Think back to the time Britney Spears and Kevin Federline spent together.
The pop superstar and the former dancer met in the summer of 2004 and married the same year. During their marriage, they had two children: sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.
Spears and Federline divorced in July 2007 and have had several different custody agreements since then, with Federline having the majority of custody for many years.
In May 2023, Spears “agreed” to her sons moving to Hawaii with Federline, his lawyer Mark Vincent Kaplan told PEOPLE: “This is an opportunity for Kevin and his wife, and the boys are ready to move away from the Los Angeles microscope.”
Here’s a look at Spears and Federline’s story, from when they first met to their relationship over the years.
Summer 2004: Britney Spears meets Kevin Federline.
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Spears and Federline, who was formerly Justin Timberlake’s dancer, met in 2004 at Joseph’s club in Hollywood.
“Our eyes met, and that was it. We just hit it off right away,” Federline told PEOPLE in 2008. “I was madly in love with her. Everything seemed so right. I didn’t think it was too fast or too slow.”
September 2004: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline marry.
In September 2004, nearly three months after they first started dating, Spears, then 22, and Federline, then 26, tied the knot at an event billed as an engagement party in Studio City. California.
Although the couple initially planned to marry next month in a lavish ceremony, they eventually scrapped the idea in favor of a surprise.
“I just thought it would be too much if we did it when we were supposed to,” Spears told PEOP at the time. “It was a huge deal and I thought, ‘What are we waiting for?’ We know this is the real thing, why not just do it now?” That’s why I wanted to sneak in and do it our way.
September 14, 2005: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline welcome their first child.
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A month after the wedding, the singer announced that she was taking a break from her career to start a family. On September 2, Spears and Federline welcomed their first child, Sean Preston. October 14, 2005 (only four days left until our wedding anniversary!), Santa Monica, California.
“We are happy to announce the birth of our son!” Spears wrote about her son on her website. “Everyone is happy, healthy and feeling great. Thank you for your love and good wishes!”
September 12, 2006: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline welcome their second child.
A year later, in September, Spears and Federline welcomed their second son, Jayden James. 12, 2006: Jayden was born at 1:11 a.m. at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
“Everything is great,” Spears’ father Jamie said. Access to Hollywood after Jaden was born. However, two months later, Spears filed for divorce.
November 7, 2006: Britney Spears files for divorce from Kevin Federline.
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After three years of marriage, Spears filed for divorce from Federline in November 2006. She cited irreconcilable differences.
A few days before the divorce announcement, Federline hinted at some of the difficulties in their marriage, including: “Having two kids and trying to juggle everything and everything, it’s not easy. It’s hard, but we will get through it. We are on our way to a superpower.”
March 2007: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline reach an initial divorce agreement.
In March 2007, Spears and Federline reached an initial divorce agreement that continued their temporary arrangement for joint legal and physical custody of their children.
July 2007: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline’s divorce is finalized.
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Spears and Federline’s divorce was finalized in July 2007; they agreed to share custody of their sons. Around the same time, the singer faced mental health problems and was involuntarily hospitalized twice, resulting in a court-ordered conservatorship under her father.
December 2008: Kevin Federline speaks out about custody and co-parenting.
Although the couple’s divorce was finalized in July 2007, parenting arrangements changed as Spears lived under conservatorship, but Federline and Spears co-parented the children amicably for many years.
“Britney is an amazing mom. That’s one thing I never have to worry about,” Federline told PEOPLE in 2008, adding that although the couple only see each other occasionally, “it’s nice for the kids to see that Daddy really cares about Mommy and Mommy really cares about her.” . take care of dad.”
March 2013: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline attend their sons’ soccer game.
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Spears and Federline were spotted next to each other as they watched their sons Sean Preston and Jayden James play soccer in March 2013. The singer was joined by a friend while Federline was in the park with Victoria Prince, whom he later married in August 2013.
2015: Kevin Federline reflects on his relationship with Britney Spears
In 2015, Federline told Canada’s etalk that “timing” was the secret to their friendship. “It’s been a long, long journey, but I think where we’re both at right now, we both have someone else that we’re happy with. Everything just works.”
May 2018: Kevin Federline asks for increased child support
Britney Spears Instagram
In 2018, Federline began fighting for a significantly larger amount of child support than he had received for many years. According to court documents filed in May, Federline claimed to earn less than one percent of what Spears earns.
“We think the reasonable needs for the children while they are in Kevin’s care are probably three times what he is receiving now,” Federline’s lawyer Kaplan previously told PEOPLE.
After several months of legal discussions, Spears agreed to increase the amount of alimony for Federline.
September 2019: Britney Spears and Kevin Federline agree to a new conservatorship agreement.
Kaplan confirmed to PEOPLE at the time that Spears and Federline had reached a new child custody agreement that gave Spears 10 percent of custody and Federline 90 percent.
June 2021: Kevin Federline’s lawyer shares Britney Spears’ conservatorship filing with PEOPLE.
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Speaking to PEOPLE, Federline’s lawyer Kaplan shared Federline’s thoughts on Spears’ emotional testimony about her conservatorship in a Los Angeles court in June 2021.
Speaking about Jayden James and Sean Preston, Kaplan said, “(Kevin) definitely respects Britney and hopes for the best for her because when the best for her comes, it’s the best for their kids. The children love their mother and he wants the same.” to have healthy and strong relationships.”
August 6, 2022: Britney Spears and Sam Asghari respond to Kevin Federline’s claims that her sons don’t want to see her.
Britney Spears Instagram
Spears and her then-husband Asghari responded to her ex-husband Federline’s comments Daily Mail, in which he claimed that his two sons with Spears chose not to see her. Spears responded with an Instagram story that read, “I’m sad to hear that my ex-husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children.”
“As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone. I’m worried that the reason lies in my Instagram. This was LONG before Instagram,” she continued, referring to Federline’s comment about her social media posts influencing her children.
Spears added: “Just one word: HARMFUL.”
Asghari supported his wife with his own Instagram story. “His statement about children distancing has no validity and it is irresponsible to make that statement publicly,” he wrote. “The boys are very smart and will soon be 18 and will be able to make their own decisions and may eventually realize that what was ‘harder’ was that a father who had not worked much for over 15 years could serve as a role model.”
He added that he doesn’t know Federline personally, but “has nothing against him other than the fact that he decided to denigrate my wife.”
In a second Instagram story, Asghari wrote, “I wish him the best and hope he has a more positive outlook for the future for the benefit of everyone involved.” He added: “But for now: keep my wife’s name… secret.”
August 6, 2022: Kevin Federline defends Britney Spears’ father
In an interview with Daily MailFederline said he believes the conservatism Britney was subjected to from her father “saved” her. However, he admitted that it was difficult for him to watch the drama surrounding the multi-year legal agreement, which ended in November 2021.
“It’s all been hard to watch, harder to live through, harder to watch what my boys go through than anything else,” he explained. “This was hard. This is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”
“I saw this man who really cared about his family and wanted everything to be okay,” Federline continued. “When Jamie took over the conversation, everything worked out. He saved her life.”
May 2023: Britney Spears allows Kevin Federline to move to Hawaii with his sons.
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The singer has “agreed” to her children Sean Preston and Jayden James moving to Hawaii with their father, Kaplan told PEOPLE. “This is an opportunity for Kevin and his wife, and the boys are ready to get away from the Los Angeles microscope,” he said.
October 2023: Britney Spears gives an update on her co-parenting situation.
In an exclusive email interview with PEOPLE ahead of the release of her memoir. The woman in me Spears said her sons, who live in Hawaii with Federline but remain in contact with her, remain a great source of pride.
“Starting a family was my dream,” she said. “Becoming a mother was my dream.”