The morning after Britney Spears was arrested on suspicion of a DUI in Ventura, California, her rep issued a surprisingly candid statement to the media, calling the “unfortunate” incident “completely inexcusable.” The 44-year-old pop star was pulled over on March 4 for speeding and reckless driving, and spent roughly three hours in Ventura County Jail before being released. Her rep told Us Weekly Spears plans to fully comply with the law, and acknowledged the arrest could be a desperately needed wake-up call for the troubled singer. “Hopefully, this can be the first step in a long-overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”
When Spears’ conservatorship ended in late 2021, it seemed like a triumph for the iconic singer (and the fervent #FreeBritney movement), but things have been unraveling for some time. While her recent reunion with sons Preston, 20, and Jayden, 19 (dad is her ex-husband Kevin Federline), has been a bright spot, there is concern over her increasingly erratic behavior, including her disturbing social media posts (often featuring Spears dancing while wearing little clothing — and at times holding knives) and reports of her swerving on the road while behind the wheel after an outing last October.
Now — with a May 4 court date looming — many are questioning where things went wrong for Spears, and what the next steps should be. “It’s a delicate situation,” says a source. “Everyone around Britney wants her to be healthy and stable, but you can’t force her to do anything.”
Spears’ family and friends were bracing themselves for something bad to happen prior to her arrest, says a second source. Spears showed “signs of impairment” after she underwent a series of sobriety tests by the California Highway Patrol on March 4, and was booked into the Ventura County Jail for “driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol.” (Chemical tests were pending as of press time.) “It wasn’t a matter of ‘if’ but ‘when’ she would get arrested,” the source says, adding that loved ones “are just relieved no one was hurt.”
Her behavior has gone from bad to worse in recent months. “She spends a lot of time alone at home, which leads her to make bad choices,” says the first source. “She has this tendency to think she’s kind of invincible, especially since she’s been free from the conservatorship. For a while, she felt like there were no real consequences, but lately, it’s started to catch up with her.”
Multiple sources tell Us substance abuse has been an issue. In her 2023 memoir, The Woman In Me, Spears said she “never had a drinking problem” and that her “drug of choice” was Adderall, which is used to treat ADHD symptoms. “[Pills] are her real vice,” says the second source, noting that when Spears’ conservatorship was terminated, she stopped being drug tested, and that’s when “she started falling back into old habits.” Adds the source: “She’s been privately struggling with it for two to three years now.”
The first source says things began to escalate when she started spending long stretches in Mexico. (Spears celebrated her last two birthdays in Mexico; in a December 2024 video she posted to Instagram, she said she’d moved there to escape paparazzi attention in the States.) “That environment wasn’t good for her,” says the first source. “She had access to all kinds of pills, and there wasn’t anyone really keeping things in check.” Adds a third source: “It’s not a safe place for her because there’s a lot of access to over-the-counter things. Who knows what she is getting and how it’s making her act.” Another insider says that her trips to Mexico raised alarm bells even in 2024 as she’d been “going to the pharmacy there for pills, including Adderall, because it’s more accessible than in the States.”
Spears fought hard for her independence after 13 years in a conservatorship — mainly overseen by her estranged father, Jamie Spears — that prohibited her from managing her own money, making career decisions, getting married or having more children. But things began to spiral after it was terminated. “A care plan was established when Britney’s conservatorship ended, but it’s been hard to enforce without the court involved,” says the second source. The first source says Spears had hired a life coach at one point, but “it didn’t last,” adding, “there were multiple times when Britney refused to follow the plan, and she would fire the coach, then bring him back, and then fire him again.”
Spears’ relationship with ex-husband Sam Asghari offered some stability, but they broke up in August 2023 following just 14 months of marriage. “When Britney was with Sam, she was doing pretty well,” a source told Us in 2024. “He’s a very structured person and would work out and eat well.”
The source said Spears changed for the worse when she started dating her former handyman Paul Richard Soliz soon after she and Asghari, 32, parted ways (another source told Us at the time that she’d cheated on Asghari with Soliz). “[That’s when] she began going downhill,” said the source. Spears and Soliz, who has a criminal record, ended their on-off relationship in early 2025 after sources told Us her inner circle had been pushing her to stop associating with him.
Her social media presence has drawn concern over the years (Spears deactivated her Instagram account after her arrest). In September 2023, police performed a wellness check after she shared a video showing her dancing with knives. (According to Page Six, police were called to her $7.4 million Thousand Oaks home 14 times since 2024, four of which were wellness checks. The most recent was called in — then later cancelled — in September 2025.) In a May 2025 clip, she accidentally bared her breast, and she used heart emojis to cover up nip slips in a Feb. 25 video in which she danced while wearing sheer lingerie.
As Us previously reported, Spears was thrilled to reconnect with Preston and Jayden. “Britney’s so grateful to have them in her life,” a source told Us in September 2025. “She feels whole again.” One month later, their dad released his book, You Thought You Knew, in which he wrote that it was “time to sound the alarm” about his ex’s behavior post-conservatorship. “It’s become impossible to pretend everything’s OK… the clock is ticking, and we’re getting close to the 11th hour. Something bad is going to happen if things don’t change.” Spears, says a fourth source, was “deeply upset” about Federline’s assertions but notes that his book “wasn’t the catalyst” for her recent spiral. “It didn’t help matters, but her issues predate it.”
She’s been lying low at home since the arrest. “Jayden’s there with her, and she’s seen Preston too,” says the fourth source, adding that Spears’ mom, Lynne Spears, “is very worried and has been keeping tabs on the situation through Britney as well as her team.” The third source says Spears “was devastated and inconsolable after the arrest” and that her mental health “is a big concern.”
Her support system — which includes her sons (“she listens to them the most,” says the first source), Lynne, her brother, Bryan, and a few members of her team — are exploring options for help. “Britney has admitted she needs help, which is a big step, but getting her there isn’t simple,” says the first source. “People are treading very lightly because [there are sensitivities].”
The idea of putting Spears under another conservatorship has come up in press reports and on social media. In his memoir, Federline said he believed her former conservatorship “was the only way to stabilize her situation,” and the third source says Spears’ father “tried telling everyone the conservatorship was in place for her best interest.”
The insider notes that Jodi Montgomery, the singer’s longtime care manager who temporarily took over as Spears’ personal conservator, had also submitted a care plan to the court about what should happen after the conservatorship ended, “but no one followed it.” In June 2021, an attorney for Montgomery had said that she looked “forward to presenting a comprehensive Care Plan… setting forth a path for termination of the conservatorship.” The statement also described Montgomery as a “tireless advocate for Britney and for her well-being.”
Elizabeth Adinolfi, who leads the guardianship practice at Phillips Nizer LLP in New York City and has not worked with Spears, notes that family or concerned friends “could petition the court at any time if they believe someone who was released from a conservatorship subsequently declines to the point where they meet the legal standard for imposing [one again].” Adinolfi notes that would mean that a person is “unable to provide for their physical health or medical treatment, food, clothing or shelter and/ or is substantially unable to manage his or her own financial resources or resist fraud or undue influence.” However, she notes, “the behaviors need to meet this standard go beyond merely making bad decisions.”
Nina A. Kohn, distinguished professor of law at Syracuse University, agrees that “the fact that someone makes bad choices doesn’t mean that a court can — or should — impose a conservatorship.” Adinolfi tells Us a second conservatorship “seems unlikely,” noting that an isolated DUI conviction would “not be sufficient proof” for the court. The second source says some feel a conservatorship is too extreme: “In a perfect world, [she would have] a steady routine and a treatment plan and for her to be able to trust those around her, which they understand is a big ask after the conservatorship. Even going to the hospital to get her blood tested was a very emotional experience for Britney due to her previous 5150s, so the trauma is very much still there.”
Criminal defense attorney R.J. Dreiling tells Us the D.A.’s office will take “several factors” into account in determining if they will charge Spears, including her blood alcohol level, whether any legal or illegal drugs were in her system and how bad her driving was. A blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of .08 percent or higher is considered illegal in the U.S. If Spears’ BAC was below that and no drugs are found in her system, Dreiling says the case may be dropped or she may just get a traffic ticket; if it’s over and she was speeding or if the DA thinks she “seriously put others at risk,” she could face a mandatory jail sentence of two months. (It was reported Spears’ BAC was at .06 percent, but the official results have yet to come out.) Defense attorney Michael Cardoza says the punishment for a first DUI is typically probation along with fines and fees. “Everyone is just praying that she doesn’t get jail time for this,” a source says. “That would be the worst-case scenario.”
Yet it’s become increasingly clear that something has to give. “Everyone hopes Britney will get the help she needs to get her life back on track,” the fourth source tells Us. “It won’t be easy unless she feels ready. You can’t force it.” Adds the third source: “Everyone just wants her to be healthy and happy.”
For more on Britney Spears, watch the exclusive video above and pick up the latest issue of Us Weekly — on newsstands now.
With additional reporting by Paola Leva and Whitney Vasquez
