#FreeBritney

Kevin Federline this month, released his book You Thought You Knew: What I’ve Lived Through with Britney Spears and Our Boys. This novel offered a different perspective on his relationship with Briney Spears and their family life. It also opposes Britney Spear’s memoir, The Woman in Me. The book contains allegations of unhealthy behaviors that Spears presented to her children, posing her as mentally unwell. Federline accuses Spears of drinking while pregnant and using cocaine while breastfeeding, damaging their young children’s well-being. He also claims that their sons were afraid of her as teenagers. The boys informed their father about an incident where Spears would stand in their doorway at night, holding a knife. Federline also addresses Spear’s conservatorship and his opinions on the matter. Britney Spears had her father as her legal authority over her financials, career, and personal decisions due to her not being all mentally there. Spears highly disagreed with this and claimed that she was forced to perform medicated against her will. The #FreeBritney movement occurred when fans questioned why she was held under such strict control despite her successes. Fans then organized protests and even influenced media coverage. This movement highly impacted the end of the conservatorship. In his book, Federline claims that Spears highly exaggerated how much control she lost under the conservatorship. He viewed the situation as more of a protection than an abusive system. He also believes that the #FreeBritney movement caused more chaos than actual help. He proposed that instead, people should be fighting for a “Save Britney” movement, implying current concern for her mental well-being. 

However, though this book seems believable and unfortunate, there is speculation on how much of this information is truly correct. Some speculate that this release of the book is more for financial gain rather than awareness or better understanding of their past situation. Federline received child support payments from Spears for nearly two decades. However, those payments recently ended after their children entered adulthood. The timing has fueled public suspicion that the book was meant to replace that lost income. Federline has not maintained a consistently well-paying career after his early years as a dancer. While he earned some income as a DJ, most reports indicate that he heavily relied on the child support payments to sustain his lifestyle and fully raise his children. In an interview however, Federline denied these claims. He admitted that he wanted the book to be successful, but not because he wanted financial success from it. Many media outlets currently are ignoring or disbelieving this statement and still argues that this novel was driven by money. 

What do you guys believe? Was the motive of this novel for money, or do you think it truly was about awareness. Also, do you think this book was an exaggeration for more publicity, or do you think that the details presented in this novel were accurate?