Yahoo News Britney Spears's boyfriend Sam Asghari slams her dad Jamie as #FreeBritney movement builds
Britney Spears’s longtime boyfriend, Sam Asghari, is making rare public statements about their relationship after the new documentary about her has amplified the #FreeBritney movement.
“I have always wanted nothing but the best for my better half, and will continue to support her following her dreams and creating the future she wants and deserves,” the fitness trainer and actor told People magazine. “I am thankful for all of the love and support she is receiving from her fans all over the world, and I am looking forward to a normal, amazing future together.”
That was followed by a more candid statement on his Instagram stories in which he called Spears’s dad, Jamie Spears — who refuses to step down as her co-conservator — a “total dick” and said he has “zero respect” for him.
“Now it’s important for people to understand that I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way,” he wrote. “In my opinion Jamie is a total dick. I won’t be going into details because I’ve always respected our privacy but at the same time I didn’t come to this country to not be able to express my freedom and opinion.”
Asghari, who was born in Tehran, Iran, added a mic drop gif.
TMZ caught up with Asghari on Tuesday and he doubled down on what he said about Jamie.
"I’m not upset with anybody, but what I said is what I said,” he calmly told the cameraman. “I think he’s a dick, that’s just my opinion, but I’m not going to go into details. That’s it, man.”
Asked if he thinks he’d ever be on good terms with his girlfriend’s dad, he replied, “I hope so. Once he starts treating his daughter right, then we can be on good terms.”
Asked about Spears’s fans being upset over what they saw in the documentary, he added, “Thank you to all the fans.” And he said Spears is doing “amazing,” adding, “I’m always having her back.”
A rep for Jamie has not responded to Yahoo Entertainment's request for comment. However, he has maintained throughout that he’s acting in his daughter’s best interest. He said in a statement in December: “I love my daughter and I miss her very much. When a family member needs special care and protection, families need to step up, as I have done for the last 12-plus years, to safeguard, protect and continue to love Britney unconditionally. I have and will continue to provide unwavering love and fierce protection against those with self-serving interests and those who seek to harm her or my family."
These are the first comments from the Family Business actor on the topic of the “...Baby One More Time” singer’s conservatorship, which is a focus of the New York Times Presents... documentary Framing Britney Spears. The film, which airs on FX and FX on Hulu, looks at the mistreatment the pop star faced from the media amid her stardom in the aughts, culminating in her public breakdown in 2008. That year, she was placed in a conservatorship reserved for incapacitated individuals — overseen by her father — and she has been trying to oust him as co-conservator of her business since last year.
While Spears is reportedly “aware” of the doc — which makes sense, as she presumably gave Asghari the green light to issue a statement — but she has not watched it.
"She’s always made aware of any important new releases that pertain to her life and career, and this was no different," a source told Entertainment Tonight. “She hasn’t seen the documentary because she never likes to focus on what others say about her.”
Page Six also spoke with a source who said Spears is allowed to watch it, meaning there was no restriction per her conservatorship, but “she’s chosen not to watch it because she’s fed up with the conservatorship. She feels there is a hole missing in her life because of the conservatorship and that she won’t be able to live a normal life until that’s over. She knows it’s a battle for her whole life.”
The #FreeBritney movement, driven by fans to release her from the conservatorship, is a central part of the documentary. While Spears herself has rarely acknowledged the conservatorship — which allows a team (also including business co-conservator Bessemer Trust, a financial company, and conservator of her person Jodi Montgomery) to oversee her finances, make business deals for her, control who visits her home, can access her medical records and communicate with her doctors, among things — she did in September, through a legal filing by her court-appointed attorney Samuel D. Ingham III, when she thanked fans for calling attention to her case.
“At this point in her life when she is trying to regain some measure of personal autonomy, Britney welcomes and appreciates the informed support of her many fans,” Ingham wrote.
In November, Ingham said in court that Spears is “afraid” of her dad, that they have no "viable working relationship" and have not spoken in a "long while.” He also said she “will not perform again if her father is in charge of her career.”
Since the release of the doc, many celebrities have joined the cry to #FreeBritney, including Sarah Jessica Parker, Bette Midler and Andy Cohen. And viewers have called for many featured in the doc to apologize to Spears for past mistreatment of her, including her ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake as well as Matt Lauer and Diane Sawyer for shaming interviews.
Spears — who has two sons with ex-Kevin Federline — has been dating Asghari since soon after meeting on the set of her “Slumber Party” video in 2016. They frequently share photos with one another on social media, including vacations and workout sessions.
This story was originally published at 12:10 p.m. ET and has been updated to include Asghari’s remarks to TMZ.
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