Talk Show Releases Previously-Censored 2016 Footage of Britney Spears Talking About Conservatorship

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Eight years after censoring it, ITV has released footage of Britney Spears talking about her conservatorship on The Jonathan Ross Show.

In the clip — from an interview in 2016, eight years into Spears' conservatorship — Ross asks the pop star about her "being more in control" of her music "than before." As the two discuss her album Glory, Ross asks, "Why did it take you so long? Why did you wait until now to do it?" Spears seemed uncomfortable as she began to answer, explaining there were "a lot of reasons," seemingly referring to her conservatorship, adding, "But I won't get into the whole story."

After Ross suggested he knew the story she was referring to, Spears said, "It was, like, a thing since the conservatorship... I'm in a conservatorship... And I felt like a lot of the things were planned for me to do, and, you know, being told what to do, and I was like: 'For this one, I want to make it my baby, and I want to do it myself.' And I was very strategic about the way I did it, and that's why it means so much to me."

Britney Spears attends Sony Pictures' 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Los Angeles Premiere on July 22, 2019 in Hollywood, California. In November 2024, 'The Jonathan Ross Show' released a previously un-aired interview clip... Britney Spears attends Sony Pictures' 'Once Upon a Time ... in Hollywood' Los Angeles Premiere on July 22, 2019 in Hollywood, California. In November 2024, 'The Jonathan Ross Show' released a previously un-aired interview clip of Spears talking about her conservatorship. More Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic

Ross let Spears know that a lot of her fans love her, feel protective of her, and want her to thrive, before moving on with the interview. However, when the interview aired, that segment was missing — something Spears seemingly acknowledged in her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me. "I even mentioned the Conservator ship on a talk show in 2016, but somehow that part of the interview didn't make it to the air. Huh. How interesting," she wrote.

Spears did not mention the show in question, but in October of 2023, The Sun seemed to confirm it had been her 2016 interview on The Jonathan Ross Show on ITV, revealing that the "Toxic" singer's team had pressured the network to remove any mention of her conservatorship.

"A series of meetings quickly took place as to how to control the situation — the priority switched to keeping the comments off air," a source told The Sun in 2023. "There was a lot of back and forth but ultimately ITV played ball and removed all mention of the conservatorship."

The clip finally aired as part of a compilation of special guests on The Jonathan Ross Show. On Saturday, November 9, fashion writer Philip Logan shared the interview clip on X (formerly Twitter), commenting, "OMG!! ITV just aired the clip of @britneyspears on the Jonathan Ross show taking [sic] about the conservatorship!!"

The post quickly racked up views, with fans commenting their frustration at it taking so long to air. "She deserved so much better," one person posted, along with a Wendy Williams gif that said, "death to all of them."

Others shared their shock, like one user who posted, "I'M GAGGED THEY FINALLY AIRED THIS." Some users questioned why they decided to air it at all, with one person commenting, "so confused why it's come out now... 8 years later?"

The airing of the clip comes three years after Spears' conservatorship was officially terminated after 13 years of it controlling her professional and personal life, with her family, specifically father Jamie Spears, in charge.

In her quest for legal freedom, Spears has spoken about elements of the conservatorship, including being forced to take mood-stabilizing medication and getting an IUD against her will so that she would not have any more children — which she testified about in court.

During her June 2021 court testimony, she also spoke out against her family, saying, "My dad and anyone involved in this conservatorship, and my management who played a key role in punishing me, they should be in jail."