Why We're Worried About Britney Spears

Since her very public breakdown in 2007, Britney Spears has been the subject of public scrutiny and speculation. After being released from a lengthy conservatorship, the former pop princess is now a free woman, but Britney Spears' latest online behavior has fans worried for her future. Ever since she was granted her autonomy, the mom of two has used Instagram to post erratic video ramblings, and NSFW reels and images, prompting those who lobbied for the #freebritney movement to become increasingly concerned about her state of mind. Some well meaning fans even contacted authorities in 2023 to check on Spears after she inexplicably deactivated her Instagram account, a step that the "Toxic" singer didn't appreciate. "I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded," she said in a since-deleted X post, per Harper's Bazaar. 

Psychotherapist Stephanie Sarkis told USA Today that it makes sense for people to feel empathy for people who are suffering, but there's a fine line. "Because we are caring, empathic humans, we're going to be concerned about someone − and that's OK," Sarkis said. "I think if it's becoming too consuming, and it's causing you to not be able to engage in regular daily life, then maybe it's time to evaluate, talk to somebody." Sarkis added that Spears' devoted fans seem to have good intentions. "People are really rooting for her to do well, because we want people to do well overall," she said. ""We want them to triumph, and we want them to live to their potential."

One of the most disturbing posts to pop up on Britney Spears' Instagram feed featured the singer sharpening more than just her dance skills. Clad in a skimpy polka dot top and white bikini bottoms, Spears was twirling around her home waving two gleaming butcher knives. Then oops, she did it again a few weeks later. In both posts, Spears claimed the knives were fake, but the authorities went to Spears' home to conduct a wellness check anyway at the request of someone close to the star.

Apparently, this wasn't Spears' first foray into knife juggling. In the documentary "Britney Spears: The Price of Freedom,"  that aired on Fox, TMZ founder Harvey Levin alleged that the "Circus" singer "has a fascination with knives," per Page Six, and sleeps with one under her bed. More concerning, however, were allegations from her ex-husband, and father of her two sons, Kevin Federline. In his upcoming memoir "You Thought You Knew," Federline claimed the couple's two boys were afraid to spend the night with Spears. "They would awaken sometimes at night to find her standing silently in the doorway, watching them sleep — 'Oh, you're awake?' — with a knife in her hand," he wrote. "Then she'd turn around and pad off without explanation." A representative for Spears issued a statement per People that claimed Federline is once again trying to profit off his ex-wife.

If you want a piece of her, you don't have to look far. Britney Spears' Instagram feed features her twirling, dancing, and writhing around in various states of undress everywhere from her living room to the beach, prompting people to wonder why the sudden exhibitionism? Is she trying to prove a point? Maybe. 

Spears has been flaunting her figure suggestively onstage and in magazines and videos for years in costumes that left little to the imagination. The difference is that now she's doing it on her own terms. "I know that a lot of people don't understand why I love taking pictures of myself naked or in new dresses," the "Gimme More" singer wrote in her best-selling book, "The Woman in Me." "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." While Spears may get joy from her antics, her sons don't. "It's like almost as if she has to put something on Instagram to get attention," her youngest son, Jayden, told ITV News in 2022. "This has gone on for years and years and years, and there's a high chance that this is never going to really stop, but I'm hoping for me, maybe she will."

Maybe she was channeling Madonna, but fans grew worried when Britney Spears started randomly speaking with a British accent, despite having never lived in the U.K. Spears, who hails from Kentwood, Louisiana, typically speaks with a slight Southern drawl, so fans didn't understand the new "Brit speak." In her book, "The Woman In Me," the singer addressed the topic and explained that it wasn't some strange obsession with British culture, but rather a nod to her ancestors, specifically her grandmother whom Spears said she greatly admired. "According to my mother, my grandmother Lilian 'Lily' Portell was from an elegant, sophisticated family in London," Spears wrote. "All I knew was that my grandmother was beautiful and I loved copying her British accent," she continued. "Talking in a British accent has always made me happy because it makes me think of her, my fashionable grandmother. I wanted to have manners and a lilting voice just like hers."

While that explained the occasional accent, it doesn't explain some of the singer's rants that, to some, have sounded like nothing more than incoherent babbling. In one particularly strange incident, Spears and her then-husband Sam Asghari, was seen at JOEY, a restaurant in the San Fernando Valley. When fans started to take photos of the star, eyewitnesses told TMZ that she started yelling and speaking in what sounded like gibberish. Asghari left her at the table where sources say she continued to babble to herself before leaving with her bodyguard.

A since-deleted video of Britney Spears dancing around her house (again) on Instagram stirred up a lot of comments among viewers who were less shocked by her revealing ensemble than they were by the mess that surrounded her. The inside of Britney Spears' gorgeous mansion seemed to be in complete disarray, with what appeared to be piles of dog feces on the floors. "She doesn't see it, but the state of that house is frightening," a longtime associate told RadarOnline. "It's unhygienic, it's chaotic, and it reminds us all of the filth Hackman died in. The fear is she's on the same path unless someone intervenes." Oddly, Spears captioned the video "Messing around with lighting and cleaning my house like no tomorrow," per Globe.

Fans took to X to comment on the bizarre video where Spears sings off-key renditions of songs by Rihanna and Prince and danced amid the squalor of her home. "God whats happened to poor Britney, is this the price of fame," tweeted one viewer, while another commented "someone should take her dogs."  An insider agreed, and told Globe, "It's alarming to a lot of people. They think she should just hand the dogs over to a charity. She desperately needs help around the house. She simply cannot help herself!" In an odd, now-deleted post, Spears shared a photo of Justin Bieber and his son while shaming the people who had commented on the state of her home. "Shame on those who judged my home in my pajamas," she wrote, per Metro, before adding, "I'm in love with this picture!!! So so beautiful!!!"

The stunning transformation of Britney Spears from adorable Mouseketeer to pop star to tabloid fodder has been sad to watch. She is rarely seen outside of her home, and social media is the only place where she interacts with the public. Those glimpses into her life vary from sweet and reflective posts to chaotic dancing and manic rants. Whether it's a bid for attention, or a real cry for help, her behavior both on and offline is concerning not only to fans, but to those who know the singer personally. "Her behavior is just like you see online — moments of clarity mixed with moments that feel like a roller coaster," a source told RadarOnline. "She is still the sweetest person, but she is losing her grip."

With so many tragic details about Britney Spears' life, it's no wonder she turns to social media to escape, however it may be doing more harm than good. Much like any other addiction, the more "hits" you get, the more you crave. According to HelpGuide.org, when a person receives a lot of attention online, it becomes harder to step away from social media, even at the expense of other priorities. According to Spears' son, Jayden, that may be what's going on with his mother. "Social media helps her ... So if that's what she wants to do that's what she wants to do, I'm not going to hate her for that," he told ITV News. "At the same time, she should come to the realization of whatever it is that stops her loving her family."

Some say the reason Britney Spears and Kevin Federline divorced was his party-boy lifestyle. Ironically, he now appears to be a decent father who has provided the two sons he shares with Spears with a stable home. Conversely, a look inside Britney Spears' relationship with her sons reveals a complicated and strained dynamic.

Spears lost custody of her children after her famous public meltdown raised concerns over her mental health, but got shared custody when her conservatorship was established. However, as the boys got older, they spent less and less time with their famous mother. Her youngest son, Jayden, said he felt like Spears played favorites, and gave him preferential treatment over his older brother Preston. "I think Mom has struggled giving us both attention and showing us equal love and I don't think she showed enough to Preston and I feel really bad for that," he told ITV News.

Neither boy attended their mother's wedding to her now-ex, Sam Asghari, but Jayden said he doesn't harbor any hate toward his mother. On the contrary, he hopes they can repair their relationship. "I 100% think this can be fixed," he said. "It's just going to take a lot of time and effort. I just want her to get better mentally. When she gets better I really want to see her again." As for Spears, she has publicly apologized to her sons for any hurt or pain she caused them, and expressed her love.