Britney Spears' longtime manager says the pop star, currently on a career hiatus for family and health reasons, might not return to performing.
"As the person who guides her career _ based on the information I and all of the professionals who work with her are being told on a need-to-know basis _ from what I have gathered it's clear to me she should not be going back to do this Vegas residency, not in the near future and possibly never again," Rudolph, 55, told TMZ.com Wednesday, referring to the revue "Domination" scheduled to begin three months ago at the Park MGM hotel and casino in Las Vegas.
In early January, Grammy Award-winner Spears, 37, put the show on hold in order to be with her father, Jamie Spears, who she said had been hospitalized and had almost died. Rudolph, alluding to the singer's history of psychiatric issues, which has kept her under a conservatorship since 2008, said, "It was the perfect storm. We had to pull her show because her meds stopped working and she was distraught over her dad's illness."
He added the hiatus might affect more than the residency. "Last summer, when she wanted to tour, she called me every day. She was excited," Rudolph said. "She hasn't called me in months. Crickets. She clearly doesn't want to perform now." Spears on April 3 had posted on Instagram that she was taking "a little 'me time,' " with TMZ that day saying she had checked herself into a mental-health facility for at least 30 days.
"I don't want her to work again 'till she's ready, physically, mentally and passionately," Rudolph said. "If that time never comes again it will never come again. I have no desire or ability to make her work again. I am only here for her when she wants to work. And, if she ever does want to work again, I'm here to tell her if it's a good idea or a bad idea."
Spears has not commented on social media. Her most recent post is an Instagram video on May 4 showing her doing yoga and handstand-walking outdoors.
