Kevin Federline has spoken out in support of ex-wife Britney Spears less than a week after Spears told a court she wanted an end to the “abusive” conservatorship she has been held under since 2008.
Through his attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, Federline – who was married to Spears between 2004 and 2007 – focused on the wellbeing of his teenage sons with Spears, Sean and Jayden. “The best thing would be for their mom to be healthy and happy,” Kaplan told People in a statement. “And if either of those things aren’t true, it doesn’t provide for the best setting for custody to be exercised.”
Kaplan went on to say that Federline “respects Britney and only hopes the best for her because when the best for her is achieved, it’s the best for their kids. The kids love their mother and he wants there to be a healthy and strong relationship.”
He added that Spears “has not been served well by the conservatorship and it’s not consistent with what she wants. I think that she should be able to challenge that. And if it’s what’s best for her, Kevin supports it.”
Kaplan also added that Federline had some concerns over Spears’ assertion that she wanted her conservatorship terminated without any expert evaluation, referring to Spears’ claim she had been placed on the psychotropic medication lithium.
“I have to hope that if some medical professional prescribed that for her that there was some condition or basis for that to be deemed an appropriate medical protocol,” Kaplan said.
“So, if the conservatorship were to end and even more so to be terminated without an exit evaluation, I’m sure that Kevin would at least want to know what the conditions were that gave rise to her being prescribed that, and Kevin would probably have to engender some dialogue along those lines at some point in time if that were to occur.”
Spears remotely addressed a courtroom in Los Angeles about her conservatorship last week, publicly sharing her feelings about it for the first time in over a decade. Calling the conservatorship “abusive”, the singer said, among other claims, that her conservators will not permit her to go to a doctor to get an IUD removed, preventing her from having a baby.
Spears’ father Jamie has had control over the singer’s finances and career since 2008, stepping away temporarily in 2019 due to health reasons. Britney last attempted to have him removed permanently in August last year. Back in March, Ingham filed a petition on Spears’ behalf to have her father permanently removed as her conservator.
Spears’ longstanding conservatorship received renewed attention earlier this year with the release of the documentary Framing Britney Spears, which, along with the conservatorship, focused on her career and intense media scrutiny, reigniting interest in her case and the #FreeBritney movement.
Earlier this week, Christina Aguilera voiced her support for Spears. “It is unacceptable that any woman, or human, wanting to be in control of their own destiny might not be allowed to live life as they wish,” Aguilera wrote on social media.
