In 2018, there was a surprisingly messy child support battle which spilled out into the entertainment media. Britney Spears had, at that time, recently signed on to a residency in Las Vegas, which would mean a huge increase to her income. Kevin Federline went to court to ask for an increase in child support from Britney, given her increased income. After months of sniping privately and publicly, K-Fed and Jamie Spears worked out a deal, and wouldn’t you know, Kevin got more money than he asked for, all because Jamie didn’t want all of his financial impropriety within Britney’s conservatorship to be exposed. That moment was fascinating to me because it highlighted the strange limbo situation that K-Fed was trying to navigate with Britney and Jamie-as-conservator. Kevin had no say in Britney’s conservatorship, and he always maintained that he genuinely wanted Britney to be healthy for their sons. That moment also showed that Kevin had some idea of all of the financial mess of Britney’s conservatorship, and he was perfectly willing to use that information to get more money.
Well, K-Fed only makes public statements every few years, but it sounds like he’s ready to get some sh-t off his chest, given Britney is now out of her conservatorship. Some highlights from Kevin’s interview with a British TV program (the Daily Mail had the first quotes):
Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15, haven’t seen Britney in months: ‘The boys have decided they are not seeing her right now,’ Kevin reveals. ‘It’s been a few months since they’ve seen her. They made the decision not to go to her wedding.’
Britney’s situation has been rough on the boys: ‘This whole thing has been hard to watch, harder to live through, harder to watch my boys go through than anything else. It’s been tough. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.’
On Britney posting naked photos constantly: At the time, Kevin says he felt compelled to apologise to the boys for any flak they experienced as a result. He insists the boys love their mother, saying: ‘I try to explain to them, ‘Look, maybe that’s just another way she tries to express herself.’ But that doesn’t take away from the fact of what it does to them. It’s tough. I can’t imagine how it feels to be a teenager having to go to high school.’
Father of six: Theirs is a blended family: Kevin and Victoria also have daughters Jordan, 11, and Peyton, eight, while Kevin’s eldest children – Kori, 20, and Kaleb, 18, from his prior relationship with actress Shar Jackson – are frequent visitors. All six siblings are close. Kevin jokes that they are like the famous American sitcom family, The Brady Bunch.
Kevin wants Britney to understand how hard she’s making it for their sons: ‘If there was a way – any way – I could possibly say something to just open [Britney’s] eyes – but I haven’t found that yet. I feel like, if I found that, I’d be on the phone trying to tell her.’
When Britney filed for divorce: ‘I called my lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan and we sat down and I told him all I care about is getting 50 per cent custody. Nothing else mattered. Nothing. I’m not the person that will take money over family.’
Britney’s 2008 breakdown & the start of her conservatorship: It was a chaotic and bewildering time during which Kevin says he believes everyone tried to do their best. ‘There were so many different things that were happening within a short period of time. It just all came to a head and I don’t think anybody knew what to do. How can anybody prepare you?’
Kevin’s thoughts on Jamie Spears: Kevin acknowledges he has his own questions about why the arrangement lasted so long, but maintains Britney’s father did everything with the best intentions. ‘I saw this man that really cared, and really cares about his family and wanting everything to be OK,’ he says. ‘When Jamie took over, things got into order. He saved her life.’
Sean & Jayden didn’t understand the conservatorship: ‘They’ve had a lot of questions about it. I don’t know that I can answer all of them for them but I just tried to explain to them that your mom needed help, you know, and the people were in play to try to make that happen, to make it better.’
Even though he once had a restraining order against Jamie Spears, K-Fed would welcome him back into Sean & Jayden’s lives: ‘I would absolutely welcome Jamie Spears back in the boys’ lives. Especially if that’s what the boys wanted. I don’t have any hard feelings towards Jamie Spears. People make mistakes. I feel bad for him. I feel like he’s been put through the wringer.’
He’s close to Lynn Spears too: ‘Family is supposed to stick together, and just because they’re not my immediate family, you know, they’re my sons’, my kids’ immediate family. They love their memaw. My priority has always been: it is about what is good for the boys.’
The deterioration of Britney’s relationship with her sons: Kevin clearly has no wish to embarrass his former wife but acknowledges he became increasingly uncomfortable with what his then younger teenage sons confided they were witnessing during their visits in recent years, although he declines to go into detail. He just says: ‘There were a lot of things going on that I didn’t feel comfortable with.’ He explains that in recent months, in the wake of increasingly erratic posts by Britney on Instagram, his boys have come to their own decision. ‘They tried to give her the benefit of the doubt but at the same time, I can tell that sometimes, it hurts to be in that position. So, I made sure all my kids can come to me at any moment and discuss anything. The boys – all my kids – know that they come to me and to my wife and discuss anything. They’re teenagers right now. You know, we talk about sex, we talk about drugs, we talk about all the things that teenagers go through. I want my kids to make all the mistakes they possibly can in my house, because [that way], I can protect them.’
[From The Daily Mail]
Everyone always made fun of Kevin for getting child support and having his lawyer on speed dial, but you know what? It’s been 14 years and I’m glad Sean and Jayden have the stable base of the Federline house. Kevin is not saying anyone is wrong – Britney is enjoying her freedom and trying to find some kind of balance, but of course it’s going to be messy and of course she’s not going to be perfect – that’s her right. Kevin has every right to listen to what Sean and Jayden tell him about why her behavior makes them uncomfortable, and he has every right to talk about it publicly. I know people think he’s a miserable, out-of-work loser, but if the genders were reversed, we would praise him for being the stable parent, raising his kids and navigating a difficult situation. That is my take – others obviously feel differently. Sam Asghari feels differently. Britney feels differently.
Photos courtesy of Avalon Red, Instagram.
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