Britney Spears says father of kids’ tell-all memoir trades “white lies” for cash

Britney Spears has responded to claims made by her ex-husband Kevin Federline in his forthcoming memoir “You Thought You Knew,” calling his account “extremely hurtful and exhausting.”

In a statement shared on X, Spears wrote, “The constant gaslighting from [my] ex-husband is extremely hurtful and exhausting. I have always pleaded and screamed to have a life with my boys. Relationships with teenage boys [are] complex. I have felt demoralized by this situation and have always asked and almost begged for them to be a part of my life.” She added, “Trust me, those white lies in that book, they are going straight to the bank and I am the only one who genuinely gets hurt here. I will always love them and if you really know me, you won’t pay attention to the tabloids of my mental health and drinking. I am actually a pretty intelligent woman who has been trying to live a sacred and private life the past 5 years. I speak on this because I have had enough and any real woman would do the same.”

Federline’s memoir, due October 21 from HarperCollins, chronicles his life from childhood in Fresno, California, through his three-year marriage to Spears and the custody battle that followed their 2007 divorce. He recounts their first meeting at a Hollywood nightclub in 2004, their European tour, and their wedding later that year. He alleges Spears called her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake the night before their wedding “to end one chapter of her life before starting a new one” and writes that she “never really got over” her 2002 breakup with the NSYNC singer. Federline also claims Spears cheated on him with a female dancer during their tour.

The book covers the years leading up to Spears’ 2008 psychiatric hold, which preceded the court-ordered conservatorship that governed her life for 13 years. Federline recounts arguments over substance use and alleges that their sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James—now 20 and 19—avoided visits with Spears as teenagers out of fear. He claims Spears ignored Jayden’s serious allergies and describes an “Orphan”-esque incident in which she allegedly appeared in their bedroom doorway holding a knife. “They would awaken sometimes at night to find her standing silently in the doorway, watching them sleep — ‘Oh, you’re awake?’” he writes. “Then she’d turn around and pad off without explanation.” TMZ reported last year that Jayden had resumed contact with Spears after years of estrangement, though Federline’s attorney said he had no knowledge of any reconciliation.

(J. Merritt/FilmMagic/Getty Images) Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, 2004

Federline, who says he hasn’t spoken to Spears in years, writes that he has grown increasingly concerned about her behavior, describing the situation as “racing toward something irreversible,” adding, “It’s become impossible to pretend everything’s OK. From where I sit, the clock is ticking, and we’re getting close to the 11th hour.” He also critiques the  #FreeBritney movement, saying that while it “came from a good place,” it “vilified people around her so intensely that now professionals with the ability to help her may be too afraid to step in,” and urges supporters to redirect their efforts toward what he calls a “Save Britney” movement.

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Spears’ first husband, Jason Alexander, defended her on Instagram, writing: “Kevin, you don’t get to tell half the story. You were her husband. You were supposed to be her protector. Instead, you were partying right alongside her — the drugs, the alcohol, the chaos . . . you were there for all of it. You weren’t trying to pull her out — you were feeding off it.” He added, “Let’s be honest — you became a millionaire off of her pain. And now, you want to act like the mature one, like the man who held it all together? If you’re going to write a book, at least have the guts to tell the truth about your part in it.”

Spears has repeatedly challenged Federline’s claims. In her 2023 memoir “The Woman in Me,” she disputed having substance abuse issues and described the custody battle as “traumatizing,” accusing Federline of attempting to portray her as unstable.

A representative for Spears told E! News that “once again [Federline] and others are profiting off her and sadly it comes after child support has ended with Kevin.”

“All she cares about are her kids, Sean Preston and Jayden James and their well-being during this sensationalism,” they added. “She detailed her journey in her memoir.”