Britney Spears finally has the chance to share her side of the story — and she isn’t holding back about anything.
The pop star addressed her ups and downs over the years in The Woman in Me, which was released in October 2023. From her public struggles to her controversial 13-year conservatorship, nothing was off limits as Spears shared a never-before-seen look into her life.
Ahead of the book’s debut, a source exclusively told Us Weekly that Spears was looking forward to sharing her truth. “It’s not Britney’s intention to skewer anyone. She’s just going to relay the facts from her perspective,” the insider said.
Spears, meanwhile, made it clear that she had no intention of offending anyone.
“That was me then … that is in the past!!!” she wrote via Instagram in October 2023. “It’s a beautiful clean slate from here!!! I am here to establish it that way for the rest of my entire life!!! Either way, that is the last of it and s–t happens. This is actually a book I didn’t know needed to be written, although some might be offended, it has given me closure on all things for a better future.”
The Woman in Me is available now. Keep reading for the biggest takeaways:
Her Tumultuous Relationship With Justin Timberlake
Spears, who dated Timberlake from 1999 to 2002, detailed how they crossed paths while on The Mickey Mouse Club as kids. They went from friends to more later, and their relationship’s downfall was ultimately a result of infidelity on both sides.
The singer revealed she made out with choreographer Wade Robson while she was dating Timberlake. Her then-boyfriend “agreed to move past” the transgression — even though Timberlake was also unfaithful to Spears with a fellow celebrity.
Before their split, Spears found out she was pregnant but ultimately had an abortion because Timberlake wasn’t ready to be a father. “I’m sure people will hate me for this, but I agreed not to have the baby,” she wrote. “I don’t know if that was the right decision. If it had been left up to me alone, I never would have done it.”
Timberlake attempted to comfort Spears after she terminated her pregnancy by strumming his guitar as she was “crying and sobbing” on the bathroom floor. The pair never recovered from the difficult decision and Timberlake allegedly broke up with Spears in a text message.
In her memoir, Spears called out Timberlake’s behavior in the wake of their split. (Timberlake, for his part, issued an apology in February 2023, for how he may have played a role in the negative attention she received because of how he spoke about their relationship in the press.)
“I don’t think Justin realized the power he had in shaming me. I don’t think he understands to this day,” she noted. “Was I mad at being ‘outed’ by him as being sexually active? No. To be honest with you, I liked that Justin said that.”
Detailing Her Surprising Hookups Over the Years
Spears focused on empowering herself — and readers — by not shying away from addressing her personal life. She revealed in the book that she had sex for the first time at age 14 with brother Bryan Spears‘ childhood friend.
In addition to her connection with Robson in the early 2000s, Britney discussed her “two-week brawl” with Colin Farrell following her breakup with Timberlake as well.
“Brawl is the only word for it — we were all over each other, grappling so passionately it was like we were in a street fight,” Britney wrote about the relationship that blossomed after they met on the set of Farrell’s 2003 action film S.W.A.T. “As I had before when I’d felt too attached to a man, I tried to convince myself in every way that it was not a big deal, that we were just having fun, that in this case I was vulnerable because I wasn’t over Justin yet.”
Britney later started dating Kevin Federline, to whom she was married to from 2004 to 2007. The duo expanded their family with sons Sean and Jayden before calling it quits. The performer subsequently moved on with Adnan Ghalib — not knowing that the photographer was married.
According to Britney, Ghalib gave her a “lustful relationship,” which she needed after struggling with depression and longing “for attention” from a man. Britney and Ghalib parted ways in 2008, which was the same year Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, filed to put her in a conservatorship.
Calling Out Her Father Jamie Spears
While discussing her childhood, Britney said her dad experienced “extreme mood swings” due to his alleged alcohol addiction amid money issues. Britney theorized that Jamie’s behavior was an attempt at “self-medicating after enduring years of abuse” at the hands of his father, June Spears.
Britney recalled seeing her parents constantly fighting when she was younger — until they divorced in 2002. Following her own personal struggles in the spotlight, Jamie was appointed as the conservator of Britney’s finances and personal life in 2008. She revealed that Jamie had control over her work schedule, dating life, social life, money, medication and diet.
“Here’s the sad, honest truth. After everything I had been through, I didn’t have a lot of fight left in me. I was tired, and I was scared, too. After being held down on a gurney, I knew they could restrain my body any time they wanted to,” she wrote in reference to being placed on a psychiatric hold in 2008. “They could’ve tried to kill me, I thought. I started to wonder if they did want to kill me.”
Britney was pressured to check into a mental health treatment center one decade later without her consent. She called the police in June 2021 to report Jamie for conservatorship abuse — which was terminated later that year.
“I couldn’t believe it when [my lawyer] called me as soon as he came out of the court hearing and told me it was done. I was free,” he wrote.
The Reality of Her Conservatorship
According to Britney, her father controlled her finances and most aspects of her life from 2008 to 2021. She recalled going along with the conservatorship out of fear that she would lose custody of her kids. Britney was constantly subjected to parental controls on her devices, no access to a car or the ability to bathe in private.
“In my old life I’d had freedom: the freedom to make my own decisions, to set my own agenda, to wake up and decide how I wanted to spend the day. Even the hard days were my hard days. Once I gave up the fight, in my new life, I would wake up each morning and ask one question: ‘What are we doing?’” Britney wrote. “And then I would do what I was told.”
Being at Odds With Sister Jamie Lynn Spears
“Jamie Lynn clearly suffered in our family home, too. She grew up a child of divorce, which I did not,” Britney noted. “But I don’t think she fully understands just how desperately poor we were before she was born. Because of the money I brought to the family, she wasn’t helpless in the face of our father, like my mother and I were back in the 1980s.”
While recalling their ups and downs, Britney wrote that she became concerned by Jamie Lynn Spears‘ behavior when she was still a child. Britney, who referred to an 11-year-old Jamie Lynn as a “total bitch,” took issue with how her sister treated their mother, Lynne Spears.
Britney questioned Jamie Lynn’s behavior and later recalled the lack of support amid her conservatorship. According to Britney, Jamie Lynn suggested she “stop fighting” after she was placed in rehab by their father in 2018.
Even though she put Jamie Lynn — and her January 2022 memoir Things I Should Have Said — on blast, Britney admitted on social media that she was interested in a reconciliation. Jamie Lynn, for her part, has remained largely silent about Britney’s digs. After publishing her book, Jamie Lynn made it clear she would always support Britney.
Getting Candid About Her Mental Health
At the height of her fame, Britney recalled taking Prozac as a way of dealing with negative feedback from the public. She also recalled feeling uncomfortable by the attention she received from older men who would be “leering” at her during performances.
Britney later detailed being placed on lithium during her 2018 rehab stint, in addition to building up a reliance on ADHD medication Adderall.
In the book, Britney also called out the people who criticize her social media posts. “I know that a lot of people don’t understand why I love taking pictures of myself naked or in new dresses,” she added. “But I think if they’d been photographed by other people thousands of times, prodded and posed for other people’s approval, they’d understand that I get a lot of joy from posing the way I feel sexy and taking my own picture, doing whatever I want with it.”
Finding Love With Sam Asghari
The Woman in Me mentioned Britney’s relationship with husband Sam Asghari, who filed for divorce after the book was complete. The actress praised Asghari for being an inspiration in her life and for wishing for her happiness.
Britney also remembered feeling “giddy” after learning she was pregnant in early 2022 because she was excited to start a family with Asghari. She suffered a miscarriage one month after revealing the news on social media.
“I’d been so thrilled to be pregnant that I’d told the whole word, which meant I had to un-tell them,” she wrote. “I was devastated to have lost this baby. … Listening to music on my phone helps me cope with the anger and sadness I face as an adult.”
Where She Stands With Her Family After Conservatorship
Britney discussed still dealing with the aftermath of being in a conservatorship and feeling as if no one in her family was there to protect her. “Migraines are just one part of the physical and emotional damage I have now that I’m out of the conservatorship,” she wrote. “I don’t think my family understands the real damage that they did.”
While visiting her parents in Louisiana during the coronavirus pandemic, Britney discovered that her belongings had been “thrown away” by her family, which led to a realization. She decided to cut ties with people who contributed to the darkest moments in her life.
