Sometimes it's difficult to tell how Britney Spears has really been doing since her nearly 14-year-long conservatorship was terminated on Nov. 12, 2021.
Most would agree that she was not okay before it ended. The platinum-selling pop star had become increasingly vocal about her unhappiness and the barriers she alleged were in place to prevent her from living as she saw fit. (Dad and co-conservator Jamie Spears always maintained he did whatever he thought was best for his daughter's well-being.)
But once Britney was left to her own devices, much to the delight of many of her famous peers and the fans who hashtagged their hearts out in support of the cause, it's not as if life all of a sudden became uncomplicated.
Her 14-month marriage to Sam Asghari ended in August, and since the release of her bombshell-packed memoir just weeks ago, it's once again unclear what's next for the "...Baby One More Time" singer.
"I hope she takes over the world," Sam told TMZ after the book (containing Britney's pre-divorce description of him as "a gift from god") came out.
"I've been playing it strong for way too long and my Instagram may seem perfect but it's far from reality and I think we all know that !!!" Britney wrote in an Aug. 18 post.
The same could of course be said about almost anyone's Instagram. But amid her vacation pics and relatable memes, there was also plenty of content keeping her 42.6 million Instagram followers on high alert.
But Sam, who's always been protective of Britney, made a fair point on Instagram Stories last December when he noted that NSFW photos (let alone airing dirty family laundry) were pretty par for the course and yet, for whatever reason, she sure came under a lot of fire for her posts.
And in May, without naming names or entities, he slammed those who claimed to know the inside story about Britney, both now and back when "she didn't have a voice."
"Not gonna allow that," he wrote. "And that should stop. It should stop absolutely. The gaslighting and all that s--t gotta stop."
But after nearly seven years by Britney's side, much of it spent supporting the fight to free her, he's out.
Sam proposed in September 2021 as light started to appear at the end of the legal tunnel. And days before Britney—"the person and the estate," as the judge put it—was released from her conservatorship, she excitedly shared that wedding planning was underway.
And this is what has happened in her life since:
"Good God I love my fans so much it's crazy !!!" Britney Spears wrote on Instagram after her conservatorship was terminated on Nov. 12, 2021. "I think I'm gonna cry the rest of the day !!!! Best day ever."
She wasn't in court for the big moment, but had been awaiting the expected good news from home with fiancé Sam Asghari.
Britney heatedly took issue with Jamie Lynn Spears' bombshell memoir Things I Should Have Said (and the press she was doing along with it), accusing her little sister of trying to sell a book at her expense.
Jamie Lynn said "my behavior was out of control," Britney—after unfollowing her sibling on Instagram—wrote Jan. 13, 2022, referring to comments the younger Spears made on Good Morning America. "She was never around me much 15 years ago at that time …. So why are they even talking about that unless she wants to sell a book at my expense ??? REALLY ???"
She accused Jamie Lynn of lying, writing Jan. 14, "NOW and only NOW I do know only a scum person would make up such things about someone."
The next day, Jamie Lynn posted, "Nobody trashes your name more than someone who's afraid you'll tell people the truth."
Britney kept posting Jan. 16, writing, "All I know is I love you unconditionally !!! So go ahead and say whatever you want ... it's so tacky for a family to fight publicly like this !!!"
After that missive, Jamie Lynn encouraged her big sister through her Instagram Story, "Britney- Just call me."
Appearing on E!'s Daily Pop Jan. 18, Jamie Lynn said of her ongoing issues with Britney, "We go back and forth, but at the end of the day, the love and support will always be there...I can't help the family I was born into. I just think we're all in a situation, and a process that we're working through. And each of us have the right to work through that however feels best for us."
On April 11, 2022, Britney shared on Instagram that she was pregnant with her and Sam's first child together.
"I mean this should have happened three years ago to be honest with you," Sam said in a BBC interview that was conducted before the baby announcement and published April 12. "When you're in a relationship with someone that you're truly in love with, you want to re-create, and so this is something I want to do."
Sadly, the couple said in a joint statement May 14 that they had lost their "miracle baby."
Sam and Britney tied the knot on June 9, 2022, in an intimate ceremony at their L.A.-area home.
Selena Gomez, Madonna, Drew Barrymore and Paris Hilton were among the guests. Sean and Jayden, Britney's teenage sons with ex-husband Kevin Federline, were not in attendance and her mother, father, sister and brother Bryan Spears were not invited.
Mom and sis later liked some of the wedding content on Instagram, though, with Lynne Spears commenting on one of her daughter's posts, "You look radiant and so happy! Your wedding is the 'Dream' wedding! And having it at your home makes it so sentimental and special! I am soooo happy for you! I love you!"
Uninvited but there anyway was Britney's husband-for-55-hours Jason Alexander (he of their 2004 annulment), who livestreamed his arrival before the ceremony. "I'm her first husband," he could be heard telling a worker outside the house. "I'm here to crash the wedding because nobody is here except Sam. Where the f--k is the family?"
Jason was arrested and later pleaded no contest to trespassing.
Kevin Federline told ITV in an August 2022 interview that Sean and Jayden chose not to attend their mom's wedding and "have decided they are not seeing her right now," nor had they seen her for "a few months."
Britney's ex said the boys distanced themselves from her in part due to the NSFW photos of herself she would post on Instagram. "I try to explain to them, 'Look, maybe that's just another way she tries to express herself,'" Kevin said. "But that doesn't take away from the fact of what it does to them. It's tough."
Britney responded after excerpts from the then-yet-to-air interview were published. "It saddens me to hear that my ex husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children," she wrote. Aug. 6. "As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone."
Sam came to Britney's defense the next day, calling Kevin "a father who hasn't worked much in over 15 years" whose "gravy train will end soon" once he no longer was receiving child support from his ex-wife. In response, Kevin's longtime attorney Mark Vincent Kaplan told TMZ, "Sam really doesn't know Kevin. He doesn't know what is going on in Kevin's household.''
After Kevin appeared to post old videos that showed then-12-year-old Sean and 11-year-old Jayden arguing with their mother (that were later deleted), Britney's attorney fired back, calling the move "cruel, bottom of the barrel stuff."
"Britney has faithfully supported her children and she loves them dearly," the lawyer told E! News in an Aug. 11, 2022, statement. "Whether he realizes it or not, Mr. Federline has not only violated the privacy and dignity of the mother of his children, he has undermined his own children, whose privacy he should protect."
In January 2023, TMZ obtained a video of Britney sitting at a restaurant table seemingly talking to herself and a report circulated that she'd had a meltdown at the establishment and Sam had angrily left.
"People get a little too excited to see my wife," Sam told a paparazzo afterward, per video posted by TMZ." When you sit down to have a meal and people get their cameras out and start filming, it's disrespectful." So, Britney may have been acting strangely to observers, according to Sam, but that's because she was frustrated by the perceived intrusions. (He also explained that he had simply gone ahead to get the car.)
Later that month, Ventura County Sheriff's deputies showed up at Britney's house for a welfare check "out of an abundance of caution" after a number of her fans called to report their concerns because she had (temporarily) deleted her Instagram account, a sheriff's office spokesperson told People. He said that authorities quickly determined Britney was "safe and in no danger."
Britney wrote Feb. 9 on Instagram that the most dire speculation about her well-being made her "sick to [her] stomach."
"No folks, it's not 2007 … it's 2023 and I'm making my first homemade lasagna at home !!!" she shared. "I finally got my fireplace to work in my living room !!! As my hubby says it best: don't believe everything you read !!!"
The next day she added, "This week in the news it said that I almost died and that I have a manager and 'doctors' !!! I don't have a management team nor will I ever again in my life !!! I don't have 'medical doctors' !!! I take Prozac for depression and that's about it !!! I'm an extremely boring person !!!"
Sam told Access Hollywood at the time, "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."
Britney and mom Lynne reconnected in person this past May. "My sweet mama showed up at my door step yesterday after 3 years. it's been such a long time," Britney wrote on Instagram. "...with family there's always things that need to be worked out … but time heals all wounds !!!"
"And after being able to communicate what I've held in for an extremely long time," she continued, "I feel so blessed we were able to try to make things RIGHT !!! I love you so much !!!"
On June 21, Britney shared that she'd also visited Jamie Lynn on the set of Zoey 102.
Britney's attorney communicated to Kevin's lawyer in a May 31 letter that the singer wouldn't oppose 17-year-old Sean and 16-year-old Jayden's move to Hawaii with their dad, stepmom Victoria Prince and stepsisters, and the Federlines relocated in early August.
Page Six reported Aug. 11 that Kevin's lawyer said Britney had talked to the boys "probably a couple of weeks ago," but wasn't sure if they had spoken since the move.
Months after swatting down split rumors sparked when Britney vacationed without her husband and Sam was spotted sans wedding ring (he was bare-handed while filming, his rep clarified), the pair broke up after 14 months of marriage.
"They're separated and it's best for Britney," a source familiar to the situation told NBC News. Sam filed for divorce Aug. 16, citing irreconcilable differences as the reason, per court documents obtained by E! News.
Sam's rep denied a report that he was challenging their prenuptial agreement and threatening to exploit Britney with videos. "All these claims are false, as no negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be," BAC Talent's Brandon Cohen told E! News. "Sam has always and will always support her."
Britney, who's since welcomed puppy Snow into her household, acknowledged the split Aug. 18 on Instagram, admitting she was "a little shocked" by how quickly everything unraveled. "I'm not here to explain why because its honestly nobody's business !!!" she wrote. "But, I couldn't take the pain anymore honestly !!!"
The 41-year-old said she'd try to stay strong. And, she concluded, "I'm actually doing pretty damn good !!! Anyways have a good day and don't forget to smile !!!"
Or, as she captioned a throwback pic from the '00s on Aug. 24, "F--k with me...I dare you."
Britney's Book Comes Out
In February 2022, Britney signed a reported $15 million deal with Simon & Schuster to write a memoir.
And reader, she did. The Woman in Me came out Oct. 24, 2023 in all its bombshell-packed glory.
Since finishing the manuscript, which concluded shy of her split from Sam, the star declared in an Instagram post a few days before the book's release, "I have moved on and it's a beautiful clean slate from here!!! Either way this is the last of it and s--t happens!!!"
(Originally published Aug. 27, 2023, at 12 a.m. PT)