Britney Spears’ former assistant and friend Sean Phillip is sharing his theory about the singer’s DUI arrest, calling the circumstances “suspicious.”
“I think there are some people out to get her … The timing is so off that she gets financial independence and then she’s arrested,” Phillip told Extra on Wednesday, March 11, referring to the recent sale of Spears’ music catalog for $200 million. “We all think it’s a push to put her back in a conservatorship, because guess what happened when the conservatorship stopped? People stopped getting money.”
Phillip continued, “I don’t think she’s free. There’s still a care plan in place. I personally don’t think she has access to all of her finances, but a lot of other people do. I don’t think it’s fair.”
On March 4, Spears, 44, was arrested near her home in Ventura County, California, “on suspicion of driving under the influence of a combination of alcohol and drugs,” according to a press release from the California Highway Patrol. She was taken into custody and reportedly sent to a hospital to test her blood alcohol content before being booked and subsequently released on Thursday, March 5.
“This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” Spears’ rep told Us Weekly. “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law, and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time. Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue, needed plan to set her up for success for well-being.”
The arrest came nearly five years after Spears’ conservatorship was terminated after 13 years following a lengthy battle for the pop star to regain power over her own financial, legal and business decisions.
Phillip, who became friends with Spears in 2003, said he heard from the “Toxic” singer after her arrest.
“She said, ‘I’m OK, I’m OK,’” he recalled of her text message.
Phillip said he recently reconnected with Spears after they lost touch for several years.
“It’s been 20 years since we were seriously hanging out, and it’s just been, like, nice. Just send each other funny stuff and just, you know, just, ‘I miss you, I miss you, I miss you,’” he explained, adding that they’ve been having “funny conversations and joy.”
“We used to go out together, just us and the kids,” Phillip added, referring to Spears’ sons, Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19. “Nobody else. We would go to the zoo, we do things, we just go do things, and there was never a problem.”
Spears is due in court on May 4. Sharing his recommendation for his friend, Phillip said, “I encourage her to speak for herself because she can squash everything in a second.”
