Lord, this is a tough story. From what I understand, Britney Spears does not live independently. Her father is still her conservator, even though there’s been a ton of drama about the conservatorship this year. Britney has a lot of help, from running her house to managing her medication. Britney also has access to her sons, Sean and Jayden, although Kevin Federline has primary custody of them. K-Fed has always allowed Britney to have access to the boys, believing (correctly) that their sons help stabilize her. But giving Britney access to their sons means that Jamie Spears also has a lot of access to them too. And now… it’s all become quite toxic and abusive. Britney had to remove her sons after Jamie “violently shook” Sean Preston.
Britney Spears protected her kids following her 13-year-old son Sean Preston’s alleged altercation with her father Jamie, according to her ex-husband Kevin Federline’s lawyer. On Aug. 25, Federline and his attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan filed a police report at the Ventura County Sheriff’s station against the singer’s father Jamie Spears, alleging he physically abused Sean during a visit at his home one day prior.
According to Kaplan’s testimony as recorded in the police report, Spears’ 12-year-old son Jayden was also present during Jamie and Sean’s fight. The Blast reports that Jamie allegedly “violently shook” Sean after breaking down a bedroom door to reach him. A rep and a lawyer for Spears did not immediately respond to a request for comment from PEOPLE. Jamie also did not respond to calls for comment.
“Britney did the right thing and removed the children and took them out of there,” says Kaplan, who adds that Federline still wants his ex-wife to have “continuing and meaningful contact with their mother.”
Spears’ sons were also recently granted a restraining order against their grandfather, 67, that was filed by Federline and Kaplan. PEOPLE confirmed earlier on Tuesday that Spears and Federline came to a new child custody arrangement last week which gives Spears 10 percent of custodial rights and Federline 90 percent. Kaplan tells PEOPLE Spears’ visits are required to be supervised.
The custody issue and the child support issue was a big deal last year, when Kevin and his lawyer went to court to get additional support and Jamie Spears – not Britney – tried to fight it. Kevin asked for a full audit of Britney’s finances and… well, let’s just say that Kevin ended up getting what he wanted in the end, which was more money. I bring that up because it’s felt like Kevin and Britney have found an okay co-parenting balance and if left to their own devices, they could figure out a way to be good parents to these boys. But Jamie Spears seems to disrupt that. And now Jamie is getting violent with the boys. It’s wrong and I’m glad Kevin and his lawyers already have everything lined up, from the custody issue to the restraining order. I don’t know what else to say other than… maybe Jamie should not be Britney’s conservator anymore.
Photos courtesy of WENN.
This was not at all the kind of story I’d expect from this group of people. I wonder if Jamie’s health issues have caused a change in personality, or if he’s always been like this.
That said – let’s not pretend Brit had the ability to remove the boys from her father. Kevin did. And let’s also not forget that Brit herself has been accused of abusing the boys – driving with them on her lap, holding them hostage in her home refusing to return them to their father. She’s definitely not mother of the year, here.
You evidently think Kevin is father of the year, but he’s lying that Britney got her son out of the situation? You think she just sat there and let her dad abuse her child? Really?
No, I don’t think he’s father of the year. But considering that she only has supervised visits with the kids, and only recently gained a meager 10% of custody while still supervised, I’m stating that she only has SO MUCH POWER – she barely has control over her own life. Kevin and HIS lawyer went to court over this and got the restraining order sorted out.
She may have removed the kids from the situation – which that’s exactly what needed to happen- but that’s a pretty baseline thing to do and any adult who saw that SHOULD be doing that same thing.
But again – it does not negate the fact that the kids were abused at her hands prior to this.
Didn’t all that happen BEFORE Britney got properly diagnosed and medicated? I remember the kids were babies when the car thing happened (and yes, it was awful, but let’s remember, a LOT of us older ones grew up before seatbelts were mandatory and were held on our parents’ laps in a car (and yet we survived!)).
I read somewhere yesterday that KFed and Brit have a 70/30 split of custody, and it does NOT have to be supervised visits….?
Britney has definitely endangered her sons when they were small and that is abuse. But I do not see any evidence that she is abusive to them physically. In fact, after all her years in the media and all she went through, I’ve never known or heard of her to act out physically on anyone (umbrella incident seemed quite isolated and came from her most extreme psychotic break). And she has always come across as an affectionate and caring mother, and a generally sweet and simple person.
Her endangerment abuse of her small children stemmed from her extreme break from reality. She should not make decisions alone, that was shown early on with her driving with a baby in her lap. She’s not able to make safe decisions. That is a limitation due to her mental illness.
I’m just saying, I think she’s most likely a gentle and loving mother who shows the boys affection and care, is unable to be a real caretaker to them, but would not allow them to be hurt By her father in her presence. I think she does the very best she can for her boys and if she was not as extremely mentally ill as she is she would do more I’m sure. But I just don’t think she’s an “abusive” parent.
I tend to agree, Charlie. The thing is though – she’s been monitored. We don’t know what kind of situation she’d be in if she wasn’t. There’s still a risk that if she wasn’t being supervised that she could go off her medication and be in a similar situation she was in in the mid 2000’s and then a danger to herself or the kids.
I think that for the most part she is probably a lovely albeit troubled woman. I don’t doubt for a second that she loves her kids. I think she is a wealthy redneck at heart, and I don’t mean that as an insult. She’d probably be incredibly happy living her days out on a small hobby farm/ranch where she could have some horses and goats or whatever. It’d give her a routine – taking care of farm animals is no joke – but it’d get her out of the public eye and living her life more for herself. And I think she could thrive.
I don’t think she’s an intentionally abusive parent – especially not in the physical way. But she’s been shown to be neglectful and a potential source of danger to the kids. Even in recent years there’s been discussions about how she can’t put her phone down while driving. It’s been a recurring theme with her at this point, and that’s WITH supervision. There’s just so many variables that could come into play, and we don’t know what kind of situation would be created if she didn’t have a team of people guiding and supervising her.
@Erinn when I read that she still needs supervised visits after over a decade, all I could think of was the commenters reaction to Brad Pitt’s supervised visits. I don’t know if it’s just that people find Britney more sympathetic (as do I) ior feel that hey mental illness is worse than addiction, but there is certainly a different reaction.
(yes, I know that Brad got physical with Maddox, but as we established, Britney has put her sons in legitimately dangerous situations several times. I’m not trying to say Brad’s a great guy, just that I think Erinn is correct that we would treat a male celebrity differently.)
I agree. Britney seems to be a very sweet and caring person who has been used as an ATM since she was very small. I see her very vulnerable and been taken advantage of her whole life. It’s obvious she loves her sons and doesn’t abuse them
I think although what you’re both describing does constitute abuse, much of this comes down to Britney’s illness. I don’t think she’s intentionally abusive, although the same could be said of most people who in fact are. It seems in Britney’s case though, it highlights the fact that she might not be getting the care and help needed.
Her past parenting issues shouldn’t be held against her. If she’s better then there is no reason why she can’t parent well. If she’s still unwell then that means that someone in this chain is failing her. We need to be more understanding of mental illness and ready to help rather than judging actions as though they are of those of a well person.
Erinn your take is harsh. The incidents you describe were years ago and while we don’t know what goes on behind closed doors it appears that Britney has been appropriate and happy around her boys for a long time so again I think you’re being too harsh on Britney.
This. We’re talking years ago to the point her kids probably don’t remember and she was essentially suicidal. I’m not saying what happened was okay, but other than freaking out in front of them, and I could be wrong, I don’t recall her ever physically abusing them and I definitely don’t believe there’s be any instance of her abusing them in any way since then. Have a seat.
I’m aware this was harsh. But I want you to imagine if this was a male celebrity in this position. I don’t think people would be brushing off the standoff with cops and driving with children on their lap as something that just happened ‘years ago’ that should be forgotten. Remember – she’s been incredibly managed at this point. She is supervised around the kids. She’s still struggling. I don’t know that those kids WOULD be safe with her if she didn’t have all the support in place. None of us know. Maybe they’d be perfectly fine – but when all you have is a history to go on it certainly isn’t something I’d risk if they were my kids and I were Kevin.
I’ve seen a lot of “oh it’s all a lie, Britney’s a captive” and I find that frightening. The courts don’t keep conservatorships this long without cause. There would have to be SO many people paid off if this was all a devious plot to get to her money and keep her medicated when she no longer needed it, and people seem to genuinely believe that’s the case. And I find that is such a dangerous position to take. People struggling with mental illness are not monsters, they’re not evil, they’re not awful people. But when someone is struggling as much as Britney seems to have been they need extra support and help. And I don’t think it would be in anyone’s best interest to remove that conservatorship. I’d love to think that she could get her life back under control (and I believe that she should be taking some kind of counseling to help her cope and to accomplish more and more on her own) and be an amazing mother to her kids and have a great life. The poor woman deserves that. But I honestly don’t think it’s something as simple as that. I truly do worry about the woman – I idolized her as a kid, I had cassette tapes, dolls, posters, etc. But I think the reason we don’t hear about any more incidents is because the plan that was put in place for her was for the most part necessary.
@ soupie and @ Shannon – totally disagree. Children remember trauma from a young age. I had a case where a child would scream whenever anyone drove him past a particular McDonalds. Other witnesses indicated that the step father has beaten his mother in the parking lot of that restaurant and they had run from the restaurant to help. The child was 1 1/2 when that happened and his foster parents read victim input statements at the step father”s sentencing that the child still screamed and physically shook years later whenever they went near the restaurant even though he could never articulate why. They had to never go back there. So no –
just because she’s “better now” and that was years ago doesn’t remove the trauma.
I think it’s a little unfair to equate a couple bad parenting decisions (like driving with a baby on your lap) with physical abuse. Both hurt the children but the intent is so different.
And that whole lap incident stemmed from Britney trying to flee the paparazzi. That doesn’t make it okay but context is important here.
This is such a sad situation all-around.
Internalized misogyny is a real thing and I’ve been up all night working so I can’t even. Whatever y’all say. Let’s just take her kids away and ruin her life forever over a breakdown she had over a decade ago. THAT’D be good for her sons, right? Let’s just remove any parental rights she has or any rights at all and hand them all over to K-Fed and Jamie. Happy now?
Shannon, I was actually defending Britney. Not sure where you got that from. I was saying that the people comparing her driving with a baby on her lap to her father physically abusing one of the boys is way over the line.
She took her children hostage, locked them in a bathroom with her, and authorities were seriously concerned she was going to kill them.
It was more than the driving/paparazzi incidents. She was a real threat to her children.
@Jen, I wasn’t replying to you but it looks like I did, so I apologize! I didn’t mean to @ you, that’s mybad!
That’s a hell of a first comment on a story about a boy having his grandfather smash a door down to put hands on him.
I’m confused. Britney WAS the one to remove her sons from the situation. Kevin then came to pick them up, and went to file a report after. She may not be mother of the year, but neither is Kevin. She is trying her best, and you can tell spending time with her sons is what’s best for her AND her boys.
That detail gives me pause.
I can see, where if a grandparent suspected that a child was abusing drugs or doing some other harmful activity, that he might use force to open a locked door. However, I don’t know details about this incident, but I am not going to damn Jamie just yet.
Knowing Britney’s history, and how drug use coincided with mental health issues, I can see where a grandparent would worry.
@ Erinn et al, In all the misogyny of the world, grab a girl’s back and less comments such as this. As a mother, I have compassion for her in this situation. Life is not easy. And I am sure you don’t know her personally, so find compassion.
It’s sounds like she got them out of the house when they were in danger. Kevin is handling the legal aspect, but Britney still took action and protected her kids.
I agree her earlier behavior was extremely worrisome and a form of abuse, but she has well documented health issues and that was prior to treatment, and she has greatly improved. Should she be given full custody? Of course not, but I don’t think we need to slam her right now, when Jamie is the one who acted badly here.
Exactly this. She removed them from the physical danger (it sounds like) and then Kevin followed up with the legal steps to keep them from danger.
She made mistakes and has health issues. But I think she loves her kids deeply and would not put them in harm’s way purposefully.
@ LUCY2–EXACTLY!!!!!
What a crappy first comment on this story. She removed her sons from her father, who has likely been abusive to her as well (abusive tiger doesn’t change his stripes) and Kevin even came out to say that she removed her sons & did the right thing. I doubt that was easy for her to stand up to her father & conservator, but she did for her sons. Kudos Brittney.
While she made some poor choices in the past, the effect of driving on your mother’s lap vs running away from your grandpa, locking yourself in a room & having the door beat down so he can physically assault you is not the same. These instances are so different for a child & so is the effect.
This thread reeks of sexism & double standards.
The abuse by Britney you are referring to occurred many years ago when she was mentally ill but untreated. She is now under treatment. Federline is cautious (hence the supervised visits), but if she is getting 10% (30%?) possibly unsupervised custody, that suggests he and the judge feel things are safer now. I’m not sure if that is actually a reduction, though. Federline has had full custody although he always expressed the wish that they could return to the previous 50% custody before her dramatic breakdown. But I think that was not actually feasible, although he allowed as much access as possible as long as it was supervised and she did not drive with them.
The boys are much older now also and he probably feels they know how to deal with their mother. She was never physically abusive, although her reckless actions did put them in danger.
But this behavior by their grandfather seems very uncharacteristic. Federline trusted Jamie to supervise visits even when the boys were very young. The fact that he filed a police report and got a restraining order means he no longer trusts Jamie. I would suspect medical issues with Jamie are involved here. Granted, his older grandson is now an adolescent and the dynamics inevitably change. But even so – if things happened as described – something is very wrong.
Federline is a rather mellow fellow and not a drama queen and has always gone far beyond legal arrangements to maintain good contact between the boys and their mother and maternal grandparents. He would not do this unless he was convinced that his children’s safety required it.
Kevin and his lawyer stated Britney got the kids out of the situation, not Britney. Kevin and his lawyer have definitely shown every sign that they protect those boys so don’t think they would be lying about it. Now my guess is it’s not quite the situation people on here are picturing, as I can’t see Britney physically much less mentally being able to get her father off her boys either. I’m guessing she screamed at Jamie and he probably then realized what the hell am I doing or maybe not, but stopped enough for Britney to get the boys out of the room.
I know Britney needs some help, but I think Jamie should probably be done with this conservatorship. What’s up with her Mom?
Removing her son from the situation could be as simple as calling Kevin, who as you stated does have power. Even if she was the epitome of mental wellness she couldn’t physically stop her father. Doing what she could do is a good parenting.
Do you have an inside scoop on this?
Why are you claiming Kevin removed the kids and not Britney. I have no reason to believe she and her people are unable to keep the children safe.
No one knows about her father in this or prior situations. I’m glad to see Kevin continue to be a great parent and for he and Britney to continue on the same page
All the news articles I read said they had 50/50 physical custody though he had majority legal custody. After the incident with Jaime it was reduced to 30/70. Her previous custody was unsupervised but I assume she always has an entourage with her.
This is awful and really should not be played out in public. I’m curious about her father since this behavior seems out of character. Is it possible the dad’s medical issues were a lot worst that reported? Everything seem to escalate so quickly on all fronts after he got sick.
From what I recall, Jamie was violent during Brit’s childhood (which was also at the peak of his alcoholism) – since he got sober I’ve not heard anything about this type of behaviour. He may have relapsed.
Its good that she removed the kids from the situation. The Spears family is one screwed up massive dysfunctional unit.
He could have relapsed… it’s also possible that whatever mental health issues Brit has are genetic or otherwise somehow inherited from her dad.
He has been a stabilizing force in her life so far, as far as we can tell, but this is a very sad story and I hope Britney and the boys are all healthy and safe.
It’s good that she removed them, and as much as K-Fed seems like he’s used her fame at times, it does seem like he is a good, steady parent. I’m glad those boys have him.
@Anna – Jamie’s mother suffered with MH issues and I believe she committed suicide. Certain types of MH issues are hereditary such as Bipolar so it seems that it runs in his side of the family.
Now he could be on some kind of medication which affects him too, especially if he was an alcoholic maybe the effect is too strong. Still, not sure what they should do.
I don’t think this is out of character for her father. If you’ve been watching his relationship with Brittney, throughout her life, he comes across as a very controlling person & that can quickly careen into abuse.
Andrew Wallet should have been replaced. As her sole conservator, Jamie has way too much power over her life.
Did Jamie Spears relapse?
I was under the impression he was deathly ill. Guess not.
He could be both. They’re not mutually exclusive.
I just thought of this…he had some scary health issues and serious surgeries, so it’s possible that pain pills are in the mix and he’s predisposed to addiction given his alcoholism.
Brit clearly needs a new conservator but it shouldn’t be Lynn and I don’t think her brother wants the job. 🙁
Yeah, poor Britney seems to be surrounded by a lot of people in her life who don’t have her best interests at heart. It’s sad.
I think she needs someone independent and not emotionally involved to take over.
When people grow older, the cognitive decline means that impulse control is weakened. The practical effect is that their personality intensifies. Someone who was always nice and kind becomes the sweetest old lady. Someone who became nasty and abusive drunk becomes nasty and abusive sober.
Makes me wonder what kind of abuse Britney and her sister may have had to endure as well. This is awful.
Here’s a thought. Maybe Britney doesn’t NEED a conservator. Good God, if I’d given birth to two children in a row in my early 20s to a gaslighting husband (look, Kevin’s grown up and it’s cool, but does anyone remember anything anymore? He gaslit the shit out of her when she filed for divorce) and under the pressure of fame, throw in some drugs and some bad people, do you even want to know how many people I would have hit with umbrellas or how many times I would’ve shaved my head? I’ve blown up on a smaller scale over less than that, and here I am, living my own life with a cell phone and a driver’s license like a full-grown adult. Seriously, this entire situation has been shady from the get-go. She’s being used just like she was from the beginning.
yeah, I agree. I always felt bad for her because it seems pretty clear that she wanted to leave Kevin and then got pregnant the second time. I can only imagine having two kids back to back with someone that I didn’t want to be with anymore. I also thought the umbrella incident was unfair. if I was constantly stalked by paparazzi I’d constantly want to hit them with umbrellas. The whole thing is extremely weird and shadyto me. It’s obvious that she needs help, but I don’t know that anyone she’s been around his ever been in her corner.
This ^^^. I mean, Kevin stepped up and did what a person is supposed to do. Great. Now that narrative has turned into, ‘Britney didn’t actually take her son out of an abusive situation and her dad and ex saved the day.’ The internalized misogyny here makes me cringe. It’s like nobody here remembers or has ever even heard of post-partum depression.
Damn, ^^^ we got Brit’s doctor on the feed. Or at least one of them. Actually several, but certainly Uybc is one of them. Please enlighten us all.
Also she’s said she’s had basically zero trust in anyone, especially after that Sam Lutfi drugged her and gaslit the F out of her during her psychotic break where reality didn’t feel like reality anyway. So to now not be able to trust her father, who also runs her financial and personal life, I feel terrible for her. I think the issues with her boys years ago were isolated and she seems like a caring gentle person who loves and cares deeply for her boys, and don’t see why she WOULDN’T call Kevin and have the boys removed.
Hope Brit finds a solution soon.
Ummm, Britney did give interviews about being bipolar in 2013 and I think again in 2017. And she had issues with her medication. Mental illness is nothing to feel ashamed about but unfortunately she suffered from way more more than postpartum and I feel for her.
All Kevin said was, that she was crazy and hit him with a frying pan.
Right now they can’t even get her meds right, sounds like you would like to see her shaving her head and running around doing crazy things.
She needs someone to make sure she takes her medicine, people with mental problems always feel they’re better and skip their meds.
“people with mental problems always feel they’re better and skip their meds.”
No, they don’t always do this.
Well done, though, for making a completely erroneous sweeping generalisation about “people with mental problems”.
YEEEssss @ Lu all of it 🖖🏽
Thank God they don’t ALWAYS do this, but yes, many many do. I live with one in my family and it is heartbreaking and not uncommon at all.
Wow what a shitty thing to say. I’ve been on meds for bipolar disorder for years and years and I’ve never thought I’d feel better if I skipped my meds. I’m actually scared shitless that I will some day forget to take them or will otherwise be unable to do it because life without them is literally like living hell. I’m not saying this never happens but most of us “people with mental problems” are responsible and dedicated to taking care of ourselves.
It is a thing, my bipolar sister decides from time to time she is “better” a bipolar friend of mine hates taking the drugs and every few years says she doesn’t think she needs them (oh my god does she need them)
My 24 year old son, who lives with his dad right now is also bipolar, we just discovered he has been mostly not taking his pills for about 3 months now. I fill his prescriptions and noticed he wasn’t running out like he should be so i did a pill count, NOW his dad is the one handing him his pills.
I’m bipolar and I take my meds, but I have a tendency to forget, bad memory is definitely part of this.
My 14 year old son, severely bipolar, is on 7 meds right now, his dad and i give him his pills.
My older son will always have to have his pills monitored because he forgets then he starts skipping because he can’t remember then gives up on taking them.
My younger son as it looks right now may always be living with us, he’s only 14 so things could still change for the better. We may one day have to get a conservator ship though. But either way we will probably always be taking care of him to some extent.
People who don’t understand mental illness REALLY don’t get it. It comes in all different types and flavors and can change at the drop of the hat.
Seriously? We *always* think we’re better and stop our meds? In what universe is a sweeping statement like that acceptable?
I’ve had depression and anxiety for three decades, since preschool, and since I took over my mental health as an adult, I’ve worked closely with my physician to make sure that I’m on appropriate medication and also taking all other necessary steps to take care of myself. Literally 1 in 5 people in the US have mental health issues, and you don’t know about most of them, so clearly, we’re handling it.
Do some mentally ill people go off their meds (whether intentionally or through forgetfulness)? Absolutely. Some diabetic people don’t follow their dietary restrictions, some people with cancer opt out of chemo, and some people with depression don’t take their meds.
You’re contributing to the stigma about mental illness, and it is so not okay.
I cant Help but think of The Yellow Wallpaper when it comes to Britney.
Yes! God, that story.
Other posters over the years have pointed out that it’s incredibly difficult to obtain a conservatorship, and there have been periodic hearings in court whether to continue or terminate it, with the judge granting “continue” every time. Medical professionals are consulted and records reviewed.
I don’t think this is Jamie getting one over on the courts.
Yeah, there is a reason these conservatorships continue. It seems like Britney has some mental health issues that, when treated, allow her function (relatively) normally, but whatever her illnesses, Britney apparently needs structure and support. I just hope her dad has her best interests at heart, because this incident with her sons really puts that into question.
It’s incredibly difficult when you are a regular Joe. Somehow I don’t think it’s the same for someone with those kind of resources. My uber wealthy friend’s sister had her daughter committed when she flew into Fla. cause she didn’t like the boyfriend. It was easy for her to do. 6 months later daughter is sans boyfriend and all is fine.
Plus there was no denying Britney was having issues, when they started this, and then he has control over all of her and she seems fine. She just really changed one co-dependency for another her father, at some point she either has to get on her own or hire or find other sources. I think this would totally disqualify Jamie.
Its It’s actually come to light that her dad claimed she has dementia to get the conservatorship granted (by a judge who was in cahoots with the conservatorship lawyers. They would have seminars as to why conservatorships were so lucrative). Once the conservatorship was granted, the claim of dementia disappeared. Yes, conservatorship are hard to get and should be used as a last resort. But the way her team went about doing it was illegal and violated her rights.
@shannon my thoughts exactly.
Federline didn’t gaslight her. She had genuine mental health issues that started surfacing even when she was dating Timberlake. She became worse over time. She was doing many batshit crazy things at the time of the divorce and like many people, Federline had no idea what to do or what was really happening.
But he definitely was there for her and the kids and did all the right things when she ended up hospitalized and started to get treatment for what is obviously a complex and very difficult mental illness. And he has continued to do the right thing, making sure that she (and her parents)had as much access to the boys as possible under supervision, even when the judge said no visitation. He has never said anything bad about her and was even optimistic that they could return to 50-50 custody some day. He rearranged his own life to make that access possible. If he were a woman rather than a man, you all would be nominating him for sainthood. Instead, he has been unfairly painted as a leech.
he also doesn’t work and his life (and current wife and younger kids) are supported off of Britney’s money.
he can be a decent dude and a good dad and also be a leech, these things aren’t mutually exclusive.
@ Arizona – I beg to differ about the work thing — raising the kids he shares with Britney, complicated by the fact that he makes sure the kids can be available within her sometimes complex schedule, is work. If the genders were reversed, most people would not blink an eye at a woman whose full-time work is raising the kids. Do his other kids and his wife benefit from the financial support he receives? No doubt, they do. But that doesn’t mean that his job isn’t raising those boys, along with his other kids. And the amount he receives in child support is not outrageous given her fortune; many women in his situation would receive far more.
@Josephine if Britney was the working parent and Kevin was a SAHD, my comment wouldn’t apply. he’s remarried, with two kids younger than the ones with Britney, and neither he nor his wife work. so he is supporting Britney’s kids, himself, his wife, and their two kids, all off of Britney’s dime. I would side-eye any woman who did the same thing. I also wouldn’t side-eye him if his wife worked. my comment had nothing to do with not considering work around the house or raising kids “work”, nor did it have anything to do with gender. it had to do with the fact that Britney is not only paying to support her kids, but his entire second family.
@Shannon and Arizona – Conservatorships are not issued lightly. It is very difficult to get the courts to agree that an adult cannot manage her own life. Therefore, I’m inclined to believe that Britney has major mental health issues that she cannot manage on her own, even after all this time. I’m not Britney’s doctor so it’s not my place to speculate what those issues are. It’s true that shitty parents, early fame, drug use, and god knows what else contributed to Britney’s issues. But don’t kid yourself into thinking those are her only issues. She struggles with something way, way more serious than that.
Kevin gets a bit of a bad rap, but has been a constant in those boys’ life since the beginning. It’s clear he wants Britney to have a relationship with them. The whole thing is sad because from the sound of it neither of Britney’s parents are fit to be her conservator.
oh, I think the conservatorship is warranted. my question is whether she should be working like she has if her situation is as serious as the conservatorship implies.
Arizona – I completely agree with that. And that’s the problem with having either of her parents as conservator, I think. They want to keep that cash coming in.
Again, we don’t know the facts, but she was obviously having some sort of mental break when the conservatorship started. The conservatorship worked and she has a lucrative career since too, and I don’t think anyone has made a real good effort to remove it. It was working why tip the applecart. I mean she might be able to function on her own, but I doubt she would have her career. Maybe even she realized that and thought this was the best way. Now I’m guessing this will change it, and I personally think Kevin wants her to do something without Jamie at least as he made a point to say Britney helped their kids in this situation. He didn’t have to say that publicly.
Kevin unfortunately does get a bit of a bad rap, but initially many moons ago he was a leech of a boyfriend. Since though he has been a good father and tried to help Britney, so I’ll give him his due.
Kevin seems to be a really good dad, but I don’t think he’s ever stopped being a leech. if he had, he wouldn’t be supporting a household of six off of Britney’s child support. which is only supposed to be to keep her two boys in a comparable living situation to what Britney can provide. it’s not supposed to be payment for being a good dad.
I really have a lot of questions about what her mental capabilities are. Like, she still has to have supervised visits with her sons, and she still needs a conservatorship, and she’s not capable of doing anything by herself, but then she’s capable of performing and being a show pony? her restrictions just seem unbelievably rigid and strict for being over a decade removed from her public breakdown, unless there’s something very very very majorly wrong.
The whole situation seems really sad. I feel for her and her sons, and I weirdly give credit to Kevin federline for trying to keep things stable as possible and not just taking the kids and running.
From what I’ve read the visits need to be supervised as she is unable to parent them as she doesn’t know how – lets face it just look at her own parents and you can see why. Its said that she often ignores them spending time glued to her phone. There were other comments made that apparently came from someone appointed by the court that I can’t recall at the moment. I think given her mental health problems Kevin insists that they are supervised.
Regarding Jamie, do I think that he saved her life? Yes. Do I think that maybe he’s more controlling than he needs to be, probably. Does she still need the conservation, yes but I also think it should be less restrictive than it is – it could be loosened so that its only in place for her finances.
I’d be curious to know what the other issues were, because being on your phone a lot with a 12-year-old and a 13-year-old around is not where they is court ordered supervision, no matter how not great I might think that is.
The whole thing is confusing because they leak a lot of details, but not nearly enough to give anyone an accurate picture of what’s going on so it’s all very confusing.
I thought Britney didn’t have a phone? Or at least, that her access to social media was restricted, and the people who post to her social media profiles are actually her employees, not Britney herself.
I think a few things can be true:
– it’s disgusting that she’s trotted out to make money for people when the majority of her issues likely stem from being used as a cash cow since childhood
– that performing schedule probably does give her a good routine, which is likely important for her mental health.
And yeah, it’s all really, really sad.
She was always self-driven. I suspect her younger sister was pushed more into show biz to be another Britney, but Britney herself really wanted to do it all. Her mom needed to rein her in more, though, and that apparently was a big source of conflict between her parents. But definitely working is therapeutic for her.
I don’t understand why people are highlighting the “monitored visits” part. From my understanding, if she is under the conservatorship, she is deemed unfit to hold full custody so it is reasonable for the visits to always be monitored because she, herself, is monitored all the time, no? Isn’t this normal under the circumstances? Doesn’t mean she isn’t a good parent, or an abusive one like people in this thread are saying.
There is something majorly wrong. The few reporters who’ve seen the full details of her conservatorship have said she suffers from several serious co-morbid disorders.
She performs because it’s basically the one thing she can do, and she seems to get significantly more unwell when she has nothing to do. She also needs to make money while she can, because she’s going to need care all her life and her father isn’t always going to be around. The last time she was unmedicated she was spending millions a week on Walmart/Target junk, so they have to factor in that if she ever gets out of the conservatorship she could throw away a huge chunk of her fortune before anyone could step in.
Agree with Chica that this should not be played out in public. And Kevin seems to be the one with stability and rational behavior and thinking. Funny how maybe people come into our lives for a reason. Who would have thought way back when that K-Fed would be a stabilizing force in Her life.
This is terrible but Britney did the right thing. She loves her boys and it’s sad her time with them is supervised. Maybe that’s because her father is there. Very sad situation for a woman who once had the world at her feet. I’ve always wished her well and I hope she finds someone who truly looks after her best interests. She’s not an ATM.
What a terribly sad situation all around. That conservatorship needs to be evaluated ASAP. Seems like Jamie, for whatever reason, is not up to the task anymore.
Oh well, Kevin Federline wanted more money as usual. Yep, he would find a way, one way or another. That being said no kid should be abused nor violently shaken.
Britney is stuck between her father and her ex. Like between a rock and a hard place.
The amounts that Federline has been getting over the years is a pittance compared to the cost of living in that area. The judge decides such things based on the idea that the children should have similar lifestyles with both parents. The parent with more money pays the other parent to make sure this happens. Federline does not make the decision, the judge does. He can petition the court for review of the finances, but he cannot force anything.
If Federline were a woman, people would be complaining that he is not receiving enough and praising him for his reasonableness. He has really done right by his kids and their mother.
The guy was just Britney’s backup dancer and she is the one who pursued him even though he was already in a relationship and had children from it. She had the power in their marriage. I would have advised he not take her up on it, but he did and two boys exist as a result of that. They are lucky Federline is their father.
Sad situation.
Even though he wanted more money, it seems like K-Fed has always wanted Britney to be an important part of her kids’ lives.
I am starting divorce proceedings and I am terrified that something like this will happen with my son’s paternal grandparents. Not that there has been any abuse with my stepdaughter, but she has always been happy to go off and play by herself. My son needs a lot of one on one attention and I worry that his step-grandfather will get annoyed with him and end up shaking him or yelling at him. (Though if that does happen I will skip on down to my lawyer and ban those two from seeing him)
There’s pros and cons to grandparents not having any real rights to the grandkids after divorces (at least where I live). I’m sure there are some wonderful grandparents that miss out on their grandkids lives because of it – but it does help keep the toxic ones at arms length. It’s a tough situation. Fingers crossed everything goes smoothly for you with the divorce – I can’t imagine what a difficult time that would be.
Jamie needs to be removed as her conservator ASAP. The person in control of her life is abusing her kids and now she can’t be around them as much because of it, but she can’t remove the abuser from her life because he’s her conservator. So so effed up.
I have to wonder what happened in the lead up. Why did he have to break down the door to get to the boy? Was he hiding from a prior outburst? Did Jamie relapse? Was the son previously out of control? Was the son upset at Britney and lashed out? Don’t get me wrong – no parent or grandparent should ever violently shake a teen. But it must be very difficult for her sons to cope with visits given some of what we know. My husband’s mother had serious mental health issues as he was growing up – including hiding him in the basement saying people were coming to kill them and other times hitting him and telling him he was the devil. His dad did the best he could but it was an intolerable situation. 40 years later he still suffers and their relationship is so difficult to this day with him alternating still between pity and anger. Although she’s largely stable there are still flashes and traits that send him (and then me) into a sense of panic and dread. Sorry – i kind of went off on a tangent there; I guess as someone watching a loved one still try to cope with mental health driven abuse this is hurting to read. I agree this shouldn’t be played out in public and whatever happened the whole thing is terribly sad.
Abuse has real, lasting consequences for sure. Growing up, my dad was an abusive alcoholic. I’ve been in therapy for about five years now, and while I’m much better for it, I don’t think I’ll ever be “recovered” from it, unfortunately.
Keeping you and your husband in my thoughts. It’s not easy,
@anna – thank you – and best to you as well.
He’s 67, I wonder if he’s mentally sound at this point. The beginning of dementia or Alzheimer’s is confusing for everyone and it’s not always obvious what’s going on. He was abusive when he was an alcoholic but he’s been sober a long time right? Has he fallen off the wagon? Starting to wonder if Brit was challenging the conservatorship because of alcoholism or a personality change. I was for keeping the conservatorship with the info we had before but with this info, it needs to end and she needs to be under the guardianship of someone else.
Giddy, that was the part that got me. He broke down a DOOR? Holy cannolis Batman. There’s something seriously wrong if you are in enough of a rage to break down a door unless you suspect someone of harming self or another person on the other side of that door. My 8 year old locked his door the other day after being disciplined (got on his iPad before chores, all very mild), and my response was basically, you can have ten minutes in there to cool off and then you need to unlock the door. And if it got to a point where he didn’t, I would have picked the door lock. If you’re breaking down a door, you’re driven by extreme fear or anger, and neither one is good.
“unless you suspect someone of harming self or another person on the other side of that door.”
That might apply to this situation. We don’t know.
It frightened me to read that her father shook Sean AFTER BREAKING DOWN A DOOR TO GET TO HIM! I thought what did I just read? He definitely shouldn’t have put his hands on Sean, but the violence of breaking down the door is horrible. Teenaged boys can be difficult, but that doesn’t ever excuse violence.
The only reason I could think of – that would be within the realm of reasonable – for breaking down a door would be if the kid was an immediate threat to himself. Like – if he was truly concerned that the child would be self harming or something of that level of necessity in regards to immediate reaction. And nothing shared to the media suggests that was the case, so I don’t know. It must have been terrifying.
Yeah, I feel like the breaking down of the door part is the most terrifying part by far! Like, what on earth could possibly explain that? And if it was the kind of emergency that warranted breaking down the door, why didn’t someone call the police?
I could buy that they got in a heated argument, kid went to his room, slammed and locked door, and PARENT kicked it open. My dad certainly did that to me and I wouldn’t call it abuse. However, Jamie isn’t the parent and if I were Kevin hell yeah I’d have a huge problem with all of this.
Sad situation. I agree that maybe Jamie needs to take a breather from the whole conservatorship thing. The years of handling that burden plus his health issues may be making him short temprered and crabby and now it’s affecting his family relationships. Maybe he could take care of himself and work on restoring and enjoying being a dad and a grandpa.
I just read that Kevin has 70% custody to her 30% unsupervised. Kevin’s lawyer said that the actuality is that he usually has them around 90% to her 10.
Just imagine how much child support he gets. I bet that’s the real reason he stays out of trouble and out of the limelight. He’s also living off of Britney’s money and doesn’t want to screw that up. I bet the child support he gets from Britney is enough to pay child support for the kids he has with those two other women too. This dude doesn’t really deserve much praise if you ask me. He’s about the money too. Wait until Britney’s youngest turns 18 and the child support stops. He’ll be writing “tall all” books about Britney to make money…just watch.
Thanks Kaiser for posting this. I was interested in your take. A few observations…. Socials were posting the new custody arrangement as 30/70 yesterday so I guess that was incorrect.
As far as her issues stemming from being used as a cash cow early on… Yea no. Many young celebrities endure this coming up and I don’t know of many who developed mental issues as a result. Amanda Bynes is one who comes to mind and she never claimed it was due to early fame. I would imagine though that the lifestyle exacerbated whatever issues there were. Whatever Brit’s diagnosis is, it must be extremely serious and require constant tweaks and supervision. There is a reason it hasn’t been released to the public and that’s probably due to fears of how it would affect her career, brand and future earnings. Would you look differently at Britney performing on stage, knowing that she suffers from possibly an assortment of mental disorders? We’re all flawed but we like to put our idols on pedestals.
I don’t 2nd guess her family and the courts decisions on her care. It’s difficult heartbreaking and sad for all. Nobody’s perfect, and Jamie seems to have managed well for years.
Just yesterday we’re reading Justin Bieber’s insight on what happened to him under pressure to stardom and how his reality was basically distorted from giving a lot of money to a kid. We have two different people who clearly grew up in the spotlight and how it affected both of them mentally. Justin and Britney share very similar stories and it just shows how the media, Hollywood, and those closest to them can really wear you down. I wonder if Britney hadn’t grow up in the spotlight, would she still have these problems? Would Justin have still been a jerk all those years ago? I know that wasn’t the topic when this article was made, but it’s interesting to take a step back and see the whole picture and how Hollywood basically eats your soul.
I’ve been waiting for that asshat Jamie to mess up, or something to come out about the past. Britney had too many toxic people around her, starting with her parents. If you’ve never experienced toxic parents it’s hard to even imagine, and it’s the worst here because money is involved. Free Britney!
^^^ This. My parents are toxic af. And that’s without all the added shit Britney’s had to deal with. I’m team #FreeBritney. It’s ridiculous for a grown woman to be under conservatorship this long by an abusive parent. It’s disturbing to me that so many people seem to be just fine with this.
There’s a LOT of conflicting information here. It’s hard to know what the truth of the matter is. First and foremost, I’m pulling for Britney Spears and her mental and emotional health and well being and that of her two boys Sean and Jayden.
Britney had her breakdown back in the mid 2000s. While she’s struggled all year to get her medications to work, I don’t think she represents a physical danger to Sean, who turns 14 next week or Jayden who turns 13 next week. These boys are now teens and no longer little toddlers. It sounds like her Dad is the real problem. The last I heard in the spring, the Judge was reviewing the terms of the Conservatorship — Jamie seems to be trying for tighter control. Given his recent actions with the boys, his advancing age and illness, maybe it’s time to remove him as Conservator altogether.
As for Britney, no one really knows what her mental state is. She is bipolar, so I expect there are variables. I just feel sad for her.
Briteny has been used as a cash cow to support her entire family since she was a child. She had a short three year marriage to Kevin Federline that produced two children and she’s been supporting him AND his current wife, ex-wife and four other children ever since. Yes, Kevin Federline has been a good father to Sean and Jayden. But he’s also very well compensated and neither he and his wife work. They live in a house Britney bought and drive cars that Britney bought.
Sean turns 14 next week and Jayden turns 13 next week. The custody hearings will end in the next four and five years. There doesn’t seem to be any end in sight for the Conservatorship though. I hope Britney gets the help she needs and I hope she has someone in her corner defending her who has HER best interests at heart and is not just after her assets.
I think it’s important for people to remember that it’s a huge benefit to Kevin, not just his kids, to keep things good with Britney. like you said, she bankrolls his whole life.
which doesn’t make him a bad dad, and I still think he’s the stable influence here, but his motives aren’t exactly pure either. sigh. I don’t think she has anyone who truly looks out for her.
That’s the real question: is there a caring, sane, objective third party who has Britney’s best interests and welfare at heart and is not just interest in lining their own pockets? I sincerely hope so.
I’ve always found it odd, that Britney is under a Conservatorship and yet was deemed well enough to go on grueling tours and do Las Vegas residencies. Makes no sense to me.
Because of her ongoing mental issues, Britney is at risk for victimization and gaslighting. One would hope there are competent, independent, court appointed doctors who are examining her and making unbiased recommendations to the court. Historically, neither of her parents are good candidates to be in charge of Britney’s Conservatorship IF it continues. Perhaps her brother Brian if he’s willing. It IS a lot of work and in many respects, it’s a thankless job.
And even though Britney does NOT have custody of Sean and Jayden, she does love her sons. AND they did teach them an important life lesson: a strong work ethic. That’s something they never got from Kevin Federline!
The reason I always kind of side eyed the conservatorship was the fact that Jaime was the conservator. Yes he did a good job mostly, but he was kind of responsible for her getting in that position in the first place as he’s her father and she’s had a career since she was a kid. He could have stopped the pressure years ago gotten her help earlier, but he didn’t really. I think he liked her career and money too. It is sort of unfathomable she needs a conservator but can perform in a Las Vegas residence. It’s true as long as she has a conservatorship she has to have supervisors with the children, so that is kind of a moot point, but not sure where those supervisors would have been when Sean was being attacked by his grandfather at Brits house. Doesn’t make a lot of sense. We obviously are justifiably missing huge chunks of info. Hopefully it works out for Brit and the kids.
I read that Britney’s mother was trying to get control over the conservatorship. Which would be a disaster as her mother does not give the Britney the structure she needs to stay well. But Jamie Spears is a train wreck and shady as hell. So neither of her parents are good for her and it’s sad. She needs someone who is a bit more neutral disconnected from her that can make sure she stays on track but also isnt possibly mishandling her funds like *coughs* Jamie Spears *coughs*
you have to provide detailed financial information with a conservatorship. it’s all looked at closely to ensure that vulnerable people aren’t being taken advantage of. I question a lot about Britney’s situation, and whether anyone she personally knows would be a good conservator, but i think it would be hard for Jamie to mishandle her funds or keep her under the conservatorship if she didn’t need it.
12, 13 years ago I never would have thought Kevin Ferderline would be the stabile one out of these two. I’m glad he is putting his children’s needs first.
Jamie Spears raised his daughter to be a child star and ATM for the entire family.
I’m inclined to believe he’s a sh*tty parent.
Actually that was Lynne Spears, Jamie was pretty much a violent drunk who gambled the family money away – he moved away and got sober when he and Lynne divorced and wasn’t really any part of Britney’s life when she hit the big time. Jamie was never really a part of the whole pushing Brit into show business, that was all Lynne – a grade A stage mother.
I find it so deeply saddening that all she is to so many in her life is a commodity.
You nailed it, that’s absolutely how her dad thinks of her. I think that however much Britney may genuinely love being a performer, maybe that’s not really the best thing for her at this point in her life. She would probably be happier and maybe even more mentally healthy if she could live a more private life. But the Vegas show makes tons of money–money she herself doesn’t really have access to, and I don’t believe for even a SECOND that Jamie has stewarded this money carefully. It just seems to me that the conservatorship has continued for so long in part to keep Britney performing and earning money, when maybe she should be doing something lower-stress and out of the public eye. Her dad wants to keep her earning money, and maybe her mom, too, but I don’t know. The conservatorship needs to be re-evaluated. It may be the case she still needs one–we don’t know what her mental health is like–but it’s not good to have Jamie continue as her conservator especially after these events with her son. If she does need that level of support and stewardship in her life, the conservator should be someone without a vested interest in the money she earns, whose sole imperative is to actually take care of her, see that her needs are met, keep her healthy. Even if that means stepping away from performing.
I know. When I first heard this story, the thought popped into my head, would I trade lives with Britney? For all the money, fame, talent? And good god, the answer is NO. She’s 10 years younger than me, and that’s about the only thing I envy. The rest, ugh. If a suburban 40 something mom doesn’t wish to have your superstar life, wow, that’s a mess.
All this just makes me even more sad for Britney. I don’t think she has a single adult in her life who truly loves her and wants nothing in return. I’m glad Kevin is taking steps to address the situation with her father. Many like to bash Kevin, but he has been a good parent to those boys…and let’s face it, he’s basically a single parent who is trying to deal with a troubled ex-wife and her controlling family. I think he deserves every penny he gets from child support.
I’m not defending Jamie for shaking the child but after their family history with kids behind locked doors, couldn’t it be possible that they are just worried when doors are locked and people don’t answer? No one in my house has ever held children hostage and threatened to commit murder-suicide but we still have a rule that the kids can’t lock their doors.