Britney Spears' Dramatic Custody Battle: Federline Reveals Harrowing Details

In October 2025, Kevin Federline, 47, is reflecting on a harrowing incident from 2008 involving his ex-wife Britney Spears, 43. In his new memoir "You Thought You Knew," Federline recounts the night when Spears was placed under a psychiatric hold after locking herself in a bathroom with their then-toddler son Jayden James.

Federline explains that on that January 2008 evening, their sons Sean Preston and Jayden James had spent the afternoon with Spears. When it was time for the boys to return to Federline's house, the situation "went sideways." Spears locked herself in the bathroom with Jayden, and it took hours for the police, ambulances, and reporters to finally get her out, with Spears being wheeled out "on a gurney, strapped down, wearing a damn straitjacket."

The custody battle that ensued was a "uniquely gut-wrenching experience" for Federline, who felt he had to fight against "someone you once loved so deeply." He was eventually awarded sole custody of the boys. Spears, in her own 2023 memoir, recounted the incident from her perspective, saying she was "terrified" of losing her children and just wanted to keep Jayden with her for a few more hours.

Now, in 2025, Spears has expressed feeling "demoralized" by the situation, saying she has only seen one of her sons for 45 minutes in the last five years, and the other just four times. She accuses Federline of "constant gaslighting" and says the "white lies" in his memoir are "going straight to the bank" while she is the one who "genuinely gets hurt."