Fans of "19 Kids & Counting" launched the "Free Jinger" movement years before #FreeBritney ever existed, hoping to free Jinger Duggar from her strict Christian upbringing.
The former reality star, 29, tells Page Six in an exclusive interview that she feels similar to Britney Spears because her struggle to leave her family's "cult-like" faith is similar to the pop diva's fight to terminate a contentious conservatorship.
It's fascinating. I see individuals with tales who are in the spotlight, and I can relate to them in different ways, perhaps on smaller sizes, says Duggar.
"And there, in my opinion, is its beauty. Given that so many individuals have experienced such suffering and adversity and are now emerging victorious, I want to emphasize that we can also.
FreeJinger.org was founded in the late aughts by TLC fans who felt that Duggar was internally rejecting her rural, small-town upbringing that was ruled by the Bible and conservative community leaders because of her passionate love for huge, largely secular cities.
I don't have a problem with the 'Free Jinger' campaign. It was incredibly considerate of them. The mother of two, who now resides in Los Angeles with her husband Jeremy Vuolo and their daughters Felicity, 4, and Evangeline, 2, says, "I'm sure the folks who began it had the finest intentions in mind and probably still do today.
She explains, "I'm not at all worried by that. I believe it is good of them to say, "Okay, we want to assist her be free of what we think is tying her down. That's fantastic, in my opinion. I don't have any resentments toward anybody.
As the makers of "Free Jinger" did, Spears' supporters saw the "Overprotected" singer's exploitation and fervently demanded her freedom in 2019. In order to manage the pop star's personal, medical, and financial affairs, her estranged father Jamie Spears obtained a conservatorship in 2008.
Before Britney, 41, was freed from the binding court order in November 2021, she said in a shocking court testimony that she was denied rights like being able to drive a car by herself or even just have a cup of coffee throughout the protracted struggle.
But maybe even more shockingly, the Grammy winner said that while Jamie was in charge, she was coerced into a mental health institution, made to take lithium, and forced to have an IUD implanted against her will.