Britney Spears’ life has been full of difficult moments, including a recent DUI arrest in California.
The pop star was arrested by the California Highway Patrol on the night of March 4, 2026, on suspicion of driving under the influence, Page Six confirmed.
She was released the next morning and a court date was set for May 4, 2026.
Spears’ struggles date back to 2007. At the time, she infamously shaved her head and attacked paparazzi with an umbrella.
Her recent actions include dancing with a knife on Instagram, driving erratically after leaving a restaurant, and emerging from a wine bar with a champagne flute in hand.
Additionally, Spears’ ex-husband Kevin Federline raised damning allegations about the pop singer in his 2025 memoir You Thought You Knew, including allegations that she took cocaine while breastfeeding her sons Sean Preston and Jayden James.
Here’s a complete timeline of Britney Spears’ troubled past:
2007: Britney shaves head and attacks paparazzi with umbrella
One night in 2007, at the height of her career, Spears infamously walked into Esther’s haircut studio in Tarzana, California and asked to have her hair shaved.
Salon owner Esther Tognozzi refused, so Spears took matters into her own hands, grabbing clippers and cutting her hair while paparazzi took photos from the window.
A few days later, the “Toxic” singer was photographed attacking a photographer’s car with an umbrella.
After this incident, Spears entered a rehabilitation facility. She spent approximately 24 hours at Crossroads Center and then entered Promise’s Malibu Treatment Center for a 28-day program before being discharged in March 2007.
At the time, Spears was going through a divorce and custody battle with Federline.
The former couple finalized their divorce in July 2007, initially agreeing to joint custody of their sons. Federline later gained full custody of the boys in 2008.
2008: Britney placed in psychiatric detention
In February 2008, Spears was placed in consecutive psychiatric detentions, and her father, Jamie Spears, filed for emergency temporary conservatorship for his eldest daughter.
The conservatorship was then made permanent in October 2008.
April 2019: Britney admitted to mental health treatment center
In January 2019, Spears announced that she would be taking an “indefinite break from work” after her father developed a life-threatening illness.
At the time, she revealed that her next album and planned second Vegas residency, “Britney: Domination,” would be postponed.
In April 2019, Spears was admitted to a mental health facility.
2021: Britney claims conservatorship is abusive
The drama of Ms. Spears’ conservatorship came to a head when the 2021 documentary “Framing Britney Spears” spotlighted how intense media scrutiny led to her downfall from substance abuse and mental health issues.
This sparked the #FreeBritney movement, which calls for her to be released from the conservatorship.
In March 2021, the Grammy winner formally filed a court petition to replace Jamie’s conservator, citing personal circumstances.
During her first hearing, which she attended virtually in June 2021, Spears alleged that her guardians had “abused” and “bullied” her. She also claimed that she was forced to use birth control despite her wishes to marry and have children with her then-boyfriend Sam Asghari.
Jamie, 73, finally filed a petition to end the conservatorship on September 7, 2021. Two months later, the conservatorship was officially terminated by Judge Brenda Penny.
September 2023: Britney gets pulled over for driving without a license
On September 10, 2023, Spears was pulled over by the California Highway Patrol and given a violation for not having a valid driver’s license and a second violation for failing to provide proof of insurance to the officer.
“Britney has always had a license and insurance, which is functionally equivalent to a parking ticket,” her attorney Matthew Rosengart told Page Six at the time.
September 2023: Britney dances with a knife
Authorities conducted a medical check on Spears at her home in Thousand Oaks, California, on September 27, 2023, after she posted a disturbing video of herself dancing with a knife.
Captain Dean Worthy of the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office told Page Six that sergeants were dispatched to the singer’s home in response to a tip from a person of interest.
When police arrived at Spears’ home, a security guard told them that Spears was “fine” and “nothing was going on.”
The “Circus” singer later spoke out about the whole ordeal, admitting that she knew she “scared” fans with the video, but claimed they were “fake knives.”
Around that time, Spears released her memoir, The Woman in Me, in which she revealed that she had an abortion while dating Justin Timberlake, whom she dated from 1999 to 2002.
Her book was published three months after Spears separated from Asghari, whom she married in June 2022. The divorce was finalized in May 2024.
May 2024: Britney fights with boyfriend Paul Richard Soliz outside Chateau Marmont
In the early morning hours of May 2, 2024, an ambulance was called to the Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles after Spears and her on-again, off-again boyfriend Paul Richard Soliz allegedly got into an argument inside the hotel.
A photo obtained by the New York Post showed Spears cradling a white pillow and a brown blanket outside the swanky celebrity spot.
Spears later called news about the incident “fake” and claimed that emergency personnel came to the hotel “illegally.”
October 2025: Kevin Federline makes damning claims about Britney in memoir
Federline, who lived in Hawaii with her and Spears’ sons, wrote in her book that the singer’s “abnormal behavior” was worse than it appeared on the surface and that her erratic behavior was “hurting toward” a tragic end.
In one of the claims, Federline claimed she woke up to find Spears watching her sons fall asleep holding a knife.
He also claimed that Spears punched his eldest son in the face and wished the children were dead.
Spears denied Federline’s claims and claimed his book was a money grab.
As for Spears’ sons, Jaden reconciled with his mother in 2024 and even spent Christmas in 2025 with her after years of estrangement, but Sean Preston turned down Spears’ pleas to meet him.
October 2025: Britney swerves while driving
Spears made headlines on the night of October 22, 2025, after she swerved while driving home from a restaurant.
After the news broke, Spears claimed that it was not her but a “lookalike” in the video in question.
The restaurant’s manager defended Spears, insisting she was not “intoxicated.”
November 2025: Britney leaves wine bar with champagne flute
On November 19, 2025, Spears was spotted leaving the Stonehouse Wine Bar in Westlake Village, California, holding a champagne flute.
Her team insisted to the Daily Mail that the A-lister did not drink any alcohol during the rare outing.
Spears slammed the photo in an Instagram video, calling paparazzi “incredibly mean” and saying they always take the “worst pictures” of her.
March 2026: Britney arrested for drunk driving
Spears was arrested on suspicion of drunk driving on March 4, 2026, at approximately 9:28 p.m. local time. She was booked at 3:02 a.m. the next morning and released at 6:07 a.m.
Emergency call audio obtained by Page Six shows Spears swerving and speeding away in a black BMW sedan before being pulled over.
Her manager, Cade Hudson, issued a statement to Page Six saying he hopes Spears’ arrest is “the first step toward long-overdue change.”
“This was a totally unacceptable and unfortunate event,” he said in part. “Britney intends to take the right steps and abide by the law. … We hope she gets the help and support she needs during this difficult time.”
Hudson also claimed that Spears’ loved ones, including her two sons, “will be spending time with her.”
A trial date is set for May 4, 2026.
