Kevin Federline says a late-night phone call involving Britney Spears, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan was the breaking point that ended his marriage to the pop star. In his new memoir You Thought You Knew, Federline claims the 2006 incident symbolized Spears' alleged descent into erratic behavior and neglect of their children.
"I was in Miami for work, trying to stay focused on my commitments, and I got a call," Federline wrote. "It was her, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan on the line, drunk as hell, begging me to come over. I could hear Preston and Jayden crying in the background. It had to be three or four in the morning. That call was the final straw."
The former backup dancer added that the moment followed months of similar episodes. "I'd already seen the photos in the tabloids, the ones of her out with them all night, partying at Paris's Malibu place," he said. "But hearing my kids crying while she was doing God-knows-what? That was it. Any deep-seated sliver of hope that I'd held onto, that we might still somehow pull it together for the kids, died right then."
Spears and Federline married in October 2004 and divorced less than two years later, finalizing their split in 2007. Their two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, were born in 2005 and 2006. Federline, now 47, wrote that Spears "wasn't ready to change" and that he "couldn't keep waiting for her to figure it out."
The memoir also describes incidents of alleged violence and substance use. Federline recounts that Spears once "went on a rampage" after a friend dropped marijuana off at their home, claiming she slapped him during the confrontation. In another instance, he says the "Toxic" singer threw a drink at him after he accused her of drug use.
He also alleged witnessing Spears and "a young starlet friend snorting a fat line of coke off the table" at his Playing With Fire album release party in 2006. "That was the proverbial final straw, the breastfeeding thing. Her reaction. That's what ended us," Federline wrote, referencing his plea that she not breastfeed their children after using drugs.
Federline's book goes further, accusing Spears of disturbing behavior during their marriage, including punching their eldest son, wishing their children were dead, and watching them sleep with a knife in her hands. The claims have not been independently verified.
Spears' representatives denounced the memoir, telling Page Six, "With news from Kevin's book breaking, once again, he and others are profiting off her. Sadly, it comes after child support has ended with Kevin." The statement continued, "All she cares about are her kids ... and their well-being during this sensationalism."
Spears, now 43, also pushed back on social media. "The constant gaslighting from [my] ex-husband is extremely hurtful and exhausting," she wrote. "I am actually a pretty intelligent woman who has been trying to live a sacred and private life the past 5 years." In another post, she added, "Why is HE SO ANGRY ... and what's scary is he's convincing."
