Britney Spears' time in the spotlight has been anything but easy. The pop princess's headline-making behavior over the years — e.g., shaving her head in 2007 and an erratic social media presence — has not only seemingly taken a toll on her personally, but it has complicated Spears' relationship with her sons. Sean Preston Federline (above left), the "Toxic" singer's eldest, whom she shares with ex Kevin Federline, has been at the center of many of his mother's attention-grabbing incidents.
Sean Preston
— who is referred to as Preston — was born on September 14, 2005. From his infancy, he was thrust into the limelight, with his mom even making headlines with him at just a few months old. In February 2006, paparazzi caught Spears driving with Preston in her lap. At the time, Spears said it was because she was frantically fleeing a flock of aggressive paps, but the agency that published the photos claimed to People that it was a calm situation. The incident prompted the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) and the Los Angeles Police Department to launch an investigation, and the photos from that day are infamous.
The trials of his mother's celebrity status were the catalyst for more hardship in Preston's childhood. From his parents' contentious and highly publicized relationship to his estrangement from Spears becoming front-page news, despite him wanting to lead a private life, Preston has endured more tragedy than the average kid.
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DCFS Was Called On Britney Mom More Than Once
Sean Preston Federline was at the center of more than one dangerous situation as a baby. Not long after Britney Spears was caught driving with Preston in her lap, the star's nanny accidentally dropped the young boy on his head when she attempted to remove him from his high chair. Star Magazine reported that the 2006 incident led Spears and Kevin Federline to take their infant to the hospital, where they discovered a blood clot and a minor skull fracture.
Per hospital protocol, Preston's family got a visit from the Department of Children and Family Services, who ruled out any suspicious reasons for his injury. "DCFS immediately responded and determined there was no problem and no reason to open a formal investigation," Spear's lawyer Martin Singer told People at the time. "They determined that the parents weren't involved in the injury and nothing was improper within the home."
Sean Preston's Parents Battled For Custody Throughout His Childhood
Britney Spears and Kevin Federline, a former backup dancer, met in 2004 and tied the knot within months. After welcoming their two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, Spears and Federline called it quits in 2007. Since then, the exes have been entangled in numerous custody disputes, with Preston and his brother at the center. In the same year they divorced, Federline and Spears fought over visitation rights, which the pop star revealed in her 2023 memoir "The Woman in Me" was one of the reasons she infamously shaved her head. After Spears was placed on a psychiatric hold in 2008, Federline received full custody of Preston and Jayden.
It wasn't the end of Preston's unpredictable home circumstances. Their mother's and father's custody agreement changed in the ensuing years, settling at 70 percent rights granted to Federline and 30 percent given to Spears in 2019, before their sons eventually turned 18. The custodial back and forth could not have been easy for Preston, but to make matters worse, he and Jayden were roped into a public spat between Federline, Spears, and her then-husband, Sam Asghari, in 2022, when the kids seemed to be out of contact with their mom. "I gave them every thing," Spears wrote about Preston and Jayden on her Instagram Story (via Us Weekly). "Only one word: HURTFUL."
Jamie Spears Got Physical With His Grandson, Sean Preston
When Sean Preston Federline was 13 years old, he got into an argument with his grandfather, Britney Spears' father, Jamie, that ended in a physical altercation. In her memoir, Spears revealed: "My son went to lock himself in a bedroom to end the fight, and my dad broke down the door and shook him." Kevin Federline's lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told People after the 2019 incident that Jayden witnessed the whole thing. "Britney did the right thing and removed the children and took them out of there," Kaplan said, adding, "but the trauma to the kids is nonetheless." According to the attorney, Kevin Federline notified police, but didn't proceed with charges.
Since then, Kaplan has seemingly confirmed how Spears' sons really feel about Jamie. He told Page Six in 2024 that Preston has forgiven his grandfather, ending their estrangement. "The boys miss their grandfather," Kaplan asserted, noting that Preston and Jayden had been speaking to their Spears' father. In a 2022 interview with the Daily Mail, Preston's dad even admitted that he would be completely open to letting "Jamie Spears back in the boys' lives ... I don't have any hard feelings towards Jamie Spears. People make mistakes."
Sean Preston Federline Hated Being In The Spotlight
Despite attending "The Smurfs 2" premiere in 2013 and being seen on a handful of other red carpets with his mom, Sean Preston Federline has tried to stay out of the spotlight. His shy nature is evident in the way he addresses (or doesn't address) the media. According to the documentary filmmaker Daphne Barak, who spoke to Britney Spears' sons in 2022 for ITV, per an exclusive Daily Mail report, Jayden normally speaks for his brother because Preston is more sensitive to the spotlight.
Instead of respecting her eldest's wishes, Spears often updates her millions of fans — usually on Instagram, where she also posts risqué photos and dancing videos — with pictures of Preston. "He asked my mother not to post his photos, and she did it anyway," Jayden said. "So it didn't go well." The younger son to Spears surmised that his mother was posting for attention, which the "...Baby One More Time" singer confirmed on her Instagram Story in 2022, admitting that she "wants to be heard." "I'm afraid to inform you guys, I'm not willing to see you until I feel valued," she added. Her push back on the social media situation likely didn't aid in mending her relationship with Preston and Jayden, who began distancing themselves from their mom around the same time.
Sean Preston And Britney Spears Were Estranged For Years
Following the 2019 change to the custody agreement, Britney Spears' sons eventually stopped seeing their mother. Sean Preston Federline and Jayden James Federline eventually moved to Hawaii with their father, his wife, Victoria Prince, and their half-siblings in 2023. In his Daily Mail interview, Jayden — speaking for Preston — called their new home a "safe place to process all the emotional trauma" from their childhood. He asserted that Preston had it worse than he did growing up. "I think Mom has struggled giving us both attention and showing us equal love & I don't think she showed enough to Preston and I feel really bad for that. He added: "If I complained, she went after him."
At the time of the interview, neither boy was speaking to Spears. The contention between the family members incentivized the brothers to decline the invitation to their mom's 2022 wedding. Jayden reportedly reconciled with Spears at the end of 2024, after two years of estrangement. We know where Spears stands with her youngest, but it's unclear whether Preston has followed his brother in mending his relationship with his mom, though Spears shared on Instagram that she was with both of them during Christmas that year.
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