Britney Spears’ Conservatorship Battle: Russell Brand Weighs in, Reveals What He Saw During VMA Promo Shoot

As the latest celebrity to weigh in on Britney Spears‘ trending public conservatorship battle, Russell Brand offers his two cents on the ordeal in a new video, titled “Who Owns Britney Spears?” The comedian and podcast host takes a stab at the answer while also sharing what he witnessed himself during the duo’s 2008 VMAs promo shoot.

“Again, if you’re continually pursued by paparazzi and your every move is being watched that will have an impact on your mental health. I speak from limited personal experience but how can, that can’t be regarded as an objective experience study. ‘Okay the way to establish if this person is mentally ill is let’s follow them everywhere! Hmm, they seem a bit paranoid.’ ‘Help, I’m being followed, I’m being watched. I feel like I’m continually being watched.’ ‘It feels like being watched,’” he said, mimicking the snapping of cameras.

Brand used a few news clips covering some of the pop star’s less than savory moments including the infamous head-shaving to make his points regarding Britney’s family’s response to her perceived mental health issues. “God, it’s like some mad familial motif of colonialism. ‘We must protect our rich celebrities from their freedom. We can’t have rich celebrities making mistakes. I’m just going to control that rich celebrity,’” he said. “That’s interesting as well. She’s mental, she can’t make her own decisions. ‘Right, get over there, and do a pop video!’” he added, noting Britney’s continued success during her 13-year-long conservatorship.

“I worked with her once when I was doing the MTV VMA awards. The promo, I was with Britney Spears and the type of promo we did was just me in a big sound stage and this elephant or like the visual representation of an elephant in the room,” he remembered of his brief working encounter with her. “I think the elephant in the room at that time, might even have been Britney Spears’ mental health. I thought even then –– because I’d had much less familiarity with the world of celebrity –– that it was peculiar the encroachment of the people around her,” he said, referencing the Toxic singer’s glam squad and the extreme attention to detail that was given to managing her image. The complete memory ends with Brand coming to the conclusion that “Britney Spears, in this case, doesn’t belong to herself.”

It doesn’t seem like Spears is getting out of her conservatorship any time soon. After testifying in person for the first time regarding the horrors she’s been made to endure with her father Jamie Spears as the primary arbiter of her estate, a judge ruled in favor of Spears conservators and decided to leave Jamie in control at the same capacity. In addition to Brand, a number of public figures have sounded off in support of Britney’s pursuit of freedom under the hashtag “#FreeBritney” including Iggy Azalea, Dionne Warwick, and more.