Drew Barrymore believes Britney Spears has been sending her “little smoke signals” amid the pop superstar’s conservatorship battle with her estranged father, Jamie Spears.
Barrymore, 46, told “Entertainment Tonight” this week that the younger Spears, 39, has been communicating with her in covert ways after the talk show host sent her private video messages via social media.
“[I wanted to] really show her I’m someone who has understood what a journey is like — and I don’t compare myself to her — but I’m here to support her if there’s anything she needs in private,” the former child actress said.
Describing the content of her messages to Spears, Barrymore said she offered “encouragement and just [told] her that I think she is the key to her freedom.”
Asked to share the “Toxic” singer’s response, Barrymore said there’s been “little smoke signals.”
“I am very invested in this. I think everyone deserves the chance to get their life right, wrong and everything in between,” Barrymore said, explaining her interest in the #FreeBritney movement. “This has become such public interest because it’s about something bigger.”
She added, “It’s about being allowed to live your life. And so, I’m invested in this and I really want her to find her freedom.”
Page Six confirmed on Tuesday that Jamie Spears, 69, filed a petition to end the conservatorship that has controlled his famous daughter’s life for the past 13-plus years.
“This filing represents another legal victory for Britney Spears — a massive one — as well as vindication for Ms. Spears,” said Mathew S. Rosengart, Britney Spears’ attorney, in a statement to Page Six.
During a landmark court testimony on June 23, Spears described her conservatorship as “abusive.” Her father’s petition to end the constrictive legal arrangement — which came after years of staunch resistance — will be heard on Jan. 28, 2022, during an authority hearing.
Barrymore previously likened her young life in the spotlight — including the time she was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital by her mother, Jaid Barrymore, at the age of 13 — to Spears’ situation.
“I have so much empathy toward so many people,” she said on “The Howard Stern Show” in February. “I’m sure that people look on and think, ‘These party girls, these privileges, how dare they have feelings about any of this? They’ve put themselves out there, they’ve asked for this — it’s fair f–king game.’ And I just go, ‘They’re humans. They’re just humans.'”