Britney Spears says that her ex-husband’s remarks about her relationship with their two teenaged sons are “hurtful.”
The "...Baby One More Time” singer blasted Kevin Federline, with whom she shares sons Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden James, 15, for discussing her relationship with her children in a Saturday interview with the Daily Mail. Federline said the teens “have decided they are not seeing her right now” and took issue with her barrage of nude posts on Instagram.
“It saddens me to hear that my ex-husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children,” Spears, 40, wrote Saturday in a now-expired Instagram Story post.
“As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone. It concerns me the reason is based on my Instagram. It was LONG before Instagram,” she continued. “I gave them everything... Only one word: HURTFUL”
The “Gimme More” and “Circus” hitmaker also shared that it was her mother Lynne Spears who told her she “should GIVE them to their dad,” seeming to refer to an arrangement likely brokered when the singer was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship in 2008. Federline, whom Britney Spears married in 2004 and officially divorced in 2007, was awarded sole custody of the young boys when the conservatorship was put into place. She still has some custody of the boys now, but it’s unclear how much and whether it’s physical, legal or both.
Spears was finally released from the controversial guardianship in November and has spoken candidly on social media about its adverse effects on her and her family’s life.
The pop star took another shot at Federline on her Instagram feed.
“Reminder that the trauma and insults that come with fame and this business not only affect me but my children as well!!!!!,” she wrote, zeroing in on his remarks about her naked photos. “I’m only human and I’ve done my best...I honestly would like to share my TWO CENTS!!!! I daringly would like for the Federline’s to watch the BIG BOOTY VIDEO !!! Other artists have made much worse when their children were extremely young!!!
“During my conservatorship I was controlled and monitored for nearly 15 years ... I should embark on doing WAAAY more than going topless on the beach like a baby !!! I’m not surprised that just as my family did their share of interviews, they will too. I’m not surprised at all with their behavior and their approach to what I’ve had to deal with,” she wrote.
In his interview, Federline insisted that the controversial conservatorship “saved” Spears and that the teens still love their mom, even though it’s been a few months since they’ve seen her and decided not to go to her June wedding to Sam Asghari.
“It’s been a few months since they’ve seen her. They made the decision not to go to her wedding,” Federline told the Daily Mail.
“This whole thing has been hard to watch, harder to live through, harder to watch my boys go through than anything else,” he said. “It’s been tough. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.
Specifically referring to the boys’ reaction to her nude posts, Federline said: “I try to explain to them, ‘Look, maybe that’s just another way she tries to express herself.’ But that doesn’t take away from the fact of what it does to them. It’s tough ... I can’t imagine how it feels to be a teenager having to go to high school.”
Asghari, 28, also took to Instagram Stories (republished by People) to defend Spears and called out Federline for “choosing to vilify” the singer and for siding with her father Jamie Spears during the protracted conservatorship battle.
“There is no validity to his statement regarding the kids distancing themselves and it is irresponsible to make that statement publicly,” Asghari wrote, describing Spears’ images as “modest” or having “implied nudity.”
“The boys are very smart and will be 18 soon to make their own decisions and may eventually realize the ‘tough’ part was having a father who hasn’t worked much in over 15 years as a role model. Kevin’s gravy train will end soon wich (sic) probably explains the timing of these hurtful statements.”
———
