Britney Spears is the subject of a new documentary from US entertainment news outlet TMZ which claims the singer is addicted to caffeine, has had physical altercations with her new husband and that her marriage is in trouble.
Titled TMZ Investigates: Britney Spears, The Price of Freedom, the documentary is said to be a review of the Baby One More Time singer’s life since her conservatorship lifted some 18 months ago.
“Britney Spears has had a year and a half of freedom since the conservatorship ended, but there are big problems,” says narrator and TMZ Executive Producer Harvey Levin in a trailer for the documentary.
He claims a source close to the pop star has revealed she consumes huge amounts of caffeine including Red Bull, energy drink Celsius, coffee and dandelion tea “almost non-stop” and allegedly stays awake for “three days at a time.”
TMZ enlists the expertise of US media personality, physician and addiction medicine specialist Dr Drew Pinsky who says in the documentary that those who suffer from mental illness often crave the high caffeine can induce.
Spears reportedly suffers from bipolar disorder and in 2008 was put into conservatorship by her now estranged father Jamie Spears.
According to the New York Post, Spears wrote of her conservatorship: “[My family] hurt me and nothing was done except that I lost 15 years of my life with my family owning my name … subjected to being an angel while my dad has 5 women on his tour bus drinking that cup of coffee … so cool and smooth it must have been nice owning my name for 15 years.”
It also alleges those tasked with caring for Spears following the release from her conservatorship were advised to “keep knives away from her”.
TMZ’s documentary reiterates previous reports Spears had a “fascination with knives” and, fearing she would be re-insitutionalised against her will, alleged the star “slept with one under her bed”.
Spear’s sister Jamie Lynn also claimed in her own memoir, Things I Should Have Said, that the singer once locked her in a room with a knife. But Spears refuted the accusation, taking to Twitter to say:
“Jamie Lynn…congrats babe! You’ve stooped to a whole new level of LOW. I’ve never been around you with a knife or would I ever even think to do such!!!. The only knife I ever saw you with at home was cutting the biggest pieces of squash I ever saw in my life and it was way too big for me to cut.
“So please please stop with these crazy lies for the Hollywood books. NOW and only NOW I do know only a scum person would make up such things about someone.”
The TMZ documentary is said to also reflect on Spears’ relationships with her children, her family and reviews her marriage to Sam Asghari, raising concerns about the 41-year-old by those who claim to be closest to her.
TMZ’s managing editor Fabian Garcia also appears in the documentary to allege that Spears “got physical with Sam,” and that her marriage is in “deep trouble”.
Britney Spears at her star-studded wedding to Sam Asghari. Photo / Instagram
Spears’ sons, from her marriage to Kevin Federline, did not attend their mother’s wedding to Asghari. It is alleged Federline claimed it was the boys’ choice not to.
The documentary is one of several that have been made about Spears in recent years - none of which have involved her directly.
In an Instagram post that has since been deleted, the mother-of-two wrote:
“With 4 documentaries released about me last year with people I adore speaking about my past!!
“Unfortunately, the way my past was portrayed in those documentaries was extremely embarrassing !!! It felt semi-illegal !!!”
In the midst of a slew of documentaries about the pop star, who shot to fame at just 16 years old, she has been working on an autobiography.
However, according to The Sun, the book’s publisher Simon & Schuster received letters of concern from two of Spears’ famous exes. The book’s original release date of February 2023 was put on hold.
A source claimed at the time: “Britney is brutally honest in the book — there are a lot of nervous A-listers.
“Strongly worded legal letters have been sent to the publishers by people who know Britney and who fear what she has written. There is no movement at the moment, and there are concerns over when it will eventually be able to come out.”
Where to get help
If it is an emergency and you or someone else is at risk, call 111.
Safe to talk (sexual harm): Call 0800 044 334 or text 4334
All services are free and available 24/7 unless otherwise specified.
For more information and support, talk to your local doctor, hauora, community mental health team, or counselling service. The Mental Health Foundation has more helplines and service contacts on its website.
