Britney Spears' ex-husband got candid on their relationship, family and her conservatorship.
Britney Spears' ex-husband Kevin Federline sat down for an interview with 60 Minutes: Australia where he got candid on his whirlwind romance with the pop star, what led to their separation, advocating for his sons and where he stands on Spears' highly controversial conservatorship.
Federline and Spears were married from 2004 to 2006 and share two sons, Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden James, 15. After their separation, Spears went through a highly publicized mental health battle that prompted her family to place her under a legal conservatorship that lasted for 13 years.
Following her conservatorship being terminated in November 2021, Britney has been vocal about the financial and emotional abuse she claims she suffered during this time. The pop star has called out her parents, her sister and more recently Federline for standing by as she was confined to the conservatorship.
Britney has previously responded to her son Jayden's ITV interview where he hoped their relationship can repair in the future, saying her love for her children "has no boundaries and it deeply saddens me to know his outcry of saying I wasn't up to his expectations as a mother." However, on Monday Britney questioned Jayden's motivations for doing the interview. “It saddens me not one of you has valued me as a person,” Spears said in a voice recording posted to Instagram.
Now, Federline has sat down with 60 Minutes: Australia to share his side of the story and insist that he only has his sons' best interest in mind. ET is going inside Federline's bombshell interview and sharing his biggest revelations.
ET has reached out to Britney's reps for a comment.
Surprise Wedding and Unexpected Divorce
Amid his whirlwind romance with Britney, Kevin claims he was bombarded with hate and criticism about their relationship. Kevin explained, "I was never good enough... 'oh you're this you're poor white trash loser blah blah blah,'" he said. "But I was built to be able to take that because it didn't bother me at all."
Despite their challenges, Britney and Kevin got married in a surprise wedding in October 2004. Due to the unrelenting media focus, the wedding was a surprise to everyone, including the guests. "They all thought they were going there for an engagement party," Kevin revealed.
The couple had their two sons in the two years following their surprise wedding.
In 2006, Britney filed for divorce from Kevin, and he claims he was blindsided by the filing. He revealed that getting custody of his children became his no. 1 priority. "I found out, just found out I was getting divorced," Federline recalls. "I call my lawyer, he met me in Chicago and we sat down and the only thing I told him: 'All I care about is getting fifty percent custody of my sons.'"
The Breakdown
Discussing Britney's public mental health struggles, Federline said, "I was mortified for her, I really was for a long time way past the time that people were watching." He continued, "It's been years I still feel bad for her you know I mean it's hard."
Jamie Spears and the Conservatorship
In 2008, Britney was placed under a conservatorship with her father, Jamie Spears, taking the lead in her advocacy. Federline reveals that he was not involved in the decision-making and remained mostly in the dark on her treatment.
"I wasn't involved in any of it, so I really don't know how the conservatorship came about. I don't know whose decision it was," Kevin explained. "All I know is that you have a family that is worried about their daughter and trying to do whatever they can to help her."
Federline went on to reveal that he believes "100 percent" that Jamie Spears saved Britney's life. "I feel like he saved her back then," he said pointedly.
What Mom Wanted
Federline was asked how Sean and Jayden felt about Britney's conservatorship being terminated, something he maintains may not have been "right."
"Both of them were super happy for her," Federline revealed. "You know... because it's not always about what's right, it's about this is what mom wanted, you know, what mom got."
Britney Marries Sam Asghari
In June of this year, Britney tied the knot with fitness trainer and actor Sam Asghari. The star-studded event featured appearances from several celebrities, however, her immediate family and children were noticeably absent from the event.
In his interview with ITV, Jayden explained that he and his brother chose not to attend the wedding because the rest of his family was not invited. He said, "At the time, it just wasn't a good time to go. I'm not saying that I'm not happy for her. I'm really happy for them," he said. "But she didn't invite the whole family, and then if it was just going to be me and Preston, I just don't see how that situation would have ended on good terms."
Taking a Break
Federline revealed that it has been a few months since Britney has seen her children.
"Yeah so the boys have decided that, you know, they're not seeing her right now," Kevin said of Jayden and Sean's choice. "It's been a few months since they've actually even seen her."
A Normal Life
Despite the ongoing rift between Britney and her sons and the media attention that surrounds them, Federline believes that Jayden and Sean can still have "a normal life."
"I want my sons to have the closest thing to a normal life that they can possibly have because it'll make them better people," Federline said. "They see me, so they know that if they really want to get away they know how to get away."
When asked what he would say to Britney, if she was sitting there with him, Federline said, "I don't know, it's really one of the toughest questions. I try to think about that question because there's so many mixed emotions in there. The father in me, the ex-husband it... it's hard to like tie it all together because I would want to apologize and then give advice and then ask if there's any way I can help."
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