5 celebrities who were put under conservatorships: from Britney Spears and Amanda Bynes, to Wendy Williams and NFL star Michael Oher – while Lindsay Lohan and Charlie Sheen evaded them

Nov 12 , 2024

Wendy Williams and The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson are currently under conservatorships, while Britney Spears gained her freedom from a similar arrangement in November 2021. Photos: @thewendyexperiencepodcast, @britneyspears, @rollyingstone/Instagram

From Disney child stars Spears and Lohan, to troubled Nickelodeon actress Bynes, several Hollywood figures have been placed under conservatorships due to perceived mental health issues

Conservatorships are granted to legal guardians in cases where stars are deemed incapable of managing their affairs; Williams and The Beach Boys’ Brian Wilson are each currently under one

If it weren’t for Britney Spears, the concept of a conservatorship – the act of appointing a parent or guardian to oversee the financial or personal affairs of someone deemed unable to do so themself – may have remained a relatively unknown legal mechanism. Thanks to the widespread media scrutiny that Spears’ conservatorship received though, the concept has entered the mainstream.

While the pop princess is the most famous example of a star under conservatorship, numerous celebrities have been subject to such legal wrangling. So which stars have lived under conservatorship over the years – and which managed to escape such a fate?

1. Wendy Williams

Wendy Williams at an event in New York in February 2023. Photo: @thewendyexperiencepodcast/Instagram

“I have no money. If it happened to me, it could happen to you,” Wendy Williams, 60, said in the recent documentary Where is Wendy Williams? Per NPR, the former daytime host – who was diagnosed with dementia last year – was placed under guardianship by Wells Fargo in May 2022. The bank petitioned to have her placed under a financial guardianship because they thought “she was at risk of financial exploitation due to cognitive issues”, per People magazine. At the time of writing, Williams is still fighting to regain control of her finances.

2. Britney Spears

Britney Spears carries an albino python during her iconic performance at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards. Photo: AFP

The conservatorship of the “Oops! … I Did It Again” singer, 42, was so highly publicised that it spawned the #FreeBritney movement online. The saga began after Spears’ erratic behaviour reached a peak in 2007; in 2008 her father petitioned for a temporary conservatorship that a court later made permanent, per Barr & Douds Attorneys. Since it was both a financial and personal conservatorship, the star had virtually no control over her own life – she wasn’t even allowed to remove her IUD because those in charge of her didn’t want her to get pregnant, she claimed. Her ordeal finally ended in November 2021 when a court terminated the conservatorship.

Britney Spears attacks a paparazzo’s car with an umbrella in a notorious 2007 incident. Photo: @brought.to.you.by.history/Instagram

3. Amanda Bynes

Amanda Bynes at the height of her fame (left) and in a more recent photo. The former child star was placed on a psychiatric hold in 2013 but emerged from conservatorship in 2022. Photos: AP, @rlamandabynes/Instagram

Former Nickelodeon child star Amanda Bynes, 38, has had a rough time since her mental health began to decline in 2010, when she quit acting and became addicted to drugs. Per USA Today, Bynes was placed on a psychiatric hold in 2013; her mother was granted a conservatorship over her shortly after her admission. In February 2022 Bynes, with her parents’ support, successfully petitioned to terminate the conservatorship.