this is "nightline." >> tonight, freed britney. an l.a. judge dissolves the conservatorship. >> she will wake up tomorrow for the first time in 14 years a free woman. >> the pop princess able to make her own decisions. >> whether it is seeing her children, having a baby, getting married, she can decide if she wants to do it or if she doesn't want to do it. plus reliving the summer of soul. >> are you ready, black people, are you ready? >> the groundbreaking documentary doing more than taking audiences back to the age of aquarius. >> it's like we get a chance to hop in a delorean and go back in time and see. >> touching lives, helping many discover long-lost relatives on

screen. >> hey that looks like that might be your great grandfather. kids can change minds. they can even change the world around us. packed with protein plus 21 vitamins and minerals we nourish them with carnation breakfast essentials. because today could change everything. even after you sanitize, every touch can leave new bacteria behind? we nourish them with carnation breakfast essentials. microban 24 keeps killing 99.9% of bacteria touch after touch for up to 24 hours. use the sanitizer 4 out of 5 doctors would use in their own homes. microban 24. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪

♪ good evening. thank you for joining us. in an l.a. courtroom this afternoon, britney spears' scoff forship, which had been in effect almost 14 years, ended in

less than an hour. a judge returning control of the pop star's life back to her and setting off a celebration among her loyal fans. abc's chris connelly has been tracking the twists and turns of the fight. >> reporter: free britney is reality at last. friday afternoon in the los angeles courtroom -- >> i just want to thank all of you. i've got a client that i need to speak with. [ cheers and applause ] >> reporter: judge brenda penny releasing 39-year-old britney spears from the conservatorship that since 2008 had controlled every aspect of the pop star's existence. her most ardent fans, the legions of the free britney movement, celebrating outside. >> i'm just so, so happy. she deserves all of the freedom. >> so excited. >> feeling great. >> as long as britney's happy, we're happy. >> reporter: britney is happy, posting on instagram, good god, i love my fans so much, it's crazy. i think i'm going to cry the rest of the day. best day ever.

praise the lord. can i get an amen? hashtag freedbritney. and, i can't freaking believe it, again, best day ever. >> after nearly 14 years, it look a judge in this courthouse less than 40 minutes to decide that britney spears' conservatorship was no longer required. her attorney assuring the court safety nets are in place to protect britney personally and financially and put her in a position to succeed. >> reporter: today's ruling the culmination of dramatic events inside the courtroom and out. revelations from two groundbreaking documentaries. the steadfast advocacy of a grassroots movement. >> we're hoping the attention on this case will keep the momentum going. >> reporter: and the words of britney herself. >> she can now do what she wants when she wants. this means that, quite literally, any aspect of her life -- whether it is seeing her children, having a baby, getting married, deciding to go on tour, deciding to record new music --

♪ show me how you ♪ >> reporter: britney was 16 when she catapulted to stardom in 1998 with her multi-platinum hit "baby one more time." ♪ oops i did it again ♪ >> reporter: releasing one mega-hit after another, "oops i did it again in 2000, "toxic" in 2003. 2007, life in the spotlight seeming to take a toll, the young mother of two appearing to struggle amid a divorce, custody battles, and continued media scrutiny. under the relentless flash of cameras, she took a pair of clippers to her hair at a los angeles salon. >> she was constantly swarmed by paparazzi, talked about in the tabloids and portrayed in a misogynistic and sexist light. this was a young woman who lived her life in front of the world's eyes, and she couldn't catch a break. >> reporter: what seemed to be a public unraveling coming to a head in a 2007 altercation with paparazzi in l.a.

broken down in the documentary "framing britney spears." >> britney just grabbed the umbrella, started coming after me. started beating the passenger side of my truck. >> reporter: moments after this, the film says, she was denied access to visit her kids. jamie spears, her father, was given legal control over his daughter's personal, professional, and financial affairs in 2008 after she suffered a mental breakdown and had two hospitalizations. >> conservatorships are usually given to people who are elderly, who cannot make the fundamental decisions of their estate or person. first of all, the age of the conservator, that being britney spears, was a little peculiar. and then also the age of the conservatorship itself, how long it lasted. conservatorships usually are just for a couple of years at best. ♪ i think i did it again ♪ >> reporter: since then, britney has released four albums and performed nearly 250 shows in her las vegas residency. but behind the scenes, britney

claims the conservatorship was ruining her life. over the summer, the star breaking her silence in court hearings, singling out her father saying he should be put in jail. spears sharing personal details ab the conservatorship had on her she get married and have another baby but claims she wasn't allowed to remove her iud. she also described being denied things as basic as coffee, her driver's license, and her hair vitamins by the conservatorship. >> she painted a very dark picture of what her life was. she essentially said that she was a prisoner that wasn't able to make any decisions on her own. >> reporter: jamie spears and his attorneys have always maintained everything he has won for britney has been in her best interest. >> the biggest red nag that we saw, probably the breaking point for this conservatorship, was that june hearing where britney spears was describing the extent of what she claimed to be the abusiveness of her conservatorship. and that's what really started this ball moving towards the end of the conservatorship.

>> reporter: this afternoon's hearing coming after more bombshell allegations made in the documentary "the new york times" presents "controlling britney spears." >> i worked with the security team for britney for almost nine years. >> reporter: in the film a former employee of the firm hired by britney's father, black box security, says they monitored her communications by mirroring her iphone. >> you would be able to see all messages, all facetime calls, notes, browser history, photographs. >> reporter: even putting an audio recording device in her bedroom. >> when i took a step back and looked at everything, it really reminded me of somebody that was in prison. and security was put in a position to be the prison guards, essentially. >> reporter: an attorney for the security firm telling abc news black box security has, quote, a

strict policy against discussing matters concerning their clients or their operations, unquote, and black box has, quote, always conducted themselves within professional, ethical, and legal bounds. an attorney for jamie spears maintains his actions were done with britney's best interests at heart and quote well within the parameters of authority conferred upon him by the court, with the consent of britney, her court-appointed attorney, and/or the court. >> i think the conservatorship presented this narrative that all was well, that the conservatorship had saved her life. and it wasn't until very recently that people really started to question whether or not that was the case. ♪ it's getting late ♪ >> reporter: spears stopped performing 2 1/2 years ago, saying she will no longer go on stage while her father is in control of her life and career. her instagram feed giving fans glimpses of her life. it's where she announced her engagement to boyfriend sam asgari. today he posted this video of

the couple wearing "free britney" t-shirts. her father jamie spears removed as head of the conservatorship six weeks ago, a judge appointing a temporary recommended by the singer and her attorney, whose duties ended today. now with the conservatorship a thing of the past, there will be new challenges for britney spears. decisions about her future that at last she will get to make. >> our thanks to chris. up next, summer of soul. the special meaning the documentary has given some families. ♪ ♪ i heard it through the grapevine ♪ ♪ not much longer would you be mine ♪ fight back fast with tums chewy bites. fast heartburn relief in every bite. crunchy outside, chewy inside. ♪ tums, tums, tums, tums ♪ tums chewy bites better skin from your body wash? try olay body wash with skincare super ingredient collagen!

olay body wash hydrates to improve skin 3x better, from dry and dull to firm and radiant. with olay body, i feel fearless in my skin. is struggling to manage your type 2 diabetes knocking you out of your zone? lowering your a1c with once-weekly ozempic® can help you get back in it. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! my zone... lowering my a1c, cv risk, and losing some weight... now, back to the game! ozempic® is proven to lower a1c. most people who took ozempic® reached an a1c under 7 and maintained it. and you may lose weight. adults lost on average up to 12 pounds. in adults also with known heart disease, ozempic® lowers the risk of major cardiovascular events such as heart attack, stroke, or death. ozempic® helped me get back in my type 2 diabetes zone. ozempic® isn't for people with type 1 diabetes. don't share needles or pens, or reuse needles. don't take ozempic® if you or your family

ever had medullary thyroid cancer, or have multiple endocrine neoplasia syndrome type 2, or if allergic to it. stop ozempic® and get medical help right away if you get a lump or swelling in your neck, severe stomach pain, or an allergic reaction. serious side effects may include pancreatitis. tell your provider about vision problems or changes. taking ozempic® with a sulfonylurea or insulin may increase low blood sugar risk. side effects like nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea may lead to dehydration, which may worsen kidney problems. looking to get back in your type 2 diabetes zone? ask your health care provider today about once-weekly ozempic®. oh, oh, oh, ozempic®! you may pay as little as $25 for a 3-month prescription.

there's never been a better time to switch to xfinity. get the fast and reliable internet you deserve, for only $19.99 a month for 12 months. and, for the first time ever, score 12 times the speed for the same price when you add xfinity mobile. that's more speed and more value for the same price. switch now to xfinity internet to power all your devices and get started for just $19.99 a month. plus, for a limited time, get $300 back and a 5g phone on us. get this deal before it's gone. click, call or visit a store today. - i'm norm. - i'm szasz. [norm] and we live in columbia, missouri.

we do consulting, but we also write. [szasz] we take care of ourselves constantly; it's important. we walk three to five times a week, a couple miles at a time. - we've both been taking prevagen for a little more than 11 years now. after about 30 days of taking it, we noticed clarity that we didn't notice before. - it's still helping me. i still notice a difference. prevagen. healthier brain. better life.

♪ in the documentary "summer of soul: 1969's harlem cultural festival" comes to life. for some families a surprising glimpse of loved ones gone but not lost. here again is abc's chris connelly. ♪ i wanna take you higher ♪ >> reporter: 2021's best-loved documentary is more than 50 years in the league, and it's already in the oscar conversation. ♪ this is the dawning of the age of aquarius ♪ ♪ age of aquarius ♪ ♪ aquarius ♪ >> reporter: capturing all have time greats performing on stage in harlem at their best in 1969, the spectacular "summer of soul."

♪ i've got sunshine on a cloudy day ♪ >> reporter: directed by roots drummer and all-around music maven questlove. >> it's like we get a chance to hop in a delorean and go back in time and see these artists right on the verge of genius. but in '69, we're watching all of them on the precipice of what they're about to be. >> reporter: from a 19-year-old stevie wonder, just bursting with creativity -- ♪ oh happy days ♪ >> reporter: to the edwin hawkins singers, lifting gospel to new heights. to nina simone's stirring performance. >> are you ready, black people, are you ready? >> reporter: smartly done segments define the era and bring additional meaning to the music, performed at the harlem cultural festival over six sundays in the summer of '69 and captured for posterity on 40 hours of long-neglected film. then pored over for months. >> this played on 40-hour loop

for five months in a row. so i didn't sit down and study and watch it, but because it was on constantly, 24/7, in those five months if i happened to be, you know, on my phone or asleep and something -- wait, what was that? i took note of it. >> reporter: it earned best documentary honors at sundance this winter. once it got on hulu, a remarkable thing happened. some viewers were thrilled to discover on screen beloved family members they hadn't laid eyes on in decades. >> i became speechless. i was filled with a lot of emotion. i mean, i was like nearly hyperand excited. >> reporter: lee tyler says his brother, james washington, died more than a half century ago. yet he saw james in the "summer of soul" crowd. >> straighten out our

problems -- >> it was like, wow. i knew immediately that was him. >> reporter: james passed at age 29. his niece ebony tyler says her family has no photos of him, but now their loved one is a part of history. >> i'm really proud that my family, you know -- a member of my family was at the concert, and now that the documentary is being shown to the world. >> i'll say that at least 90% of anyone that's spoken to me has mentioned they cried. which i don't know if that would have had the same effect if this came out in 1974, '75. >> i think part of the magic is that even though you're the drummer and you are in touch with the music, you put so much of the focus on the audience. on the people who were there. why was that so important to you? >> there were four cameras at the harlem cultural festival. and by far my favorite camera of all was camera four, which strictly told the story of that day. >> my name is mu schss jackson i

attempteded the harlem culture festival in 1969 when i was 4. mories. swasmusa jackson fou here insa jackson was our very first interview. we're like, tell us everything you remember. he was like, this is the very first memory of my life i have, so i'll tell you exactly everything. as he's describing this, we're looking at each other from behind the camera, like yo. this is not on the internet, right? literally he was just describing things that only he would know. ♪ when the moon is in the southern sky ♪ >> reporter: from searchlight pictures, which like abc news is part of disney," summer of soul" has led musa to connect with other attendees, like darrell lewis, who was 19 in 1989. >> music helped during the late

'60s. so much of the music back then told the story of what was happening to the country. ♪ >> reporter: as musa and darrell walk through what's now marcus garvey park, where the festival took place, memories come flooding back. >> i can remember sometimes being almost at the base of the stage -- >> right, right. >> -- by the time the main act would come, they pushed me back. >> they pushed you back? >> yeah, i could never hold, i always got pushed. >> it was so incredible. even though it was thousands of people and we were doing our thing, i never felt lost. >> yeah. because they got you. >> they got me, the strangers got me, my family got me. >> reporter: family connections re-established by "summer of soul." >> maurice king, musical director. he's kind of our family's quincy jones, for sure. >> reporter: 35-year-old rapper

joshua smith cherishes the photos he has of his late great grandfather, a legend at motown records. >> maurice king was pivotal in helping the temptations and the supremes, gladys knight, really helping them own their craft. >> reporter: but he'd never seen the legend in action until he looked on screen. >> gladys knight! >> reporter: at the band leader behind gladys knight and the pips. ♪ i heard it through the grapevine ♪ ♪ not much longer would you be mine. >> she says, hey, that looks like that might be your great grandfather. ♪ i heard it through the grapevine ♪ ⌞> reporter: and there he was. joshua took to social media to share the joy of spotting a family member at the festival. >> he was this really sweet man who always took time to spend time with his great grandchildr grandchildren. >> reporter: for questlove, stories like that one make it

all worthwhile. >> i love the accolades, but for me the payoff is, without a doubt, just the opportunity to connect people, for people to see what their grandma looked like as a 19-year-old. i think at the end of the day, this movie makes people feel seen. ♪ going to harlem ♪ >> our thanks again to chris. ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ ♪ the ride of your life is closer than you think. for the first time ever, buy your new car, entierly from home with nissan at home. delivered direct from dealer to driveway. ♪ ♪ don't settle. start your day with secret.

delivered direct from dealer to driveway. secret stops odor-causing sweat 3x more. and the provitamin b5 formula is gentle on skin. with secret, outlast anything! no sweat. secret. ♪ all strength. no sweat. ♪ once upon a time there was a reindeer named tiptoe who was scared to fly. fly? ahhh, maybe next year. so her friends gave her the greatest gift of all. it's a flying machine! ♪ ♪ oh no! ♪ ♪ i just have to believe! ...the gift of believing in herself. so you ready to fly to grandma's? okay ♪ ♪ for the power of a deep clean in minutes try mr. clean clean freak okay unlike bleach sprays, clean freak begins deep cleaning on contact with 3x the cleaning power to break down tough messes in seconds so, it's perfect for stovetops, tough bathroom soap scum, and even stainless steel. mr. clean clean freak

your dog is your best friend. ♪ ♪ ♪ but your dog's best friend is your ex-girlfriend... because she always has irresistible pup-peroni. be your best friend's best friend. pup-peroni.

finally tonight, a new abc news documentary explores the circumstances around the ambush of four american soldiers in niger in 2017. whether the pentagon chose to protect high-ranking officials. here's a preview. >> i was sitting here watching tv, and somebody knocked on the door. it was a captain and a master sergeant in dress blues, and i knew. i said, "no, no, no." >> at that point, it's

i really rememr reti. >> all i can say, "no, no." >> october 6th, 2017, was a day i think i went insane. >> we asked, why did these four men lose their lives and no one would give us an answer? >> something didn't add up. >> what they were being told and what we were being told were two different things. >> because they know that mission went horribly wrong. and it was going to be a lot of fingers to point and to blame. >> they spent months and months and months trying to formulate a damn story that they thought would protect their ass. >> the team inaccurately portrayed the first of three total missions on 3 and 4 october. >> it's all about the club. it's all aboutirin ts.wa

rmy let me down. let my son down. then they lied about it. >> "3212 unredacted" streaming now on hulu. that's "nightline" for this evening. catch our full episodes on hulu. see you back here same time next week. thanks for the company, america. have a good and safe weekend. good night.