The Pop Cult of Lou Taylor's Business Model
Who is controlling Jamie Spears?
This is Part 4 in the Chronicle of Lou Taylor. Lou was Britney Spears’ business manager throughout the conservatorship. Here you can read Part 1, Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5, Part 6 & Part 7.
Mainstream media has overwhelmingly omitted basic facts about Lou Taylor. When she is mentioned, journalists often provide scant details and defer to her litigious nature. There are only a handful of articles that have a modicum of substance, including a few in the New York Times and a piece in the New Yorker by Ronan Farrow.
More often, we see the pathologizing of Britney’s family of origin without any finger-pointing at overseers of the Hollywood machine. A prime example is an article from New York Magazine titled “House of Spears,” which explains Jamie Spears’ actions exclusively through the lens of his intergenerational trauma.
The centrality of Lou Taylor’s involvement in Britney’s conservatorship is well known in the #FreeBritney movement. Yet, casual observers may be completely baffled by how Britney Spears’ business manager played such a central role in monetizing her conservatorship.
Some of us used to believe this 2019 photo from The Hollywood Reporter was a good omen…1
I knew Britney’s story was highly sanitized when the first Britney documentary splashed down in February 20021. In its wake, I dove into the facts to attempt to explain what really happened. This isn’t just a story of a backwards southern family exploiting their singularly talented daughter. This was a highly sophisticated 13-year con job that could NOT have happened without the participation of very powerful people in Hollywood, the media, and the government of California.
Forget anything the tabloids have said—it doesn't matter. It has already diverted your senses long enough. Just hold in your head that Britney’s disability status was never the main issue. It was the weaponization of her perceived disability that sold the con to a gullible public. Everything will make much more sense when you suspend your inner classism and ableism.
“I will sue the shit out of Tri Star !!!!”
Lou Taylor was in the sports and entertainment business for 18 years before Britney’s conservatorship began in February 2008. Many people discuss Lou as a she-devil incarnate who suddenly apparated out of the ether. Deconstructing the mythical “Loucifer” lays bare the real-world mechanics of her ascent to power. The end goal of this Substack series is to impart these truths.
Billionaires and millionaires see human beings as investments, and they need their assets to perform. Many celebrities end up with handlers; a conservatorship is just a rare manifestation of that phenomena.
In an Instagram post from February 2022, Britney publicly called out Lou Taylor and Robin Greenhill of Tri Star Sports and Entertainment for their complicity in her abuse:
Lou was a guiding force in plotting and monetizing the conservatorship, as evidenced by emails that have been submitted to the court.2 3 However, a true mastermind would never put any of that in writing. The emails reveal how proactive Lou was in gaining control over Britney. While acquiring Britney as a client elevated Lou’s career, it was the success of Britney’s Vegas residency gave Lou the keys to the kingdom.
We can readily point to a number of guilty parties, but many key figures that go unnamed in the media. We will never know all those complicit until there is enough incentive for people to start talking.
This is a story that was enabled by generational wealth and legacy power, which the Spears family and Lou Taylor don’t possess. Doesn’t it make sense that powerful people helped Lou and Jamie pull this caper off? Jamie exited rehab in latter half of 2004 and soon thereafter Jamie entered Lou’s sphere of influence.
Who introduced them and why?
The Submissive Pastor’s Wife
Lou’s fervent Christianity is often mentioned alongside her husband Robert Taylor’s role as a pastor at Calvary Chapel in Brentwood, Tennessee. There are several well-known incidents that demonstrate how Lou’s strident religiosity imposed on Britney’s life. For example, Lou Taylor used Britney’s money to donate $42,000 to an anti-LGBTQ+ Christian group called Mercy Ministries. Another example is when Britney, an avid reader, was limited to Christian books during her 2009 Circus Tour.4
It isn’t a stretch to assume that Rob played a pastoral role in Jamie’s life for years. But, what are the implications of your business manager being married to your pastor?
"I am a strong woman, I am a boss, I am a woman in a man's business, I am married to a Godly man and Pastor, I am a submissive wife." - Lou M. Taylor 5
In this podcast, Lou describes her marriage to Rob. It may leave you with the impression that they function as a tag team, even though he maintains a low profile.6
Lou is straightforward about how her deep Christian faith influences her professional and personal life. However, less attention has been paid to how Lou’s “holistic” business services intertwine with every aspect of a client’s life.
The media coverage around Britney has overwhelmingly viewed her circumstances in a vacuum, as if there are no historical precedent for what happened to her. While the tactics and scale may vary, how different is Tri Star from cults like Scientology?
Robin Greenhill: The Weirdest Woman Ever
Robin Greenhill is Lou Taylor’s number one enforcer. You can often spot Robin hovering in the background of old press photos of Britney. Robin had her hands in many aspects of Britney’s daily life, such as controlling Britney’s credit card and administering her medictions.7
It does seem weird that a business manager’s employee would be so embedded in a client’s life. This is the Tri Star way. While Britney may have been the only client under a conservatorship, but Tri Star brands itself as a “soup-to-nuts” operation.
In an April 2022 Instagram post (archived by FreeBritneyNorway), Britney called Robin the “weirdest woman ever.”8
Why were Jamie Spears and Robin always together in Britney’s dressing room? Who is handling whom?
There isn’t much to say about Robin; her identity seems to have been completely subsumed by Lou Taylor’s divine vision.
Robin Greenhill appears to have met Lou Taylor in Florida. Robin and her husband, Mark Aholsrom, incorporated a business called Hy-Teck Interiors in 1995. By 1998, Robin and Lou’s husbands owned Trinity Home Corp, whose address was the same as Lou’s Tri Star Accounting Group: 3200 N. Military Rd, Boca Raton, FL.
When Lou moved to Brentwood, Tennessee in the early 2000s, Robin moved too.
Keepers of the Faith
Early on in her career, Lou Taylor was tapped into the most powerful Evangelical Christians in the United States. She has a long-standing relationship with Stephan Tchividjian, the grandson of Rev. Billy Graham. Graham was a key figure in televangelism in the 20th century and served as a spiritual advisor to several presidents.9
The Graham family is just one of many powerful dynasties connected to Britney’s conservatorship. This dynastic network provides explanatory power why no one has yet to be held accountable. It is beyond the scope of this article to dive into the entire network radiating from Billy Graham. For now, it is important to note that Lou and her associates have been allied with Stefan Tchividjian for decades. He is connected to the Calvary Church network, and his daughter Blesi was recently an intern at Tri Star Sports and Entertainment.10 In 2006, Lou Taylor even co-wrote a devotional bible with Lisa Tchividjian, who is Stephan Tchividjian’s wife.11
A Hollywood Evangelical Cult
It can be perplexing to many that Lou Taylor, a fundamentalist Christian, was so intimately involved in controlling Britney’s life. The public sees a paradox: the iconography of a sensual pop star being controlled by a Christian fundamentalist!
I've always felt called to minister to people others don't normally get to. And I know a big part of that means hanging out with people who don't know God yet. I thrive in those situations…. We can get on thin ice quickly when it comes to connecting with unbelievers—we have to be careful. It takes accountability and years of learning to sort through what's OK to do or say and what isn't. - Lou Taylor12
Lou Taylor's espoused beliefs include common components of mainstream Evangelical Christianity. She doesn’t convert new followers by preaching to the choir.
God’s Business Plan
This isn’t a theological lesson on Evangelical Christianity, but there are schools of thought that Lou incorporates into her modus operandi.
There is no doubt that Lou believes she is divinely appointed to do the Lord’s work, and Tri Star is a means to that end. Lou sees herself as an instrument of God, and her celebrity clients are an extension of her calling, which she readily expresses in this episode of the Positive University podcast:
For those completely ignorant of Evangelical Christianity, I believe there are two main schools of thought that are important to understanding Lou’s approach.
The Prosperity Gospel
The prosperity gospel is an interpretation of the bible that believes God rewards His followers with power and wealth. Thus, those closer to God will be wealthier and rise to higher levels of power.
In February 2008, Lou Taylor gave an interview to her local Brentwood, Tennessee paper.13 In this interview, she provided the following quote:
“Our conduct alone speaks volumes. The most challenging part of my job is knowing if I don’t grow weary in the process of doing good, I will definitely reap a harvest.” - Lou Taylor
Coincidentally, this interview took place right when Britney was put into a conservatorship.
Lou is reference to a biblical quote from Galatians, which many adherents of the prosperity gospel use to justify their beliefs. Conversely, critiques of the prosperity gospel believe this is a misinterpretation, arguing that faithful followers receive more so they are able to give more.1415
The Seven Mountains Mandate
The Seven Mountains Mandate (Dominionism) is a belief that Christians are mandated to gain power over seven domains of cultural influence.1617 There is a hyper-focus on aggressively conquering these domains, as opposed to leading through values and leaving the results in God’s hands.
Lou perhaps interprets her work as a vehicle for Dominionism, seeing her clients as extensions of her godly mission, through whom she can transform the broader culture.
There are easily recognizable patterns of behavior that surround the people of Tri Star. Lou is shaped by an ideology that espouses the prosperity gospel and Dominionism, but her hybrid business model has all the hallmark traits of a high-control cult.
No One Joins A Cult
Anyone is susceptible to becoming a member of a cult. Your socioeconomic status or education level don’t inculcate you from coercive control. People often end up in cults during transitional or tumultuous times in their life. People don’t knowingly join cults; they believe they are joining communities that typically have noble goals.
Steven Hassan, PhD, developed the BITE Model of Authoritarian Control to explain how people become susceptible to undue influence.18
Many think of mind control as an ambiguous, mystical process that is difficult to define. Mind control refers to a specific set of methods and techniques, such as hypnosis or thought-stopping, that influence how a person thinks, feels, and acts.
Behavior Control
Regulate personal relationships
Enforce rigid rules
Use punishments and rewards to encourage compliance
Information Control
Censor information from non-cult sources
Encourage spying and reporting on other members
Weaponize “confession”
Thought Control
Instill rigid ideas of good vs bad
Gaslighting
Forbid asking critical questions
Emotional Control
Limit the types of emotions that are acceptable
Make the person feel the problem is always their fault
As Britney began to speak publicly about her conservatorship, it became obvious that it was run by a high-control cult. Britney has said that it felt like a cult and their coercive tactics exponentially escalated over time. The following post is from Britney’s Instagram in April 2022:
“I was screaming inside and no matter what I said it was always looked down on … again I will just SAY .. as I got older the head powers in my conservatorship were literally unbelievable … Yes the security, the management and mainly my father who was NEVER AVAILABLE all felt like a CULT !!!” - Britney Spears19
Who Was Controlling Jamie Spears?
Britney’s dad, Jamie Spears, was her conservator, but Britney has stated he was never available. From the beginning, Jamie was merely a proxy for Tri Star and others to control Britney. Understanding why and how abuse happened does not exculpate Jamie Spears.
Consider the facets of the BITE Model that we know Britney experienced. We have to wonder what was really going on with Jamie Spears….
The Cult of Tri Star Sports and Entertainment
The Diamond Cut Model of Coercive Control
My assessment is that Tri Star is a distinct type of cult masquerading as a business management company. While cults often proactively recruit celebrities, Lou Taylor is singularly focused on working with celebrities and high-profile clients. Lou’s hybrid business model aims to gain control over every facet of a client’s life under the guise of managing the mundane burdens of celebrity life.
How ominous is Lou’s statement from a podcast episode:
“We are an actual extension of every single person that touches their life.”
Tri Star’s objective is to act as a middleman between a celebrity and every other person in their life. Tri Star achieves immense power by deeply embedding itself in every aspect of a person’s life.
Furthermore, imagine the leverage this creates for Lou when making deals the entertainment industry. Industry professionals appreciate having a guaranteed product, and if you look closely, many of Lou’s clients are bundled together as package deals.
Britney became a Tri Star client because Lou first recruited people from Britney's personal and professional network. This pattern is similar to how Lou enmeshed herself into the lives of other celebrities. This pattern was repeated with Lindsay Lohan, with assistance from Britney’s longtime manager Larry Rudolph, although they weren’t able to secure a conservatorship.20
“Our clients are constantly bombarded with decisions that can fracture who they are. We make decisions, not based on our fees, that reflect best on the client and give them the most peace.” - Lou Taylor
Lou’s strategy resembles a bizarre inverted pyramid scheme, whereby Lou recruits everyone in a celebrity’s life to control the celebrity by proxy.
Lou’s Cult Leadership Style
Lou operates from a worldview in which she assumes dual roles: both a servant to God (giver) and a master of clients (taker). Anything Lou does is justified because of her biblical mission, which exists within a feedback loop of give-and-take.21
It is easy to imagine that Lou may be unpredictable in whether she treats people with either compassion or disdain. This unpredictability is a common leadership trait in cults leaders that fosters compliance. People constantly seek praise while always bracing themselves for a smack.
The Galactic Similarities of Tri Star & Scientology
Pay attention, and you’ll see how Britney’s conservatorship team mirror the activities of cults like Scientology and NXIVM:
Fixation on celebrities
Extreme secrecy
Surveillance
Public relations
Propaganda
Smear campaigns
Weaponizing the legal system
Excessive use of non-disclosure agreements, cease and desists, confidential settlements, and lawsuit threats
Suspicious monetary transactions
“The bible teaches us about ethics and doing what is right. There’s no reason why business should operate any differently.” - Lou Taylor22
Tri Star Is A Destructive Cult
The public must understand that how Britney was victimized is very similar to other survivors of high-control cults. It serves Tri Star and the abusive Hollywood system for people to believe that what happened to Britney was an extreme anomaly perpetrated by a low-class family. If her dad takes all the blame, then this abusive network will remain intact and unscathed.
My Diamond Model of the Tri Star Cult provides a framework to understand what actually happened in Britney’s case and what may be happening to other celebrities. It also offers an “out” for former cult members to explain why they did horrible things and willingly accept accountability for their actions.
"My dad worshiped those two women [Lou Taylor and Robin Greenhill] and would have done anything they asked of him !!!!23 - Britney Spears
Is it any wonder that Robin Greenhill has retained David C. Scheper, an attorney to the Church of Scientology, to represent her in the ongoing conservatorship proceedings for Britney’s case?24
Continue to Part 5 of the Chronicle of Lou Taylor:
Footnotes:
@NotedYourHonor tweet. Twitter. July 5, 2022.
Emails expose Britney Spears’ ex-biz manager’s involvement in conservatorship. Page Six. July 5, 2022.
Britney Spears’ Born Again Dad, Jamie, Tried to Cure Her With Religion. Page Six. October 6, 2021.
The Drew Marshall Show. August 5, 2006.
Lou Taylor: The Importance of Vision, Integrity, and Execution in Business. Positive University podcast. December 02, 2018.
Britney Spears Felt Trapped. Her Business Manager Benefited. New York Times. December 19, 2021.
Free Britney Norway post. Instagram. April 17, 2022.
Billy Graham: Pastor to the Presidents. Billy Graham Evangelical Association. February 17, 2023.
Becoming: Devotional Bible for Women. Lisa Harper, Lou Taylor, Lisa Tchividjian, Angela Thomas, Donna VanLiere, and Joy Williams. 2006.
Friends Outside the Faith. Today’s Christian Women. March 2007.
Inside One of Brentwood’s Most Unique Businesses: Face to Face with the CEO. Brentwood Life. February 4, 2008.
Did Paul Teach the Prosperity Gospel? The Gospel Coalition. September 16, 2019.
5 Critical Errors of the Prosperity Gospel. The Center for Faith & Culture. October 16, 2019.
What is the Seven Mountain Mandate, Prophecy? CARM. May 4, 2022.
How Evangelicals Lose Will Make All the Difference. The Gospel Coalition. July 10, 2023.
Repost of Britney’s post on April 4, 2022 by Free Britney Yesterday
Lou Taylor: On Fearless Leadership. Real Good Company podcast. May 28, 2020.
Boca Woman Helps Companies Blend Business, ‘Biblical Ethics’. Palm Beach Post. April 10, 1997.
Britney Spears Deletes Instagram Post Threatening to Sue Tri Star. Billboard. February 23, 2022.
Liz Day of the New York Times’ tweet. Twitter. July 19, 2022.
I grew up in Calvary chapel fort launderdale, went to school there pre-k through 12th grade. I have since completely disassociated myself from the church entirely. I know some of the people mentioned in this post. And I just have to say, this whole deep dive is extremely enlightening for me. Thank you for taking the time to do this. Calvary is its own monster that I and many others were left traumatized by. It is a cult. It is toxic. And I hope eventually they get outed in a public manor beyond what’s already been revealed here and elsewhere. I’ve been keeping up with the whole Diddy case and I was shocked (though not surprised) to learn of Lou Taylor’s connection to a network I grew up alongside. I hope Lou Taylor gets thoroughly outed along with Diddy and everyone else. It’s horrifying just how tangled this web of abuse and abuse of power is.