Toxic: The Britney Spears Story

Stitcher Studios

Hosts Tess Barker and Babs Gray lay out everything you need to know about Britney Spears, her controversial conservatorship, and the movement of fans trying to end it. They talk to exclusive sources, examine new sides of the story, and uncover disturbing truths about our legal system that go way beyond Britney. read less

Our Editor's Take

Toxic: The Britney Spears Story explains the pop culture power of Britney Spears. The limited-episode show explores the pop star's complicated legal battles. It is a historic chronicle of how the #FreeBritney movement became #FreedBritney.

Hosts Tess Barker and Babs Gray are professional comedians. But this podcast's subject is no joke. The two women are unlikely advocates for the millennial icon. Toxic: The Britney Spears Story hosts Tess and Babs became famous for their first podcast, Britney's Gram. They inspected Spears' Instagram account in each episode of the then-lighthearted show.

But the playfulness did not last. After receiving a chilling voicemail, the hosts shifted their focus. The caller claimed to be a former paralegal involved with the performer's conservatorship. The source alleged that Britney was living in horrible conditions. Soon, the conservatorship was all the hosts could think about. With their focus altered in such a drastic way, they decided it was time to start a different podcast. Toxic: The Britney Spears Story debuted in 2021 with a new focus.

The podcast began a full investigation of Britney's legal situation. The Toxic: The Britney Spears Story hosts even attend courtroom hearings. They also explore Britney's volatile relationship with her father, Jamie Spears. Special guests, including lawyers and psychiatrists, offer professional insight and analysis.

Listeners follow Britney's journey as the hosts reveal the details. The hosts also explain mental health challenges celebrities faced in the early 2000s. Toxic: The Britney Spears Story details Britney's road to freedom. It's a compelling journey to join. The show is no longer making new episodes. But it explains how Britney was able to escape her conservatorship and be free again.

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Society & CultureSociety & Culture
Play Trailer
Sneak Peek
Jun 29 2021
Sneak Peek
Toxic: The Britney Spears Story comes out July 7th, 2021. Subscribe now in Stitcher, Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.

Episodes

Follow Up: #FREEDBRITNEY
Nov 13 2021
Follow Up: #FREEDBRITNEY
Britney Spears is free! Fresh from the courthouse, Tess and Babs are joined by their Toxic production team to discuss a day nearly 14 years in the making: the end of Britney’s conservatorship.
Toxic Presents: Lady to Lady with Alaska Thunderfuck
Oct 7 2021
Toxic Presents: Lady to Lady with Alaska Thunderfuck
Babs and Tess are back to share an episode of their long-running comedy podcast Lady to Lady! They join co host Brandie Posey and RPDR royalty Alaska Thunderfuck to chat Gaga, the importance of exercising like no one is watching, and other ridiculous riffs. Lady to Lady is a weekly irreverent hang with 400-plus episodes to binge! If you like what you hear, subscribe now to Lady to Lady on your fave podcast app! Find out more at www.ladytoladycomedy.com
Follow Up: Scream & Shout (Jamie’s Out)
Oct 1 2021
Follow Up: Scream & Shout (Jamie’s Out)
Jamie Spears has been suspended as Britney's conservator and Tess and Babs just had to come back to talk about it! They recap Babs’ experience inside the courtroom and get into what this victory means for Britney moving forward.
Chapter 10: Gasoline
Aug 31 2021
Chapter 10: Gasoline
#FreeBritney is about so much more than Britney Spears. What bigger changes has Britney's case ignited? Tess and Babs investigate who gets the right to make mistakes, and why.
Chapter 9: Stronger
Aug 24 2021
Chapter 9: Stronger
On June 23, 2021, Britney finally spoke out in court for the world to hear. But now that big changes are underway in her case, what will it take for the conservatorship to actually end? Tess and Babs meet a woman who's been down a similar path.
Chapter 8: Me Against the Music
Aug 17 2021
Chapter 8: Me Against the Music
By all outward appearances, Britney's career has a huge comeback after she is conserved. But, behind the scenes, Britney wages her own private war for freedom.
Chapter 7: Work Bitch
Aug 10 2021
Chapter 7: Work Bitch
What’s been going on with Britney’s money for the last 13 years? Who is getting a piece of it? And how? Tess and Babs follow the money and put Britney’s financial empire and accounting reports on their radar.
Chapter 6: Circus
Aug 3 2021
Chapter 6: Circus
Britney Spears is one of more than a million people across the United States in a conservatorship. But despite harrowing stories, there is virtually NO data about abuse inside the system. What's really going on inside probate court?
Chapter 5: Overprotected
Jul 27 2021
Chapter 5: Overprotected
What exactly happened the weekend Britney was conserved in 2008? And what went wrong? Tess and Babs turn to a lawyer, a psychiatrist and Lynne Spears’ co-author in their search for answers.
Chapter 4: Lonely
Jul 20 2021
Chapter 4: Lonely
Maybe you've seen the meme - "If Britney Spears can survive 2007, you can survive today." We go back and explore what Britney's last year of freedom before being conserved was really like with people who were there while everything went down.
Chapter 3: Boys
Jul 13 2021
Chapter 3: Boys
Britney's gettin' hitched! But her quickie Vegas wedding gives her team the opportunity to swoop in and take control—years before her conservatorship. Plus, the gossip blogosphere heats up.
Chapter 2: Lucky
Jul 7 2021
Chapter 2: Lucky
Britney had to make her money before her conservatorship could take a piece of it. Tess and Babs revisit the era of dial-up internet and spaghetti straps to see how Britney got her start as an exceptional earner.
Chapter 1: Toxic
Jul 7 2021
Chapter 1: Toxic
Britney Spears wants out of her conservatorship. But how did she wind up in it to begin with? And what will it take to #FreeBritney? Babs Gray and Tess Barker have been digging into questions like these for years.
Sneak Peek
Jun 29 2021
Sneak Peek
Toxic: The Britney Spears Story comes out July 7th, 2021. Subscribe now in Stitcher, Pandora, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen.
Introducing Toxic: The Britney Spears Story
May 3 2021
Introducing Toxic: The Britney Spears Story
Coming this summer, Toxic: The Britney Spears Story lays out everything you need to know about Britney Spears, her controversial conservatorship, and the movement of fans trying to end it. Hosts Tess Barker and Babs Gray talk to exclusive sources, examine new sides of the story, and uncover disturbing truths about our legal system that go way beyond Britney.