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Britney Spears is speaking out amid reports that her loved ones attempted to stage an intervention.
The "Oops!…I Did It Again" singer, 41, wrote on Instagram early Friday that she's "sick to my stomach" over "stories that I almost died." Earlier in the day, TMZ, People, Entertainment Tonight and E! News published reports that Britney's "inner circle" tried to have an intervention Tuesday amid worries about her well-being related to mental health and substance abuse issues. The TMZ report cited an unnamed source saying, "I'm afraid she's gonna die."
Alongside an image that said, "A state of gratitude will shift you to a higher frequency," the Grammy-winning performer wrote, "It makes me sick to my stomach that it's even legal for people to make up stories that I almost died … I mean at some point enough is enough !!!"
She continued, "I'm probably going to have to stop posting on Instagram because even though I enjoy doing it, there’s obviously a lot of people who don’t wish me well !!! I'm honestly not surprised at all … Again doing the best I can !!! Again, the conservatorship has been over for almost a year … No folks, it's not 2007 … it's 2023 and I'm making my first homemade lasagna at home !!! I finally got my fireplace to work in my living room !!! As my hubby says it best: don't believe everything you read !!! All that love right back at ya !!!"
Her hubby, Sam Asghari, said in a statement to Access Hollywood on Friday that an "intervention did not occur. My wife is in full control of her life and will continue to make all decisions involving her care regardless of circumstances. Speculation on her health is inappropriate and should end immediately."
Asghari hit the red carpet for the premiere of Season 3 of Star Trek: Picard in Hollywood on Thursday night. The 28-year-old, who married Britney last year after her conservatorship ended, walked the red carpet solo with a big smile on his face. If he was fearful for his wife's life, he did a good job pretending he wasn't.
While it seems the couple has a united front in downplaying the health crisis headlines, a new report on Friday from TMZ claims that canceling the intervention is "life-threatening" for Britney as her "behavior has become increasingly erratic and volatile" as a "result of her mental illness and substance abuse."
One source told the outlet that the "intervention was long overdue" as she's a "ticking time bomb" and a "danger to herself and those around her." It's unclear exactly who that latter part of that refers to as Britney is estranged from her teen sons — Preston and Jayden Federline.
A second source told the same outlet they are constantly worried they will "get a horrible phone call" that something tragic has happened to star. A third source said it was like "2008 all over again" — referring to the year she was involuntarily put in the conservatorship. "There is serious fear she is either going to die or kill someone," noting she's been "abusing caffeine, Adderall, and anything she can get her hands on." Additionally, she's "not taking her medication, which is essential to stabilize her mood and is unknowingly trying to self-medicate with other substances, which is exacerbating her mental illness."
TMZ was first to report that she "desperately needs help" amid "erratic, volatile behavior," so Asghari, her manager and medical professionals were lined up to intervene. The plan was for her to stay at a rented house for two months to receive medical treatment and psychological counseling. The outlet said she became aware of the plan and it was called off. She instead saw a doctor on Wednesday, though it's unclear what type, and it "went well" with no further information.
However, on Wednesday, Asghari, keeping with the theme that things are good with the missus, posted a video of them shopping together at Target. They donned "matching outfits" — pink shirts — outside the dressing rooms, which they made into their personal runway. He used the crying laughing emoji to capture the blissful fun.
Additional outlets posted about the intervention after TMZ broke the news. People, the celebrity-friendly outlet, had a source saying, "Britney has been acting increasingly erratically and those around her have grown more concerned. She is often up all night, sleeps during [the] day and has a lot of anger."
A second source told People it's been "absolutely chaotic, adding, "She's been going through a lot and has been increasingly combative." Meanwhile, Asghari, 13 years her junior, "is being as supportive as possible."
Entertainment Tonight had a source saying Britney has "struggled with drugs over the years," presumably referring to Adderall. In the days leading to Britney being put into the conservatorship in 2008, her former manager, Sam Lufti, claimed she had abused the amphetamine for which she had a prescription.
Britney was freed from her conservatorship in late 2021 — and has been finding her footing after having her freedom restricted for so long. She seems to be working out a lot of things on Instagram, posting and deleting diatribes, often about her parents, including dad Jamie, who served as her conservator and imposed restrictions on her spending and life. She's also blasted her mother, Lynne Spears, sister Jamie Lynn Spears and brother Bryan Spears — all of whom she's been estranged from.
While the fans were essential in the #FreeBritney campaign to break her out of the conservatorship, many remain concerned about her well-being in recent months. Last month, when she deleted her Instagram, which she frequently does, fans called the Ventura County Sheriff's Office requesting a wellness check on the star due to "suspicious activity online."
"I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded," Spears wrote after police showed up at her home. "This felt like I was being gaslit and bullied once the incident made it to the news and being portrayed once again in a poor and unfair light by the media. During this time in my life, I truly hope the public and my fans who I care so much about can respect my privacy moving forward."
It's tricky because the only thing Britney has been sharing with her massive fandom — and the rest of the world — has been her Instagram posts. She's not doing interviews, and the memoir she's been working has no scheduled publication date so far. Her social posts are often confusing to read and ramble. She frequently deletes them. The photos and videos she posts, sometimes of herself dancing, are often reused old content, leading to speculation she isn't the one posting.
Further, this last year-plus is her first taste of real freedom after over a decade of restrictions on her life. She wasn't able to have her own car keys until the conservatorship ended in November 2021. Nor was she able to possess her own ATM card or make any decisions about her health care. In the 2021 The New York Times Presents: Controlling Britney Spears documentary, she was given pre-packaged envelopes with her medication in it that she had to take on the spot. She also claimed that during the conservatorship, she was forced to use birth control while she dreamed of having another child. (She had a miscarriage in May 2022.) She also said she was forced into mental health treatment against her will.
Last month, Britney's ex-fiancé Jason Trawick made rare comments about his relationship with her, saying he believes she needed a conservatorship in 2008. "I'll be the first to say it," he said on Kevin Connelly's podcast. He didn't say she needed it for health reasons, but so people didn't take advantage of her. Her family has claimed Lufti, who had stepped in to manage her, was crushing up pills and secretly drugging her. Lutfi has repeated denied the claim.
Trawick was her agent at the time and said he wasn't able to contact her. After the conservatorship was in place — and Lufti was out — Trawick started dating Britney. They were briefly engaged in 2011, but called things off in 2012.
Trawick, who was introduced to Britney by her brother Bryan, said that with the conservatorship over, he's happy she gets "the opportunity to show the world" that she can do it on her own. "If she fails, then she fails," he said, then adding, "[But] I want her to prove [naysayers] wrong."
