The price of fame? Britney Spears’ career and personal life have faced a series of ups and downs over the years.
Spears, who was raised in Kentwood, Louisiana, first showed off her vocal skills on the singing competition Star Search at 10 years old in 1992. Following a stint on The Mickey Mouse Club, she signed a record deal with Jive Records in 1997.
As Spears’ singles, including “…Baby One More Time” and “Oops!… I Did It Again,” climbed the charts, she started a relationship with ‘NSync member Justin Timberlake and the world became even more invested in the pop star. The twosome called it quits in 2002 after three years together amid rumors that Spears was unfaithful.
As the “I’m a Slave 4 U” singer’s popularity continued to grow, so did the attention on her personal life. Spears married her backup dancer Kevin Federline in October 2004 after a whirlwind romance. The twosome later welcomed sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.
In 2007, Spears made headlines for a very public breakdown, which lead her to temporarily lose primary custody of her boys. She was also placed under a legal conservatorship in February 2008, which gave her father, Jamie Spears, control over her finances and her person.
Nearly a decade later, the Grammy winner addressed her battle with mental health during an interview with Marie Claire UK.
“I moved to Los Angeles when I was very young. I was so under scrutiny,” she said in October 2016. “If a hair was out of place, I’d be so anxious. I would get very anxious about so many things.”
Britney added that motherhood made her “so much more accepting” of herself: “That has been a really big thing for me over these last few years.”
After a triumphant comeback and successful Las Vegas residency, Jamie was hospitalized in late 2018 after his colon spontaneously ruptured. As a result, Britney postponed her second Vegas residency in January 2019. More than two months later, she checked herself into a mental health facility.
“The stress has been hard on her,” a source told Us in March 2019. “It’s been a very difficult time.”
Six months later, Jamie temporarily stepped down as Britney’s full-time conservator and Jodi Montgomery, a licensed fiduciary, joined her conservatorship team.
In February 2021, Hulu released an episode of The New York Times Presents titled “Framing Britney Spears,” which renewed public interest in her conservatorship. Four months later, Britney broke her silence about the situation during a remote court hearing.
“I just want my life back,” she said, asking the judge to end the conservatorship. “It’s been 13 years and it’s enough. It’s enough and it makes no sense at all. I’m done.”
Scroll through to revisit Britney’s ups and downs:
