'Where is Britney?'

After Britney Spears was released from her conservatorship, some of her fandom latched on to a new theory: What if she had never been freed at all?

- By Rebecca Jennings

WAS BRITNEY SPEARS IN TROUBLE?

It was January 24, 2023, more than a year after the conservatorship that had controlled her life for 13 years was formally dissolved, and the enigmatic pop star had just deleted her Instagram. For weeks, she’d seemingly been sending signals that things were not okay. Now, here it was, a clear cry for help: an Instagram post of a sports car with a caption that mentioned its exact make and model—a Porsche 911 Carrera. What was the point of listing the model of the car if not to ask her devoted followers to call 911? For a group of Free Britney supporters, it was confirmation that Spears had, in fact, never been freed at all.

Late that night, two fans met up on a TikTok livestream to discuss the post. When a commenter suggested they call a nonemergency line to ensure Spears’s safety, the others allowed her to join the stream. They listened as she conveyed their concerns to the Ventura County Sheriff ’s Office. “Why do you feel that she needs to be checked on?” asked the attendant on the other end.

“There’s been suspicious activity online, and now her account has been deleted,” said the caller.

“Are you related to her?”

“I am not.”

“Don’t be nervous, girl, you got it,” one of the other people on the stream said as the attendant put them on hold. “We need to do this,” said the other, reassuring the caller and possibly themselves.