Kevin Federline Seems to Change Tune on Britney Spears' Conservatorship

07/03/2021 01:06 pm EDT

On Wednesday, Britney Spears gave a 23-minute testimony about her experiences in the 13-year conservatorship that she's been in under her father, Jamie Spears. In her speech, Spears detailed the years of abuse, including forced rehab stays, being overmedicated on lithium against her fill, and not being allowed to remove her IUD and start a family with her boyfriend, Sam Asghari. "I'm so angry I can't sleep, and I am depressed," Spears said. "I want to be heard ... I want changes and I want changes going forward. I deserve changes." Spears also admitted that her Instagram persona, where she has repeatedly assured fans that she is fine, is also a facade. "After I've told the whole world I'm OK, it's a lie," she told the court. "I'm not happy, I can't sleep, I'm depressed, I cry every day." Her testimony is certainly making an impact, so much so that her ex-husband, Kevin Federline, seems to be changing his tune about the conservatorship.

Federline's lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan said in February 2021 that he believed that the conservatorship was for Spears' safety but insisting that he has no involvement. However, in a statement on Friday, Kaplan explained that Federline just wants Spears to be healthy and happy. "What is best for her, Kevin supports her in being able to do that," Kaplan said in a statement. "It doesn't matter how positive of an effect a conservatorship has had if it's having a deleterious effect and detrimental effect on her state of mind. So he supports her having the best environment for her to live in and for his children to visit with their mother in."

Federline and Spears were married in 2005 until splitting in 2007, which was part of what started her very public downward spiral. They share two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, and after a contentious legal battle, their custody arrangement was changed from 50-50 to 70-30 in Federline's favor in 2019. Kaplan continued, saying that if Spears can be happy and healthy without the conservatorship, that's "terrific."

"He wants her to be a happy person because that would make her a happy mother and obviously I think one of the takeaways we could all [hear] from her comments is that she is under a tremendous amount of pressure. And people under pressure sometimes don't make the same decisions that they would if they were completely left to their own free will," Kaplan said. "If she is able to handle herself in a way that does not jeopardize herself or her children should they be in her custody, Kevin is very comfortable with the conservatorship being dissolved."

While there would be financial arrangements that would need to be addressed if her conservatorship ended, many of the issues from when it was put in place are no longer relevant since her children are older. "Keep in mind when the conservatorship was placed over Britney, the kids were toddlers. We're now talking about two healthy, intelligent young boys who are 14 and 15 and they can pretty much judge for themselves whether things are going down that they don't like or what to have changed," Kaplan explained. "And most importantly, they're able to express to Kevin and to Britney. So that's an extra layer of protection that didn't exist when the conservatorship was first placed."

Kaplan also explained that while Federline has long had issues with Spears' father, Jamie, he has high hopes that he and Spears can continue moving forward as co-parents. "Kevin has been consistently a supporter of Britney, he hopes for Britney that she is able to enjoy her life in a safe and healthy way and he looks forward to being able to enjoy the benefits of being able to co-parent two teenage children," Kaplan concluded. "I think Kevin and Britney have been able to successfully communicate with each other in making decisions affecting the boys and the well-being of the boys going forward. Kevin hopes that should the conservatorship be dissolved, that that dynamic only improves even more."

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