Cher speaks out about #FreeBritney but people are divided

Cher accused the people making money from Britney Spears's career of treating her as a "cash cow".

Wading once again into the #FreeBritney controversy, Cher asked "does anyone making money off her being sick want her [to get] well?".

Earlier this year, Cher questioned why Spears is allowed to work while apparently still needing a conservator to look after her.

Spears's money, health and daily routine have essentially been controlled by her father, Jamie Spears, since 2008.

Some people praised Cher for speaking up and advocating on behalf of a woman "being taken advantage of" by her family.

But the whole saga is complicated.

Spears was placed under the conservatorship of her father, Jamie Spears, and lawyer, Andrew Wallet, in 2008 after being admitted to a psychiatric hospital. And although she began to work again just a month later, that arrangement went virtually unchanged until last year.

Spears's every decision, from voting to getting married, had to be signed off on by her father, while her every purchase and investment were tracked in court documents. Spears's lack of control over her finances have led some people, like Cher, to suggest that the conservatorship remains in place purely because it grants her family access to her money, which they strongly deny.

In March last year, Wallet resigned from Spears's conservatorship and Jamie Spears took a temporary step back, too. Spears's care manager, Jodi Montgomery, took over. According to court documents, Spears preferred to the conservatorship of her father. The same documents suggest that Spears would also like the option of being released from the conservatorship altogether.

But this month it was determined that Jamie Spears will resume control of Spears's conservatorship until at least 2021. On a separate, but tangentially related, note, it was revealed in court that two years ago, Jamie Lynn Spears was made a trustee of her sister's estate.

This has once again stoked up the #FreeBritney movement among fans and celebrities alike.

Aside from Cher, Paris Hilton has said she's "heartbroken" that Spears is treated "like a child". Meanwhile, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) offered to help Spears.

Protesters also gathered outside the California courthouse where the future of Spears's conservatorship was deliberated.

The #FreeBritney movement is not, however, uncontroversial itself.

Fans pore over Spears's Instagram posts, finding hidden meanings and messages they believe are related to their movement. They also ascribe motives to Spears's conservators purely on the basis of their own theorising.

Some people have even described the movement as a conspiracy theory and accused fans of doing the very thing they oppose: acting like they know what's best for Spears, regardless of whether or not it's actually what she wants.

The love and concern for Spears from her fans and celebrity friends like Cher is real.

After almost thirty turbulent years in the limelight, we just hope that Spears can find an arrangement that really works for her.