Britney still isn’t ‘free’ – she’s more trapped than ever

The way Britney Spears is still being treated is truly ‘Toxic’ – she’s escaped the shackles of her conservatorship, but she’s still chained by her celebrity status

After all that, it transpires that Britney is still not free. In fact, if you’ve been reading the latest updates surrounding her split from Sam Asghari, it seems like she’s more trapped than ever before.

In case you haven’t caught up: on Wednesday, reports emerged that the singer and her husband would be separating after one year of marriage. Court documents filed in Los Angeles cited “irreconcilable differences” for the divorce, and revealed that the fitness instructor and Spears had separated almost three weeks ago.

While Spears has yet to publicly comment on the split, Asghari issued a statement on Instagram, writing that he and the musician had “decided to end [their] journey together”. He continued: “We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each and I wish her the best always. S*** happens. Asking for privacy seems ridiculous so I will just ask for everyone including media to be kind and thoughtful.”

So far, so standard celebrity divorce. But this is not where the story ends. Since reports of the split emerged, rumours about Spears have circulated, including Asghari’s alleged attempts to renegotiate their prenuptial agreement, which, according to Page Six, the gossip column in the New York Post, had been created “in her favour”. Now, there are claims that Asghari wants Spears to “pay him more than what their prenup provides” in return for keeping her secrets following their split.

A source told Page Six that he is “attempting to negotiate concessions beyond his prenup and threatening to go public with extraordinarily embarrassing information about Britney unless he gets paid”. Asghari has since denied these claims, with a representative for him telling the Hollywood Reporterthat “all these claims are false, as no negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be. Sam has always and will always support her”.

Nonetheless, that hasn’t stopped countless rumours about Spears’ behaviour during their marriage sending the internet into a tailspin. Social media is being bombarded with torrid, unproven information about the intricacies of what sounds like a potentially deeply troubled and turbulent relationship.

If the allegations against Asghari are true, and he really was threatening Spears in order to negotiate their prenup, it would also be a damning indictment of their six-year relationship, which began after Asghari starred in the music video for Spears’ song “Slumber Party”.

But frankly, it doesn’t even matter. Because the sheer fact that all of this is all over the internet is enough to make you realise just how shackled Spears still is, if not to the chains of her conservatorship (which ended in 2022), then to her celebrity status.

I can’t remember the last time I had a conversation about Spears that was about her music. Every time someone mentions the “Toxic” singer, it’s about her relationships, rumours around her conservatorship, or her behaviour online. The degree of her fame is dehumanising. The way she is discussed online and offline presents her as more of a totem than a person; Spears is a legacy, an icon, a legend.

It’s easy to forget that she’s also a human being. That alone would be enough to stop her from ever truly being free – but now, the split from Asghari seems to be trapping her further, relegating her to the toxic waste bin that is celebrity gossip, serving as a brutal reminder that powerful women are only ever allowed a certain amount of autonomy before someone tries to dismantle it.

It’s not yet clear whether or not Spears will comment on the split or the surrounding allegations. So far, she seems to be ignoring the drama altogether, posting various artworks on Instagram with cryptic captions as well as sharing a photograph of herself riding a horse on the beach, informing her 42.1 million followers that she will be buying one soon.

“So many options it’s kinda hard !!!” she wrote in the caption. “A horse called Sophie and another called Roar ??? I can’t make up my mind !!!” Frankly, if this is the only dilemma Spears is facing right now, it can only be a good sign. Let’s hope it stays that way.