Britney Spears is making headlines yet again this week, although this time the rumored custodial dispute is not over her conservatorship but rather her children’s.
The latest Britney Spears drama began as some shocking allegations were lodged against her, stating rampant drug use and calling into question her ability to parent her two sons Jayden James and Sean Preston. Before we brief you on everything you need to know about the latest upheaval in the pop princess’s life, it’s time to first get acquainted with the short love story of Kevin Federline and Spears.
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline’s whirlwind romance
Britney Spears hit superstardom at the tender age of 16, but her skyrocketing fame was a double-edged sword. While she attained celebrity status as a teenage icon, her personal life began to falter. Her behavior became increasingly bizarre and erratic, leaving many surprised when she began dating a backup dancer of her former lover Justin Timberlake. According to an interview given to People, Britney met her new beau, Kevin Federline in 2004 at a Hollywood nightclub and the two became inseparable. As Federline, who worked as a backup dancer, was already the father of two children and exhibited a rough demeanor along with a shaggy appearance, he was deemed an odd choice for the pop princess.
If people were surprised by their dating announcement, they were even more shocked by the couple’s whirlwind romance which resulted in a wedding only three short months after they began dating. This would be the second surprise wedding for Spears as she had secretly married her high school sweetheart in a Las Vegas ceremony earlier that year, only for the marriage to be annulled 55 hours later.
Fans’ concerns for the starlet increased as she soon became pregnant with Federline’s baby and they welcomed their first child Sean Preston just a few days shy of the couple’s one-year wedding anniversary. Shortly thereafter the two welcomed another son, Jayden James in 2006. Yet, only eight weeks after the celebratory event, Spears filed for divorce. So let’s recap. In just three years, Spears had gotten married and divorced for the first time, met Kevin, married him, had two children with him, then divorced him.
Although the couple had initially planned to share custody of their two children, by June of 2007 Spears was entering a rehab facility in Malibu and Federline had concerns over her stability and ability to care for the children. Her infamous head-shaving, car window-bashing breakdown also happened around this time. While he remained supportive of Spears, Federline expressed concerns over her ability to care for herself let alone their two children.
Spears’s father, Jamie Spears, also began conservatorship of his daughter around this time. Kevin handled the lion’s share of the parenting while Spears managed her mental health, although the two did share joint custody. Things went fairly smoothly for years until 2018 brought new drama for the couple as Federline asked for more child support from Spears. He claimed he made “less than 1%” of the singer’s income and it was the only fair agreement to ensure the children’s needs were met. After many court battles, Spears finally agreed and began paying him thousands more per month in child support. The conservatorship of Britney has since been dissolved but fans continue to show concern over her mental health.
The latest claims against Britney Spears
Recent reports have alleged that Britney Spears is using illegal drugs, most specifically methamphetamine and that she is not a safe custodian for her boys. This news came in the wake of Federline’s upcoming move to Hawaii, where he would be taking his children with him. The original report, by Daily Mail, claimed that many of Spears’ friends and family members feared the worst for her and were concerned she would “end up like Amy Winehouse.” The report further stated Federline was in agreement with that statement and was worried for the singer’s safety. As per the article, his two sons, now 17 and 16, were refusing to see or spend time with their mother and Federline was worried they would wake up one morning to find she had overdosed.
But since the report came out, both Spears and Federline have spoken out against the baseless claims, calling them “false” and “distressing.” Federline has spoken out in support of Spears labeling the allegations “false” and citing “bad journalism” as the cause of the rumors and allegations. He reported that they had “trusted” the reporters, calling them out by name, and revealed that they had severed ties with those journalists months ago. Spears also stated how she constantly feels like the “news bullies me” which is certainly understandable given that this is not the first time when attempts have been made to malign her reputation with false claims that have only picked up speed following her long conservatorship battle.