On Wednesday night, Britney Spears was arrested on a suspicion of a DUI. She was taken to a hospital where her blood was drawn (part of the DUI process), then she was held overnight and released Thursday morning. The 911 dispatch audio revealed that Britney was swerving in and out of lanes in her 2026 black BMW. TMZ also reported that, in recent weeks, Britney fired her sober coaches (plural) and she also fired several bodyguards, all following a recent vacation to Cabo. Britney hasn’t fired her PR team though, which is why her rep issued a statement quickly and then organized some exclusives, like this one in People Magazine:
Britney Spears is feeling concerned that her recent arrest might reflect poorly on her sons. A source close to the singer tells PEOPLE that after Spears was arrested on suspicion of a DUI on Thursday, March 4, in Ventura, Calif., she is feeling “very emotional and regretful” about the situation.
“She’s very emotional and regretful this morning. She’s also embarrassed because of how it could affect her sons,” the insider shares of her sons, Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden, 19. “She loves them very much and never wants them to feel like she’s letting them down.”
After news of her arrest went public, a representative for Spears shared in a statement that her sons, whom she shares with ex Kevin Federline, would be joining her to help get through this difficult time.
“Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well being,” the rep said.
According to arrest records from the Ventura Sheriff’s Office, Spears was placed under arrest on the evening of March 4. She was released early in the morning on Thursday, March 5.
The California Highway Patrol confirmed Spears was “driving erratically at a high rate of speed … showed signs of impairment and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests” and “was subsequently arrested for a violation of California Vehicle Code section 23152(g), driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol” and booked in Ventura Country Main Jail.
“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” Spears’ rep added in a statement. “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”
I don’t have the answers and I won’t pretend I know what to do here. I feel strongly that Britney needed to be freed from her conservatorship in 2021 and that she needed to be freed from it a lot sooner. But I also feel strongly that she needs guardrails of some kind, people who cannot be fired on a whim, people who genuinely have her best interests at heart and who will keep her from harming other people or herself.
Meanwhile, sources told Page Six that Britney’s spiral began last year, with the release of Kevin Federline’s revealing memoir. People really yelled at KFed, but I thought he had every right to tell his side of the story and remind everyone that he had every right to be concerned about Britney’s behavior around their sons. Well, this week, a source told Page Six: “But the truth is, this has been going on for a while. Her behavior has become increasingly erratic in recent months. She goes from being fine to being not. It was the Kevin book that really sent her over the edge, and it’s been downhill from there. It really impacted her emotionally.” The source said that Britney felt like Kevin was trying to “ruin” her and “exploit” her. I believe that Federline’s memoir probably led to this spiral, but that’s because Britney wants to forget how bad it was before the conservatorship.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Cover Images, Britney’s Instagram.
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- 173935, Britney Spears at the 4th Hollywood Beauty Awards at Avalon Hollywood. Los Angeles, California – Sunday February 25, 2018. Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000,Image: 534741262, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – DIRECT SALES ONLY – Fee Payable Upon Reproduction – For queries contact Avalon.red – sales@avalon.red London: +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 Los Angeles: +1 (310) 822 0419 Madrid: +34 91 533 4289, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Britney Spears attends the premiere of “Once Upon A time …in Hollywood” in Los Angeles on Monday, July 22nd, 2019Photograph: © PacificCoastNews. Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com,Image: 536715406, License: Rights-managed, Restrictions: WORLD RIGHTS – Los Angeles Office (PCN): +1 310.822.0419 UK Office (Avalon): +44 (0) 20 7421 6000 sales@pacificcoastnews.com, Model Release: no, Credit line: PacificCoastNews / Avalon
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- Las Vegas, NV – Pregnant Britney Spears and hubby Kevin Federline having a good time at Hard Rock Cafe and Cassino in L -PICTURED: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline -PHOTO by: William Scott/startraksphoto.com -WS52460 Featuring: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline Where: Las Vegas , NV , USA When: 24 Jul 2005 Credit: William Scott/startraksphoto.com
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- February 6, 2006: Rolling Stone magazine pre-Grammy party with a concert of Kanye West, at Avalon in Hollywood. Los Angeles, California. Among those attending: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline. Credit: Jean Catuffe/INFGoff.com Ref: infusla-20 Featuring: Kevin Federline, Britney Spears Where: Los Angeles, California, United States When: 06 Feb 2006 Credit: Jean Catuffe/INFGoff.com **NO FRANCE**
What usually happens is that a person in this situation gets help by doing something to enter the criminal justice system.
When you have a loved one spinning out like this it is quite something to learn that the state will not, cannot intervene unless breaking the law is involved. People in this condition don’t want/can’t accept help.
The phrase rock bottom exists for a good reason. Britney will likely spend through her fortune before this is all over.
Her family have soundly proved that they cannot be any part of her life or plan for recovery/life management. But then, there’s no one. Say what you want about K-Fed, but I think he will act to protect his very young adult age sons from taking care of their mom.
She had started on this downhill before Sam Ashgari left. He held things together for a while. I mean she physically abused him, held a knife to him, hit him while he was asleep and eventually couldn’t control her sexdrive (a constant problem for her, apparently) and slept with one or more staff member. Ever since Sam left it’s been downhill and I suspect she ended up doing hard drugs in her self medication attempts. Her insta has been hard to watch for way more than a year.
When she was stopped for the DUI, they found a “substance” in her car that is now being tested. It’s why they’re saying suspicion of drugs and alcohol.
Yeah, there was a reason that man was approved by her handlers. He put up with a LOT and really kept her on the rails. I hate that she likely saw him differently, but he was every bit an employee. (And apparently a pretty good one at that.)
It wouldn’t surprise me if it’s announced that Britney’s gone to rehab.
That or being treated for “exhaustion” is normally the next step in the celeb playbook.
Can we stop blaming everyone else for Britney spiralling? Seriously. She’s been like this for many years. Glad she got out of the conservatorship but she still clearly needs help. She is going to kill herself or someone else and it isn’t anyone’s else’s fault but her own. She shouldn’t be driving. Simple as that
It gives her run-in with Victor Wembanyama’s bodyguard a few years back some new context too.
THIS. She’s in her mid-40s with plenty of money, access, and time to get help. If she wants to twirl dead-eyed in her own foray all night, fine, but stay off the roads before you kill someone.
I think driving drunk is probably the most selfish thing you can do. It’s even worse considering she has an entire staff to drive her.
Wow, that’s the most bizarre rep statement I’ve seen, it’s very “doubtful”, which is strange. It’s almost as though the rep is saying what they personally are feeling, not what is in the best interest of their client.
She probably also had hard drugs in the car (the substance that’s being tested). They might be trying to get ahead of things (legal strategy) by appearing remorseful.
I’m sorry, but no.
I don’t care how bad she feels, DUI is inexcusable.
She has enough money to get a driver, she’s putting people’s lives at risk.
If she wants to self-destruct, don’t involve the lives of innocent people.
Agreed about there needing to be guardrails. Pretty much her entire life she was looked after and, yes, controlled by her parents, managers, assistants, boyfriends/husbands….she’s not capable of functioning as an independent adult who can take care of herself and make responsible decisions, and that’s not entirely her fault. But she definitely needs to work towards realizing & acknowledging that, and accepting proper help/care for not only her benefit but apparently also her sons’, whose love, acceptance and respect she so deeply craves.
Like I said yesterday, I don’t think that she’s ever had a truly trust worthy person in her life at any point. The money attracts the predators now, but she was a kid in acting and then the music industry, and her family is predators too.
I don’t know how she’ll get out of this, the traditional routes of medication, rehab and therapy were all weaponized against her and it was clearly traumatic. The only tool she’s been able to develop in her life is money, and money only protects while you have it.
I’m glad no one was hurt this time, and hope that she can be persuaded to use Uber only or something.
This. I remember an interview by Lisa Marie Presley where she was talking about the similiraties about her dad and Michael Jackson: when you reach that level of fame you are suddenly surrounded by an army of people who do what you want to, basically you create some kind of parallel universe, where you can easily get rid of those who say “no” to you.
I am not giving Britney a pass, I want to try to give some perspective: she has been working since she was a child, she never went through the “common experiences” of a teenager, she has been legally abused by her family, and I feel she doesn’t trust any kind of Institution anymore, unfortunately for her she has the means to surround herself with yesmen.
I feel for the sons. They’re young adults, both aren’t even 21. They should be going to college/work, enjoying their lives but this statement makes it sound like they will be taking on the brunt of the work to stabilize their mother and that is not right.
As others have mentioned, therapy, medications, and hospitalizations were weaponized against her for so long, I doubt those are viable options anymore. I hope she can get herself some sort of effective treatment and stabilizes on her own without leaning so heavily on her barely adult children.
Totally agree with this. I really hope it’s not true that her sons are going to help her through this — that is not at all their responsibility.
They won’t; they hardly know her. They grew up an ocean away, and by her own admission, went years without seeing her.
They cynical part of me reads the statement as a manipulative attempt to drag in the boys for public sympathy and guilt them into coming around to care for her. I sincerely hope they don’t. They have a lot of circumstances to be addicts themselves, and I wouldn’t wish that cycle on anyone.
Nah by all accounts her sons are cretins. They had every chance to make something of themselves with her money. They only reconciled with her once the court-ordered money train stopped. She did everything the conservatorship asked of her for them and they cast her aside. I don’t think she’s a stable person at all, but they did not help the situation and will not help now.
Her sons are not cretins, what a horrible thing to say. They are people who grew up with a mother who faced significant mental health and substance abuse challenges their whole lives.
The statement about her sons being involved in helping her came from HER rep, not theirs. I don’t know if it’s wishful thinking, a form of shaming them into compliance, they honestly want to help her, or she really wants their help and wants to change her current path but it’s not a great thing to put on 2 barely adult kids who barely know her. Whether or not they’re “cretins” is neither here nor there. Her rep put this out into the universe.
@Tiffany :)- Such a terrible thing to say, yes.
To his credit, they also grew up with a father who kept them away from her chaos. Statistically, those two should have been screwed UP.
Others aren’t so lucky. Lola Sheen, another child of an addict and trainwreck, launched an OF account at 18. Or plenty of the famous kids wildin out on social media and in front of the paparazzi these days.
We know very little about the Jayden and Preston other than some piano skills and whatever their parents opt to write in books or leak to the press.
Her rep said her loved ones are forming a plan to help her but I don’t think she actually has loved ones. I think that her sons love their mother, but they haven’t been around her, probably best for their own emotional and physical safety. Who is left? Her parents and siblings were leeches who didn’t care what happened to her so long as they were living off of her money. She seems to live a very lonely life only surrounded by hired staff and it appears she has fired many of them recently. The only person that I’ve seen show care for her recently is Paris Hilton.
Reading different places online for the last few months it is said that this isn’t the first time she was pulled over near her home for similar. I think they wanted to look the other way but was happening too frequently that it was an obvious liability if she gets hurt or killed or does something to someone else if they have just continually let her go. I hope she finds help for all her issues.
I draw the line at DUI. It’s fortunate no one was hurt or killed, including her. She doesn’t need to get behind the wheel of a car, with the money she has. I won’t begrudge someone the freedom to go for a drive or run their own errands, unless they abuse the privilege by putting lives at risk. She doesn’t seem to be in a place right now to regulate her behavior and ensure it doesn’t happen again. I’m not sure what the answer is, but the safety of others is more important than her right to freedom in this case.
I’m sorry, I love Britney, but I think she was sorry she got caught. There have been multiple sightings and videos of her driving erratically behind the wheel…swerving and speeding. As a recovering alcoholic, I can guarantee she’s been impaired many, many times while driving. This was just the first time she got caught.
This is so sad to me on so many levels. Hyper- sexuality is a hallmark of severe bi-polar disease. So is erratic risk-taking behavior and substance abuse. Her behavior is pretty textbook and not something she can control. I knew two people with this disease who behaved very similarly and always just thought they were jerks. But then read about Olympic runner Suzy Hamilton’s struggle as well as hearing about it through a friend of mine who’s a clinical social worker. It’s a devastating disease that is very very difficult to treat.
My first thought was the description of her past few months sounds like someone having the bad mania.
A DUI is inexcusable, and I sincerely hope this is her rock bottom to get help. I will always root for her, because the fact she’s still alive is a miracle with all she’s endured. She grew up with an abusive, alcoholic father and a mother who wanted to be a friend more than a parent (she gave Britney alcohol for fun as a young teenager) and who caused Britney to have abandonment issues. Then there’s the trauma of being a teen pop star in the 90s/2000s, where her own mother didn’t even travel with her. She’s been abandoned, manipulated, and abused by everyone in her life who was supposed to love her unconditionally and never had the chance to parent her boys the way she wanted. I’m convinced she doesn’t know any other way to live than to be controlled and/or abused and feels she doesn’t deserve better.
Just imagine where she might be if those years under conservation had been spent giving her intensive therapy and care instead of exploiting her for money. She’s a very mentally ill woman, but nobody should be surprised that she’s avoiding the medical care she obviously needs after being betrayed by the very system that should have protected her. She makes me sad, in all honesty. Just very, very sad.
I don’t see why she’d object to a chauffeur. I’d love one. I’m not great on the road sober and I can’t parallel park for the life of me. The chauffeur could only be responsible for driving her and nothing else (not be her baby sitter). For me, that would be ideal. I don’t know why she insists on driving drunk. It’s foolish and dangerous to herself and others. I think she can make that one concession and stay out of a lot of trouble by hiring a permanent chauffeur (or more than one).