health treatment. People have the right to be in charge of their own health care.
It can be difficult for people to leave a conservatorship because the conservator controls their own money. Not only does the guardian need money to apply for termination of the conservatorship, but there is also the risk that the guardian may exploit your assets in retaliation.
The guardian is usually paid for services and legal fees, so it is likely that the guardian will not want the arrangement to end. Conservators can also use stars to earn more money, since they can control the amount of work their performers do. Celebrities also have to go through the stress of appearing in court multiple times and defending themselves in front of guardians.
In Bynes' case, there were several incidents leading up to his conservatorship, including charges against him for driving under the influence, a hit-and-run incident, and throwing a marijuana bong from a high-rise building.
Her mother, Lynne Bynes, served as her guardian from age 27 to 35. Her parents told the court they were concerned about their daughter's health and wanted control over her daughter's medical care and finances. But Bynes said in court that she was not satisfied with the cost of her treatment because she could not see a therapist who was covered by her insurance.
In contrast to Spears, Bynes' parents supported her exiting the conservatorship and she did not allege abuse. Ms. Bynes was also briefly engaged, but if she ultimately wanted to marry, her mother would have needed to approve her marriage during her conservatorship. Although this is a better result than Spears, Bynes hasn't said much about what happened.
With both celebrities placed in conservatorships for mental health reasons, more is being done to help child stars navigate the industry and get the help they need during difficult times. It's clear what needs to be done. If the family had tried to intervene before a celebrity made such a public mistake, they might have been able to take some steps before legal action.
Celebrities are not the only ones placed under conservatorship, but the risks are higher and it is important to take more precautions. A celebrity's money, fame, and power are at risk when there is another person in charge of what they can do. This is also not a long-term solution, as it does not directly fix the root of why guardianship was created in the first place.
People should not be denied the opportunity to choose what they eat or who they talk to on the phone. These are basic civil rights that everyone should have, regardless of their circumstances. Both celebrities are now free, but reforms to the justice system are still needed to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
