Britney Spears and Kevin Federline’s Heated Showdown Amid Pleas for Help

Kevin Federline is about to release a tell-all, and he is not pulling punches. His upcoming memoir, 'You Thought You Knew,' dives into his rise to fame and his turbulent marriage to Britney Spears, and the allegations in it are intense. Britney is already firing back publicly. Here is what both sides are saying, and how we got here.

The book Federline is selling

Federline has a memoir out October 21 called 'You Thought You Knew.' The pitch for the book leans into the idea that the public only saw part of the story: 'What you thought you knew was only half the story.'

An excerpt published by the New York Times lays out several claims about Britney during their marriage and early parenthood. Federline also says he learned about their split from a reporter, not from Britney. The allegations and anecdotes he puts on the record include:

• He says he once found Britney standing in the doorway of their sons bedroom holding a knife.
• He claims she drank wine while pregnant and used cocaine while breastfeeding.
• He writes that he had no idea she had filed for divorce until a MuchMusic interviewer asked him about it.
• He accuses her of erratic behavior toward their kids, including incidents he describes as bleach burns and physical abuse.
• He recounts a night when their older son, Preston, was in Paris with his girlfriend's family. Federline says Britney called Preston and blamed Kevin for everything, and when her son confronted her, she responded — per Variety — that she wished he, his brother, and Kevin were all dead.

On Entertainment Tonight, Federline said the timing is about their sons being old enough to process what he is saying. He framed the book as a warning flare:

'I am really worried. I am absolutely, as a father, terrified that one day I might wake up and my sons are going to have to deal with the unimaginable. I kind of have to sound the alarm that... somehow, someway... their mom would get help.'

He also told ET the memoir avoids some specifics about Britney's personal life because, in his words, the reality is 'ten times worse' than what he put on the page.

Britney pushes back

Britney responded with a long post on social media, calling out what she describes as Kevin's 'constant gaslighting.' She says she has begged for a relationship with their sons — Sean Preston (20) and Jayden James (19) — and acknowledged that managing any relationship with teenage boys is complicated. She also set boundaries going forward, saying one son has seen her for only 45 minutes in the last five years and the other for only four visits across the same period, and that she will now let them know when she is available.

Separately, Britney's team told TODAY that Kevin is 'profiting' off her and noted this is happening after his child support ended. They encouraged people to read Britney's own memoir, 'The Woman in Me,' for her version of events.

How we got here: a quick timeline

Britney and Kevin met in the summer of 2004. At the time, Federline had worked as a backup dancer for Britney's ex, Justin Timberlake. Things moved fast. They decided to marry that September and kept the ceremony low-key; Britney later told PEOPLE they pushed it up because the original plan had snowballed into something too big, and they wanted to do it their way.

They welcomed Sean Preston in September 2005 and Jayden James in September 2006. Britney filed for divorce in November 2006. The eventual settlement granted them joint legal and physical custody. Years later, in 2019, the custody arrangement changed, leaving Britney with 10% custodial rights.

In 2022, while the world was celebrating the end of Britney's conservatorship, Kevin told the Daily Mail he believed the conservatorship likely saved her, and he publicly defended her father, Jamie Spears, as someone who got things in order and cared about his family.

As of now, Britney is reportedly single. Kevin has been married to Victoria Prince since 2013, and they have two daughters together.

What this means right now

Federline's memoir is out October 21, and if these excerpts are any indication, it is going to spark more debate. Britney is clearly not letting his story stand unchallenged. Expect more back-and-forth as press for the book ramps up — and, yes, a lot of people rereading 'The Woman in Me' for contrast. If you have thoughts, you know where to find the comments.