Britney Spears’ dad was ‘unhinged’ and ‘had to be kept in check’ by her mother, claims former business partner
Britney Spears and her father, James ‘Jamie’ Spears. (Getty)
A former business partner of Britney Spears has launched into a scathing attack against her father Jamie Spears, describing him as “unhinged”.
Restauranteur Bobby Ochs told Page Six about an alleged dust-up he had with Jamie while he was helping Britney launch Nyla, her short-lived New York City eatery, in 2002.
In the run-up to the opening, Ochs said, Jamie abruptly entered his office reeling off a list of demands. Ochs was later forced to ring up Britney’s mother Lynne Spears, who he said had to keep Jamie “in check and tolerated”.
“It’s no surprise to me Britney doesn’t want him running her life,” Ochs said. “I can’t imagine him running anything.”
Britney recently asked a court to remove Jamie from her conservatorship – the complex legal arrangement that sees her estate, well-being, among other things, managed by court-appointed conservators.
Britney entered the conservatorship after her public breakdown in 2008 with Jamie, for the most part, in control. A judge this month refused her bid to remove him from her affairs – but said they would consider future requests.
As part of their argument, Britney’s attorney claimed that after the star’s business manager quit abruptly, Jamie hired a replacement without consulting her.
Ochs said he had a similar experience.
“He didn’t have any say in the business, but a few days prior to the grand opening, out of the blue, he came storming into my office at 9am with an unknown young man and woman,” he told Page Six.
“He was literally bouncing off the walls. In front of my managers and chefs he announced that the young man and woman he was with would be hired as managers for Britney’s restaurant.
“He was so out of it and screaming: ‘Nobody is going to ruin my little girl’s place!'”
Britney Spears’ dad ‘screamed and hollered’ in business partner’s face.
Ochs claimed Jamie had met the couple “the night before in a random New York bar he had been drinking in”.
When he explained that he would not be able to make the changes, Ochs alleged Jamie “was clearly unhinged, screaming and hollering — he was in my face and I was expecting any minute he was going to get physical”.
Ochs managed to calm Jamie down, he claimed, and then “called Britney’s mom, Lynne, and she was not surprised”.
“Her reaction was, ‘Oh no, not again’, like Jamie had to be kept in check and tolerated.”
PinkNews contacted Jamie Spears for comment.
