Following reports that Britney Spears and Sam Asghari have separated after 14 months of marriage, Octavia Spencer’s cryptic warning to the pop star about her prenuptial agreement has resurfaced.
When Spears, 41, announced her engagement to the fitness instructor, 29, in September 2021, actor Octavia Spencer left a comment under Spears’ Instagram post that would soon become a reality for the “Toxic” singer.
“Make him sign a prenup,” the Oscar winner wrote.
The Hidden Figures star quickly deleted her comment, despite receiving thousands of likes from fans, and later apologised to the couple for her blunt reaction. “Y’all, a few days ago Sam and Britney announced their engagement and me being me I made a joke,” Spencer wrote, under her own Instagram post of Spears and Asghari.
“My intention was to make them laugh not cause pain. I’ve reached out to this lovely couple privately to apologise and now want to restore just a smidge of happiness they were robbed of,” she said.
While Spencer took back her comments about signing a prenup, she may have been right all along. Shortly after it was announced on Wednesday (16 August) that Spears and Asghari had split after one year of marriage, Asghari filed for divorce that same day. In the document, per TMZ, Asghari listed the date of separation as 28 July 2023 and cited "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.
Prior to their June 2022 nuptials, the former X Factor judge had Asghari sign an iron-clad prenuptial agreement that was “in her favour,” according to Page Six. “Any money she made before the wedding is protected,” a source told the outlet. Spears reportedly tasked attorney Mathew Rosengart, who helped free her from her 13-year conservatorship, with working out the terms of the prenuptial agreement.
An initial report from Page Six claimed that Asghari allegedly wanted Spears to “pay him more than what their prenup provides” in return for keeping her secrets following their split. A source alleged that he was “attempting to negotiate concessions beyond his prenup and threatening to go public with extraordinarily embarrassing information about Britney unless he gets paid”.
Another insider said: “It’s blackmail and it’ll never happen.”
It didn’t take long for Spencer to once again weigh in on Spears’ relationship with Asghari, following reports that the personal trainer was allegedly wanting to renegotiate their prenup or he’ll release “extraordinarily embarrassing information” about Spears.
Under an Instagram post from comedian Loni Love, which included a screenshot of the recent Page Six report, Spencer commented: “Extortion is illegal.”
However, a representative for Asghari denied reports about prenup renegotiations in a statement to The Independent. “There are many claims that Sam is challenging the prenup and threatening to exploit his ex-wife with videos. However, all these claims are false, as no negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be,” Asghari’s rep, Brandon Cohen, told The Independent. “Sam has always and will always support her.”
According to TMZ, Asghari reportedly confronted Spears about rumours she cheated on him, which allegedly sparked a “huge fight” between the couple. Sources close to Spears have since denied the infidelity rumours, with one telling Entertainment Tonight that the “Womanizer” singer was faithful to Asghari throughout their relationship. “Britney and Sam have split. She’s adamant she didn’t cheat. The two haven’t got along for a while and it finally came to an end after a major blowup,” they said.
It seems that Asghari’s reported cheating accusation was the final straw for the couple, who’ve “been on the rocks for months,” a source told People. Insiders claimed that their marriage has “been very toxic between them for a long time” and there’s been “constant drama” with the former couple. Meanwhile, TMZ said that Spears and Asghari have been experiencing “deep trouble” for months, and that he’s not been staying at their home amid frequent “blowout fights”.
As a result, Spears has reportedly hired famed divorce attorney Laura Wasser, who’s worked with a number of high-profile clients, including Kim Kardashian and Angelina Jolie. The “Gimme More” singer previously hired Wasser during her 2008 custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline over their two sons: Sean Preston, 17, and Jayden, 16. She will also continue to work with former federal prosecutor Rosengart.
While Spears has not yet publicly addressed reports of the split, she did break her silence on Wednesday when she told her Instagram followers she is “buying a horse soon”.
The Independent has contacted representatives for Spears and Asghari for comment.
