Britney Spears’ Ex Reveals the ‘Weirdest Thing’ About Their Marriage

Entertainment gossip and news from Newsweek’s network of contributors

Sam Asghari opened up about navigating a challenging relationship –– specifically when it came to his seven-year romance with pop icon Britney Spears.

Reflecting on his time with the singer, Asghari, 30, recently described their relationship as a “crash course in Hollywood,” with the most unexpected hurdle being her conservatorship.

Speaking candidly on the Sibling Revelry podcast with Kate and Oliver Hudson on Monday, January 27, Asghari opened up about how he initially struggled to understand the reality of Spears’ legal situation.

“That’s when I was like, ‘Wait a minute. I thought I’m in America. What do you mean?'” Asghari recalled, referring to the revelation that Spears, who was over the age of 18, needed her father Jamie Spears’ approval for major life decisions. Coming from Iran at the age of 12, the model found it difficult to comprehend how such restrictions could be imposed in the United States, calling it “the weirdest thing to deal with.”

Asghari also expressed frustration over how some people took advantage of their proximity to the songstress, saying, “They take an advantage because they think you owe something to them, which is so ridiculous. That was the most difficult and weird spiral thing that I’ve witnessed in my life ever.”

The duo first crossed paths in 2016 on the set of Spears’ music video for “Slumber Party” where he was cast as Spears’ love interest. They began dating shortly after filming wrapped and went public with their relationship in 2017.

Asghari and Spears announced their engagement in September 2021 and married nearly a year later in June 2022. But the union lasted only 14 months, as the couple announced their separation in August 2023, with the dancer filing for divorce a month later. The split followed an intensely scrutinized period of their lives, including Spears’ public battle for freedom from her conservatorship, which was finally terminated in November 2021 after 13 years.

Their divorce was finalized on December 2, 2024, which was also Spears’ 43rd birthday. For her birthday, the “Stronger” hitmaker took to her Instagram with a video of herself saying, “I’m turning 5 this year. I’m turning 5 years old, and I have to go to kindergarten tomorrow.” In the same video, she stated she has moved to Mexico, though it is unclear if the ’00s star has actually relocated.