Britney Spears’ Team Calls Kevin Federline’s Memoir a Moneygrab: How Much Did She Pay in Child Support?
Kevin Federline, Britney Spears’ ex-husband, is back in the public eye to promote his upcoming memoir, You Thought You Knew. Despite his relationship with the troubled pop star ending more than 18 years ago, the book will focus on the years he wooed, wed, and ultimately split from Spears. Her mental health journey will be openly discussed based on released excerpts. Her team is calling the memoir a money grab now that Britney Spears’ child support obligation has ended. That got us thinking, what has she paid Federline over the years as he cared for their two sons, and what has he been up to since his sons became adults?
Kevin Federline gained full custody of Jaden James and Sean Preston when they were still toddlers
Kevin Federline and Britney Spears’ marriage was brief. The couple’s whirlwind romance began in April 2004, when Federline worked as a backup dancer. Just five months later, they tied the knot in a surprise ceremony that shocked and dismayed family and friends. The following year, their eldest son, Sean Preston Federline, was born.
Spears and Federline welcomed their second child, Jaden James Federline, in September 2006. By then, cracks had already begun to appear in their marriage. Spears filed for divorce in November 2006. The split was finalized in 2007, with Federline and Spears retaining shared custody of the boys, though she was still ordered to pay Federline child support. That changed in 2008 after Spears’ highly-publicized mental health struggles. Federline was granted sole custody of both Sean Preston and Jaden James. The custody agreement stayed mostly unchanged for the duration of their childhoods, though Spears had varying levels of visitation rights over the years.
Over the years, Britney Spears paid more than $5 million in child support
Britney Spears’ child support payments ended just 11 months ago. The payments of $20,000 per month ceased as soon as her youngest son, Jaden, graduated from high school, though he had turned 18 two months earlier. The last payment capped almost 18 full years of child support payments, of varying amounts.
When Federline was first granted sole custody of the boys, Spears was ordered to pay $20,000 per month for their care. The decree remained unchanged for about a decade. In 2018, Federline headed back to court to argue for more money. In court documents, he revealed that Spears’ income had increased while his had decreased. He reported that he had no savings, no investments, and no reliable career trajectory. A judge agreed, upping the payments to $40,000 per month.
Spear paid Federline $40,000 per month between 2018 and 2023, when her eldest son, Sean Preston, completed high school. The payments dropped back down to $20,000 per month while Jaden James completed his schooling. In total, Britney Spears paid around $5.5 million to Kevin Federline in the form of child support over the years.
A prenuptial agreement ensured Federline was not entitled to spousal support. He, however, did walk away from the divorce with a lump-sum settlement. The settlement amount has never been publicized.
Britney Spears’ team says Federline is looking for money with his ‘sensationalized’ memoir
Federline has found himself back in the news thanks to his upcoming memoir. While the former backup dancer has remained mostly under the radar since taking custody of his two sons with Spears, he’s stepping out now. Britney Spears’ team doesn’t think that is a coincidence. In a statement released to E! News, Spears’ team slammed Federline, stating, “With news from Kevin’s book breaking, once again he and others are profiting off her, and sadly it comes after child support has ended with Kevin.”
They dismissed his alleged concern for Spears’ mental state. Instead, the statement suggested his words, both in the recent interview and in his upcoming memoir, are “sensationalism.” Spears’ team also used the oppurtunity to promote her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, noting Spears covered her mental health journey in the non-fiction offering. The pop star took to Instagram to post cryptic updates about finding a new family, while her team handled the more nuanced statement. Spears’ mental health status is currently unknown. Fans have raised some concerns following some social media updates over the last 12 months.
Federline’s memoir will certainly serve as income for the full-time dad now that his child support payments from Spears have ended; there is no denying that. While Federline has worked intermittently, since taking custody of the children he shares with Spears, he has repeatedly stated he isn’t able to work at the same level or capacity as before. According to Vanity Fair, in 2018, he revealed his income was just $3,000 per month. He noted, during child support hearings, that returning to his dance career was not possible due to his age.
