On Wednesday night, Watch What Happens Live! host Andy Cohen led the show’s audience in chants of "Free Britney" following Britney Spears' emotional court testimony. Cohen used his monologue to offer support to the beleaguered star, who has been under a legal conservatorship for 13 years. Spears' father, James Spears, known widely as Jamie, has maintained control over his daughter’s career and finances since 2008.
Bravo figurehead and WWHL host Cohen slammed Spears’ father in his monologue, saying, “Tonight’s Jackhole goes to Britney Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, who continues to have a death grip on Britney’s life.” Cohen praised the star for her courageous honesty regarding her desire to remarry and to have another baby, describing her as “defiant and angry.” Spears’ bombshell testimony, conducted via phone call, revealed a number of alleged abuses against the "Stronger" singer, including the insertion of an IUD that the star’s "team" will not allow her to have removed.
According to Page Six, the pop star alleged that she has suffered immensely under the legal arrangement, revealing she’s been crying “every day” and asserting that the conservatorship has done “more harm than good.” Among other alleged horrors, Spears provided a detailed account of having her medications switched in retaliation after she objected to a choreography sequence in rehearsal. The star was prescribed lithium; she said the effects made her nearly catatonic. Spears expressed a desire to sue her family and pleaded with the judge, requesting an end to the exploitative arrangement. She shared, “I’m tired of feeling alone. I deserve to have the same rights as anybody does by having a child, a family, any of those things, and more so.”
Cohen called upon the crowd to start listening to the star, reiterating to the audience that she is a grown woman and not a helpless child. The WWHL host commended Spears’ strength and slammed her father, cleverly inserting some of the pop icon's hit lyrics, saying, “Britney, after the courage you showed today, you are 100% stronger than yesterday. And Jamie, if you want to make money in the future, I suggest you better work, b****.” Cohen then joined the audience in chanting, “Free Britney!”
The Watch What Happens Live! host joins a chorus of celebrities and fans expressing outrage and offering heartfelt support in light of Spears’ damning testimony. With the influx of scrutiny on the trial, any developments in the case are likely to make headlines. In the meantime, Spears' well-wishers will continue to eagerly await updates.
Source: Page Six