Britney Spears’ fans are convinced that the pop star has finally unveiled the meaning behind her mysterious “Project Rose” — and it has everything to do with her lawyer, Mathew Rosengart.
For those who aren’t aware, Britney became known for dropping hints at the secret project while she was living under the terms of her conservatorship, which came into effect in 2008 and stayed in place until November 2021.
Britney’s life and finances were strictly controlled by her father and a group of lawyers under the legal arrangement. She denounced her conservators in an explosive court hearing last June and called the constraints “abusive.”
Months ahead of the explosive testimony, Britney notably referenced Project Rose in an Instagram post and hinted that fans would see more of the scheme “in the future.”
“A lot of people have been saying that a lot of my posts are not new, but they’re old, but just to let you guys know, none of my pictures or posts are more than a month old,” Britney began.
“Yes, I know, I did wear the same top 17 times, but it’s for a project, Project Rose. And you’ll be seeing way more of Project Rose in the future,” she said.
Britney continually referenced the subject in several posts over the following months. On the day that the conservatorship was finally terminated, she shared a selfie to Instagram captioned: “A never before seen shot from Project Rose.”
Fans have widely speculated that Project Rose represents Britney’s decadelong fight for freedom, with some having pointed out the existence of the coincidental “Freedom Rose.”
Meanwhile, others have guessed that the title is a play on words in connection with Rosengart's name. “The way Britney has had Project ROSE and now she is hiring Mathew ROSEngart,” one fan tweeted when he was appointed last July.
The way Britney has had Project ROSE and now she is hiring Mathew ROSEngart. “Just a Touch of Rose“ ... the 18th post in this top !!!! You never know ... a rose 🌹 could end up being a THORN in your side 😉✨🤷♀️ !!! Sorry ... thought it was funny 🤓😂😜 !!!! #FreeBritney
Well, if Britney’s latest Instagram post is anything to go by, it seems that Rosengart is, in fact, at the center of the mystery project.
On Feb. 2, Britney shared two photos of herself and Rosengart alongside a caption praising him for his successful efforts in helping her terminate the long-running conservatorship.
“This man has turned my life around … So many exciting projects ahead,” she began.
“We accidentally matched for lunch,” the pop star continued. “Thank you for being so kind and respectful to me always 🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹🌹.”
She added, “Pssss Mathew Rosengart ... I simply adore you.”
Between the abundance of rose emojis and Britney’s mention of the “exciting projects” she has in store, fans quickly jumped into the comments to theorize that the singer was pointing toward Project Rose.
“This was project rose?! 🌹 Britney is queen of hints,” reads one of the top comments, which has received over 3,000 likes.
“Project Rosengart 👏,” a fan commented.
One person wrote, “Crying happy tears! #projectrose 🌹🕊❤❤”
“I think this post is the most confirmation we have ever received that project rose is her lawyer,” echoed another.
“Wowwww confirmed ROSE 🌹🌹🌹🌹 rosengart!!!” noted one user.
Meanwhile, the conversation continued to unfold on Twitter, with several users making the connection between all of Britney’s hints.
“Just realized project rose = rosengart. Britney has the mind of a mastermind,” one person tweeted.
Just realized project rose = rosengart. Britney has the mind of a mastermind.
“Project rose was about ROSEngart, Britney's lawyer who freed her,” wrote another, before going on to call the pop star “a genius.”
project rose was about ROSEngart, Britney's lawyer who freed her 🌹👏🏻 she's a genius
Aside from the fact that all of Spears' clues appear to point toward Rosengart, the idea of Project Rose being about her lawyer doesn’t seem too far-fetched, in light of the instrumental role he played throughout her legal battle.
If you’re not quite up to date, Rosengart was first appointed as Britney's attorney in July, after a judge ruled that the pop star could choose her own legal representation in court for the first time.
As soon as he stepped on board, Rosengart made it his goal to remove Britney’s father, Jamie Spears — who formerly served as coconservator and has faced intense scrutiny for his alleged mistreatment of the pop star — from the legal arrangement.
He notably called Jamie out in court for allegedly approving a payment of $500,000 from his daughter’s estate without her consent, before claiming that he’d also been paying himself an additional $2,000 per month than what he had allocated to Britney — plus another $2,000 monthly for office expenses.
In spite of the fact that Jamie continually denied the allegations, Rosengart only continued to publicly question him when the conservatorship was terminated. In fact, he recently filed documents accusing Jamie of “financial misconduct” while calling out his “offensive” request to have his daughter's medical records unsealed.
What’s more, Rosengart has also helped Britney deal with another member of her family lately: her sister, Jamie Lynn Spears.
As you might be aware, Jamie Lynn made several televised appearances last month to discuss the contents of her newly released memoir, Things I Should Have Said. She was heavily criticized by fans for repeatedly commenting on her sister’s conservatorship, given that Britney herself has yet to publicly speak out in the same manner.
Britney accused Jamie Lynn of selling a book at her “expense,” while questioning the timing of the memoir’s release and the Zoey 101 star’s choice to embark on a public promotional run.
After the sisters went back and forth on social media for a few days — something they’ve done on several occasions amid their long-running feud — Britney called upon Rosengart to propose legal action against Jamie Lynn.
Rosengart filed a formal cease-and-desist letter on Jan. 17 requesting that Jamie Lynn withhold from mentioning Britney during interviews about her memoir.
“Dear Ms. Spears: As you know, I represent your sister Britney Spears, and I write at her request concerning the above-referenced matter. We write with some hesitation because the last thing Britney wants is to bring more attention to your ill-timed book and its misleading or outrageous claims about her,” read the letter obtained by Page Six.
“Although Britney has not read and does not intend to read your book, she and millions of her fans were shocked to see how you have exploited her for monetary gain. She will not tolerate it, nor should she,” it stated.
Rosengart went on to accuse Jamie Lynn of “publicly airing false or fantastical grievances” in order to “sell books.”
“Publicly airing false or fantastical grievances is wrong, especially when designed to sell books. It is also potentially unlawful and defamatory,” he wrote.
“You recently reportedly stated that the book was ‘not about her,’" the letter read. "She takes you at your word and we, therefore, demand that you cease and desist from referencing Britney derogatorily during your promotional campaign. If you fail to do so or defame her, Britney will be forced to consider and take all appropriate legal action.”
Jamie Lynn didn’t publicly address the cease-and-desist letter, though revealed in a podcast appearance days later that she hopes to resolve things with Britney “privately.”
“When every headline’s gone away and everything is done, you’re still gonna be my sister. It doesn’t matter. And people need to stop inserting themselves into our situation and egging it on and encouraging it,” she said of the ongoing criticism she’s faced.
“All I wanna do is love and support my sister, and end this nonsense,” she added. "This is ridiculous."
