Britney Spears' Net Worth "Did it Again"
…Baby One More Dime
Image Source: Real Style Network
Britney Spears has lived the American Dream in more ways than one. She’s been the record-breaking pop icon so many young Americas dream of, but she’s also been the dysfunctional diva in the headlines for her personal drama as often as her music. She’s successfully leveraged her celebrity into becoming the name and face on dozens of products, primarily aimed at young female consumers. On the other hand, she hasn’t had direct control over her fortune for over a decade. She’s been a movie star, TV personality, and successful businesswoman. Throughout it all, we’ve carefully analyzed whether or not it looks like she’s gained 3 pounds.
Spears has broken numerous records for album sales in the U.S. For most of her releases, the only real question upon release was whether they’d go immediately platinum or end up humbly settling for mere gold. She was still touring successfully as recently as 2018, giving fans the fully choreographed spectacle they come to see as much as they do to hear any particular song. Spears has judged singing competitions with Simon Cowell. She’s partnered with every big name in ultra-fame pop. Heck, she’s had her lips on both Madonna and Christina Aguilera. How many people can claim that on their celebrity resume?
But if you start to search for Britney Spears online from most anywhere in the United States, the top question Google offers to auto-complete for you (based on probabilities) isn’t “When is Britney Spears next album?” or even “How did Britney Spears lose so much weight?” It’s almost always some variation of “What is Britney Spears’ net worth?”
Image Source: E! Online
Considering she is a pop star, Spears’ humble $70 million is something of a mystery. We know she’s bringing in millions from a variety of sources. We know she spends money, although until very recently that spending was somewhat limited by her legal arrangements.
Spears is certainly capable of Hollywood-style spending sprees, but she shops at Target more than anywhere. Of all the “what did Britney do NOW?” stories out there, none are about buying islands or dozens of rare cars or multiple mansions. She donates generously and remains in the public eye. It seems unlikely that we’d miss it if she blew it all on her own personal moon or whatever. Whatever her father’s sins – whether he was a control freak, devout father, or who-knows-what-else, there’s little evidence he somehow took all of her money.
The good news is, she’s not exactly destitute. Even if she never sells another jar of perfume or records another hit single, Britney Spears’ net worth as of 2023 means she could still maintain a fairly comfortable lifestyle for the next century or so.
From the Bottom Of My Broken Credit Card
Some of this focus on net worth is just how we Americans are about celebrity and success. Our first question is rarely “What have they contributed to the larger good of mankind?” or even “How has he or she impacted popular music or perceptions of celebrity?” We’re a simple people and we like to rank things in simple ways. That’s not always a bad thing. It’s not really even the part that jumps about Britney Spears’ net worth. She’s famous, so she’s rich. Most of us wish we were famous. Even more of us would settle for rich.
I know a few people who could die happy if they’d only once in their lives kissed Madonna and Christina Aguilera.
What jumps out with this particular search, however, is that for all her massive musical success, zillions of product lines, and other income streams, Britney Spears’ net worth in 2023 is just around $70 million.
Now, in my world, that’s a comfortable little nest egg. I’d count that as having done pretty well with my life. If I hit $70 million, I’d probably have a serious talk with the wife about giving up my day job and doing more reading, writing, and reflecting on the nature of the universe. I’d at least catch up on my Star Wars and Star Trek spin-offs.
For Spears, though, it seems like a rather humble fortune. In celebrity terms, she’s practically poor. Where did it all go, and what lessons – if any – can we learn from her tale?
Oops!... I Spent It Again
Spears’ career started on the All-New Mickey Mouse Club (with a tiny Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera) when she was 11. This was her “adorable” period. She hit the charts in 1998 with “…Baby One More Time when she was something like 17. This began the phase in which half of the U.S. and most of the rest of the world either wanted to BE Britney Spears or—um… be FRIENDS with Britney Spears.
Super-close friends. With hugging and stuff.
In the early 2000s, Spears increasingly pushed the sexy, rebellious image, as so many female pop stars feel compelled to do. She got married, then quickly unmarried, then married for real this time, but to a back-up dancer whose long-time girlfriend was pregnant. They had kids, then got divorced, and Spears started partying intensively and publicly and it all got a little cliched and sad all at once.
Because, let’s face it, whatever fascination we have with Britney Spears isn’t about how different she is from us – although her musical chops, lifestyle, and net worth certainly qualify her as celebrity elite. What draws us in, though, is how familiar it all seems. She’s sexy and talented and so far above us… and she’s confused and dysfunctional and love is so messy and hard. She’s a woman in charge of her life and making her own rules… and she’s a mess clearly trying to stay relevant in the weird world of American pop culture. We love wanting to be just like her, but we love watching her fall so we feel above her even better.
Don’t feel bad. It’s not the most laudable part of our human nature, but it’s not just you. Most of us do it. That’s how TMZ and most supermarket tabloids manage to stay in business.
Hair It Against Me
You probably remember the infamous head-shaving incident. By 2007, Spears had been in and out of rehab, initiated divorce proceedings with the father of her two kids. In February of that year, Spears went into a California beauty salon as the paparazzi filmed through the window and began shaving off her own hair. Now, that by itself wasn’t necessarily a disaster. She was still pretty cute bald and it’s not like it was unheard of for a celebrity ten years into their career to shake things up a bit.
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But if you remember the videos (you can no doubt find a dozen versions on YouTube if you’re so inclined), it wasn’t really about the hair. It was the deranged, sad, broken vibe of it all. It was her freaking out because her mom was going to be upset (it was unclear whether this was a pro or a con, but it was a big deal). A few months later, on the MTV Video Music Awards, Spears gave a horrible performance. Most artists lip-sync in that particular world, but they justify it with their choreography, flash, and style. Britney was lethargic and looked confused. She didn’t even lip-sync well.
Oh, and a few days later she hit someone with her car in a parking lot and took off. And then it turned out her 16-year old younger sister was pregnant. She was engaged in some very public custody battles with her ex. Our naughty Catholic school girl had grown up, and it wasn’t pretty.
The Britney Spears Circus? Gimme More!
Britney Spears’ Circus Tour 2009
It almost seems like an afterthought to mention that she released a new album in the midst of all this melodrama. 2007’s Blackoutwas her fifth album and in retrospect arguably her best overall work. Critics loved it, and it’s remained a fan favorite over a decade later. The single “Gimme More” brought us the iconic opening line, “It’s Britney, B****.” I don’t know about you, but I still drop that into conversation from time to time with my boss, co-workers, local clergy, etc. Keeps the mood light and festive.
In 2008 came Circus and the single “Womanizer.” It wasn’t particularly profound lyrically (“Womanizer, woman, womanizer, you're a womanizer. Oh, you're a womanizer, baby. You, you, you are, you, you, you are…”) but it had a great dance beat and simply dripped with attitude. Clearly Britney still had the musical chops.
There are always pop stars, but there aren’t many who can bring it year after single after album after tour. It didn’t stop there. Several more albums, four years in Vegas, TV, documentaries, tours, perfumes, and other products, showed that whatever drama was going on in Britney’s personal life, her brand still sold tickets and pretty much anything else.
By most estimates, by 2020 Britney Spears’ net worth should have been something in the neighborhood of $350 million.
So what happened?
Hold It Against Me
Well, after the head shaving and the failed rehab and the ongoing personal and public meltdown, Britney’s family had gone to court to fight the control they believed her manager, Sam Lufti, was exercising over her. In 2008, James Spears – her father – was appointed as her “conservator,” a role he’s held until recently. For the past twelve years, Britney Spears and her fortune has been in what’s legally known as a conservatorship.
A conservatorship is a legal mechanism in which a judge gives control over an individual’s finances and other legal decisions to someone else.
It’s similar to giving someone “power of attorney,” except that you don’t initiate a conservatorship on your own. The conservator handles your money and any business decisions which need to be made, and usually makes major medical decisions, manages living arrangements, and essentially has veto power over your entire life.
The specifics vary from state to state, but the idea is to protect people from themselves and from those who might exploit their mental or physical condition. If you’ve ever had an elderly parent, you understand the importance of having some sort of control of their banking or other major financial decisions. Some of us appreciate the loving power of taking away the car keys or insisting on switching doctors. Conservatorship doesn’t work so differently when the person being cared for is mentally or emotionally unable to make responsible decisions for themselves.
At least one judge believed that category included Britney Spears.
Make Me… Stronger
Now, Spears hasn’t exactly been a recluse over this period. A solid half of her career has taken place during this span, with great fanfare and success. It’s that success, in fact, that’s prompted many to question whether or not she’s really needed such micromanaging all along.
Her fans have been insisting for years that she’s essentially a prisoner of her obsessively controlling father – hardly a unique story in American stardom. (You may remember a fellow with a few minor hits and a handful of noticeable personal dysfunctions a few years back who went by the name “Michael Jackson”?)
Celebrity melodrama has to be taken with several grains of salt, even if true, and it’s not my goal to rehash it here. Vox.com recently did a surprisingly in-depth, thoughtful and balanced piece about the whole “conservatorship” issue.
To understand the #FreeBritney movement and exactly what is at stake… we’re going to have to delve into the nuances of California conservatorship law, Spears’s long and troubled career trajectory, and the deep protectiveness of her fans. And in the end, we’ll come back to the same question that’s been driving our fascination with Britney Spears since the “… Baby One More Time” video first blazed across TRL back in 1998:
Is Britney Spears the architect of her own life, image, and career? Or is she a puppet for unscrupulous people who want to use her doe-eyed prettiness to build fortunes for themselves?
Conclusion
If there are lessons to be learned from Spears’ story, I’d suggest they’re fairly straightforward. I’ll keep my thoughts on this part brief and you can fill in whatever you like on your own.
- Money Doesn’t Fix Everything
We all know this, but it doesn’t hurt to be reminded from time to time. Money is great for plumbing repairs, fine dining, or flying to Europe. It doesn’t magically hold families together.
- Diversification Is Security
Spears’ claim to fame is her music, but she makes millions from product endorsements, TV and movies, etc. If one area collapses – say, live music tours during a pandemic – having 3 or 4 other sources of income or investments can save the day.
- Life Is Messy
Maybe you haven’t shaved your head on national television or had your marital problems featured on Access Hollywood, but we’ve all had our share of screw-ups and getting screwed over. You don’t have to love Britney Spears or her music, but you surely have to appreciate the way she just keeps trying to do better, grow stronger, and move forward every time.