INSIDE HER BIZARRE WORLD

FANS AND FRIENDS WEIGH IN ON THE POP SENSATION'S STRANGE CIRCUMSTANCES

- Jennie Noonan

Since Britney Spears announced an “indefinite work hiatus” in January 2019, fans have only been able to catch glimpses of the star through the surreal snippets she shares on her social media feed. On January 28, the pop star raised eyebrows once again when she posted a video of herself dancing wildly to a song by her ex-boyfriend, Justin Timberlake, whom she tagged.

“Her vids are always so sketchy,” wrote one follower, as another noted a Christmas tree still up in the background. “I really hope a family member checks on her safety.”

The pop star’s erratic Instagram feed — often featuring multiple postings of almost identical selfies with cryptic captions, solo bikini fashion parades, and frantic video messages to fans — has sparked a surge in the #FreeBritney online phenomenon. This often-conspiratorial movement casts her father Jamie Spears as a devious and opportunistic man exploiting his daughter’s wellbeing for his own financial gain.

Jamie, 68, has been Britney’s conservator since 2008 after her paparazzi-tracked public breakdown, which saw her committed twice to a psychiatric ward. While legal moves on both sides have offered glimpses of the state of her current living situation, a new documentary as part of The New York Times Presents series seeks to provide a more intimate insight.