LOS ANGELES: Kevin Federline, the former husband of pop icon Britney Spears, has expressed deep concern over her well-being, warning that her life is “racing toward something irreversible,” according to excerpts from his upcoming memoir You Thought You Knew, published by The New York Times.
Federline, 47, who shares two sons — Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19 — with Spears, reportedly described disturbing incidents involving the singer in his memoir.
He claimed that their sons told him they sometimes awoke to find their mother standing silently in their bedroom doorway holding a knife.
“It’s become impossible to pretend everything’s OK,” Federline wrote. “From where I sit, the clock is ticking, and we’re getting close to the 11th hour. Something bad is going to happen if things don’t change, and my biggest fear is that our sons will be left holding the pieces.”
In an interview with Entertainment Tonight, the You Got Served actor said he fears for Spears’ mental state, adding that it has been “years” since they last spoke.
“As a father, I’m terrified that one day I might wake up and my sons will have to deal with the unimaginable,” he said.
Revisiting their marriage
Federline also revisits their short-lived marriage in the memoir, recalling a moment before their 2004 wedding when Spears allegedly phoned her former boyfriend, Justin Timberlake.
“We were at the Fairmont in Santa Monica in one of the bungalows,” Federline recalled. “I thought she was talking to her mum or maybe having doubts, but she told me she was on the phone with Justin.”
He said Spears explained she “needed closure” after their breakup in 2002.
“I just kind of stepped back like, ‘Did I just hear you right?’” he said. “Immediately I was like, ‘OK, we don’t have to do this.’ I didn’t care if we got married or not.”
Spears’ public struggles
Federline and Spears divorced in 2007 after three years of marriage. Following a public breakdown in 2008, Spears lost custody of their children and was placed under a court-ordered conservatorship managed by her father, Jamie Spears.
The arrangement, which controlled her finances and personal life, lasted 13 years before being dissolved in November 2021.
Spears’ social media posts — often featuring her dancing alone, sometimes with props such as knives — have continued to fuel debate about her mental health.
Supporters view the posts as expressions of freedom, while critics cite them as evidence of ongoing instability.
Conflicting narratives
In her 2023 memoir The Woman in Me, Spears denied allegations of serious substance abuse and accused Federline of limiting her contact with their sons.
Federline, however, maintains that ending her conservatorship was a mistake. “I pray to God every day that she gets the help that she needs,” he said. “You have two sons right there in front of you who are screaming for a life with you.”
A representative for Spears, cited by E! News, said that Federline’s book is another attempt to profit from her name, noting that its release coincides with the end of his child support payments.
Spears reportedly paid Federline up to US$40,000 a month after he gained full custody in 2018. “All she cares about are her kids and their well-being amid this sensationalism,” the spokesperson said.
Spears’ first husband, Jason Alexander — who was married to her for just 55 hours in 2004 — has publicly condemned Federline’s claims, accusing him of exploiting Spears’ struggles.
Posting on Instagram, Alexander wrote: “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.”
He added: “You walked away with full custody, child support, and a lifestyle funded by the same woman you now want to distance yourself from. Let’s be honest — you became a millionaire off her pain.”
