Britney Spears’ son Jayden breaks his silence on their toxic family split – but offers troubled singer hope of reunion
IT’S the family psychodrama that continues to make global headlines.
When Britney Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline said their sons no longer wanted to see their pop star mother, it caused a tidal wave of reaction.
The bombshell claims led the superstar to use an anguished social media post to accuse her boys of being “hateful”.
But now Britney’s teenagers Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15, are offering her an olive branch.
In an emotional plea to Britney, Jayden said: “I love you a lot and I hope for the best for you.
“Maybe one day we can sit down . . . and talk again and have a normal conversation.”
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In an exclusive interview, he also reveals:
- Why he and his brother missed their mum’s wedding in June.
- Their struggles with Britney’s scathing social media posts about their family.
- Their love for her estranged relatives and hope that she will somehow make peace with them.
- How Preston asked Britney not to post pictures of him on Instagram but she did it anyway.
In a Sun on Sunday interview last month, former professional dancer Kevin, 44, revealed the boys had stopped seeing Britney after becoming increasingly uncomfortable during their visits.
Britney, 40, was already hurting because of the absence of her sons but the confirmation of their feelings, spelled out by their dad, hit hard.
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In an Instagram post, since deleted, she accused the teenagers of “abandoning her” and being “hateful” as she begged them to love her again.
Kevin felt the need to respond.
I can reveal that he consulted with his family before posting videos allegedly showing Britney “screaming” at her sons when they were younger.
‘I REGRET SAYING ALL KINDS OF THINGS’
He then deleted them, explaining that he had to defend his kids after years of staying silent.
But now Britney’s sons are speaking for themselves.
In a series of interviews, parts of which will be aired on ITV News today, Jayden explained why they decided to cut contact.
He revealed: “The type of environment she gave us was not very comfortable for me and my brother.
“Once you’re ten or 11, that’s when you come to the realisation of things.
“There’s no hate . . . I really want to see her again. It will make me happy, and it will make Preston happy.”
The boys were born during their mother’s short-lived marriage to Kevin, and live in Los Angeles with their father and his wife Victoria, 39, a former volleyball champion.
Britney invited her sons to her celebrity-packed wedding in June to model and personal trainer Sam Asghari, 28, but they did not attend.
Jayden explains: “It just wasn’t a good time to go. I’m not saying that I’m not happy for her.
The type of environment she gave us was not very comfortable for me and my brother.
“I’m really happy for them but she didn’t invite the whole family and if it was just going to be me and Preston, I don’t see how that situation would have ended on good terms.”
It’s not difficult to see why. The Toxic singer has been scathing about her blood family on social media.
Britney deleted her Instagram last week but also released a 22-minute YouTube video where she described how she was “victimised” and “thrown away” by close relatives.
Both boys have struggled with their mum’s posts — both the risqué photos and the attacks on their loved ones.
Britney has spoken out against her father Jamie, 70, who controlled her finances and aspects of her personal life for so long through her disputed conservatorship.
She has also hit out at her mother Lynne, 67, sister Jamie Lynne, 31, and brother Bryan, 45.
While the boys clearly find the airing of their family’s dirty laundry hard to deal with, Jayden is diplomatic.
He said: “Social media helps her. So if that’s what she wants to do. I’m not going to hate her for that.
“At the same time, she should come to the realisation of whatever it is that stops her loving her family.”
He added: “It’s almost like she has to post something on Instagram to get some attention.
“This has gone on for years and years and years and there’s a high chance that this will never stop but I’m hoping for me that she will stop.”
Britney’s 13-year conservatorship ended in November last year — but her legal team now wants to grill Jamie under oath about alleged mismanagement, with the possibility of further legal action.
But Jayden believes Jamie “really cares about his family” and defends his grandfather.
Jayden said: “I know everybody blames him for the conservatorship. It was a father caring for his daughter.
“Maybe the conservatorship took a little too long. That is why people developed a hatred for him.
Social media helps her. So if that’s what she wants to do. I’m not going to hate her for that.
“That is why my mum was angry that she was working too hard. She should have taken a break. But he doesn’t deserve all the hatred he is getting in the media.
“Mum is ceasing to realise how much he cares about her. I love him with all my heart. He was just trying to be a father.”
He added: “At first he was just trying to be like any father letting her pursue her daughter’s dream of becoming a superstar but I did think maybe the conservatorship went on too long…
“Probably why my Mum was very angry about the whole situation that she was working for too long and I personally think she was.”
But the boys have had their own issues with Jamie.
In November 2019, Kevin took out a restraining order against him following claims of an altercation with one of his sons.
Four months later, Jayden, when questioned by fans on social media, described Jamie as a “d**k”. But he has since had a change of heart.
Jayden said: “I really feel bad. Preston and I feel bad — we want to see him. I want to see him, sit with him next to the piano, talk about my future. I love him. Looking back, I regret saying all kinds of things.”
Jayden is also full of love for his grandmother Lynne, who he calls Memow, and his uncle Bryan, who both visit regularly.
He adds: “My grandma, she is a really nice person. Whenever I see her, she cares about me mentally.
“My uncle Bryan always wants to go and play ball in the park. They are not bad people. They know what we are going through now.
“They just want to watch over us. Memow and Uncle Bryan are a good part of our lives. They have taught me how to deal with things.”
Jayden said comments made by their mum, and by her supporters online, had painted her family in a bad light. “They would not do such things,” he insists.
Above all, the boys hope that Britney can find forgiveness with her family. Jayden is aware the animosity has been “going on for years” and admits: “There is a high chance it is never going to stop.
“I wish she would just be chill . . . and not accusing this one for that and hate someone for that.”
Mum is ceasing to realise how much he cares about her. I love him with all my heart. He was just trying to be a father.
Jayden Spears on grandad Jamie
A HOME FILLED WITH LOVE
Senior producer Bill Gunasti and I spent several weeks filming with the Federline family and witnessed a home filled with love.
The boys are close to Kevin’s eldest kids, Kori, 20 and Kaleb, 18, from his relationship with actress Shar Jackson, and his two children with Victoria — Jordan, 11, and eight-year-old Peyton.
Both boys share their mother and father’s artistic nature, which they say helps them with the stress of being caught in the middle of a difficult emotional situation.
Preston is a keen artist, forever drawing and playing the guitar, and Jayden, a self-taught pianist, spends hours composing songs.
Jayden explained that if he feels angry or sad, the music acts like therapy, but he had not invested too much time in lessons because: “I wanted to develop my own style.
“I know that if I read music, it would be better, businesswise.
“Right now, I am just trying to play my emotions the best I can.”
His greatest comfort, however, is his bond with his siblings and, in particular, his brother Preston.
It is his older brother with whom he confides about missing their mum and their worries about her.
Jayden said: “Preston and I are very united. He is always looking out for me and I am looking out for him. We make sure that we are both healthy mentally.”
Jayden feels more comfortable in the public eye than his brother, who does not like the cameras that are always focused on them.
Jayden, who speaks for them both, adds: “He has always been like that. He asked my mother not to post his photos and she did it anyway, so it didn’t go well.
“Preston is older, so if I complained she went after him. I feel guilty, so I am there for him.
“Preston is overthinking about what people are going to say about him. I think it’s a smart decision because we have both been under so much pressure in the past. He is more sensitive . . . I am very sensitive but I am more socially active.
“I work out, I play the piano. That is how I express myself.
“Preston has his own ways — music, drawing . . .”
They feel safest at home with their dad, step-mum and siblings whenever the Spears family drama is making headlines.
He says: “First, I will always go to my dad, because he is always there to put the pieces together.
“Or I will try going to my siblings, to get distracted. The family here has really helped me.
“This is my safe place, my home. I love everybody here.
“As long as people spread positivity that will make me positive. It is so easy to dip into sadness and depression.”
And he is also positive that he and Preston can rebuild their relationship with their mum.
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“I am 100 per cent sure it can be fixed,” he says, hopefully, “but it will take a lot of time and effort.”
- Daphne Barak is a world-renowned interviewer and documentary filmmaker. She has interviewed the likes of Nelson Mandela, Donald Trump, Hillary Clinton, Johnny Depp and Michael Jackson.
MY TIME WITH THE TEENS
AS Britney fought to be released from the shackles of her conservatorship, two teenage boys watched on.
Preston and Jayden were caught in the middle of a family seemingly intent on tearing itself apart.
Yet despite all the drama, the brothers have clung on to a sense of normality.
Spending weeks filming with the Federline family, senior producer Bill Gunasti and I saw first-hand the calm home environment Kevin and step-mum Victoria have created.
Both boys are a credit to their efforts – they are handsome, creative and curious.
They also have to contend with eager paparazzi.
When I took the family out for a steak dinner, we had to think about who would go in which car in an attempt to confuse the paps.
Since my broadcast interview with Kevin last month, I am told conversations about “the situation with Mum” have become more frequent.
But both boys are thriving and there is hope that they will be able to move on – and maybe even talk to their mother face to face.
