In her 2023 memoir, “The Woman In Me,” Britney Spears wrote about how she loved to drink but insisted she was “never out of control.” He also said he had never been on “hard drugs” and had only ever used Adderall, an amphetamine used to treat ADHD.
And even after Spears revealed that he went to rehab twice in 2014 and 2019 — because of his use of energy supplements, he said — he publicly defended himself in October when entertainment outlets published a video of him driving erratically, swerving off roads, after leaving a restaurant near his Thousand Oaks County home in Ventura.
But now Spears, 44, can’t say that the tabloids falsely accused her of abusing drugs or being a danger to herself and others. The embattled pop star won’t deny that her life is “lovely,” after she was arrested Wednesday night in Westlake Village in Ventura County, also near her Thousand Oaks home, on suspicion of driving under the influence, as TMZ first reported.
The audio released of Spears’ arrest reveals that, as in the October incident, he was seen driving his black BMW, weaving in and out of the freeway, and speeding, Page Six reported. Starting at 8:13 p.m., the California Highway Patrol sent “all units” to respond and chase him for about an hour, the Daily Mail reported. After pulling Spears over, police handcuffed him, tied him up and took him to a nearby hospital to have his blood drawn. He was booked into the Ventura County Jail and released around 6 a.m., TMZ reported.
After her release, Spears, or someone representing her, deleted her Instagram profile, where she often posted videos of herself dancing alone and was sometimes seen behaving inappropriately or yelling at people she believed wronged her.
Regarding the official response to Spears’ arrest, her manager, Cade Hudson, released a surprising and “honest” statement admitting that the singer is not well, reports Page Six.
“This was an unfortunate and unprovoked incident,” Hudson said, according to Page Six. “Britney will take the appropriate steps and comply with the law and I hope this is the first step in a long overdue change in Britney’s life. I hope she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”
Hudson’s statement also said that Spears’ sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, “will be spending time with her,” while all of her loved ones will “come up with an overdue, necessary plan to set her up for success for her well-being.”
The singer rose to international fame with a string of hits in the 1990s and early 2000s, such as “Baby One More Time,” Toxic” and “Wow! I Did It Again.” But his music career was overshadowed by his personal problems, as reported by the New York Times and other outlets.
In 2006, she was photographed driving her SUV while holding her infant son Sean on her lap, not in a child seat as required by law. The following year, he was snapped by paparazzi shaving his head and hitting a photographer’s car with an umbrella. He was also cited in 2007 for hit-and-run after crashing a parked car, a charge that was dismissed after Spears paid an undisclosed amount to the owner.
In 2008, Spears was placed in a conservatorship after her father asked a California court to have jurisdiction over his daughter’s life and finances, citing her public mental health issues, mental retardation and possible substance abuse, the New York Times reported.
But during a court battle in 2021, fueled in part by the #FreeBritney online movement, Spears asked a judge to release her from a conservation position. “I want my life back,” Spears said. Later that year, a judge agreed to terminate the conservation work.
But Spears and those around her have faced questions about whether she still needs conservation, largely because of her shocking Instagram posts. In 2023, law enforcement visited Spears’ home regarding a video she posted of her dancing with knives, but no charges were filed.
In October, concerns were raised about Spears’ “uncontrollable nature”, following a Daily Mail report that she appeared “unsteady” on her feet during a party at the Thousand Oaks restaurant. With the help of a female friend, he left the restaurant but reportedly ignored many people who asked him not to walk behind the wheel of his car. While driving five kilometers home, he was filmed rear-ending other cars, leaving the road and crossing the oncoming road, according to the Daily Mail.
The following month, Speared shared a photo of herself with bandages on her hands, wrists and knees, saying in the caption, “I fell down the stairs at my friend’s house,” the New York Times reported. Then in late February, she appeared in a photo, looking sad because her make-up was dirty, the Daily Mail reported. She also showed off her bare breasts, although she covered them with a red heart emoji.
After Spears was released from custody Thursday morning, he is expected to appear in court on May 4.
