The Reason Britney Spears And Kevin Federline Divorced

Britney Spears has been in the limelight ever since she was a teenager, churning out hits like "...Baby One More Time," "Oops!...I Did It Again," "Toxic," and more. Of course, being one of the most popular entertainers in the world means all eyes are on you at all times, and every aspect of your life is subject to discussion — whether it's what you're wearing, where you're vacationing, or who you're dating, the public wants to know every last bit of a celeb's personal and private life.

So when Spears, who split from former *NSYNC singer Justin Timberlake after dating from 1999 to 2002, according to PopSugar, started dating backup dancer Kevin Federline in 2004, the world couldn't turn their eyes away from their blossoming romance — especially considering the fact that the pair got married in a super-secret ceremony just three months after meeting. "I met her at a club in Hollywood, Joseph's. Our eyes met and that was it. We just hit it off right away," Federline revealed to People in 2008. "I was madly in love with her. Everything just seemed so right. I didn't see it as too fast or too slow."

Britney Spears, who was fresh off her annulment from her 55-hour marriage to childhood friend Jason Alexander in 2004, married Kevin Federline in a super-secret wedding ceremony in Studio City, California in September the same year. The couple had invited around 30 guests to a private home in Los Angeles, telling their close family and friends that they would be celebrating their engagement. Instead, upon arriving, the guests were handed invitations that revealed the big surprise. "Surprise! It is with much love that we welcome you to our wedding ceremony tonight," the invitations read (via Us Weekly).

Per Us Weekly, Spears walked down the aisle in a $26,000 strapless silk gown by Monique Lhuillier, and Federline was dressed to the nines in a traditional black tux. The non-denominational ceremony lasted about 15 minutes, and after the pair exchanged vows, Spears changed into a short, sexy lace dress and made her way to the reception, which was held in a tent in the backyard.

"I just thought it would be too much if we had done it when we were supposed to," Spears told People of her and Federline's surprise nuptials at the time. "It became this huge thing and I was like, 'What are we waiting for? We know this is the real thing, why not just do it now?' That's why I wanted to sneak and do it our little way."

After weeks of tabloid speculation, Britney Spears confirmed that she and Kevin Federline were expecting their first child together in 2005, revealing the exciting news in a post on her website at the time. Per MTV News, Spears had hinted about wanting to become a mom shortly after she and K-Fed wed, writing in a November 2004 post, "A lot of people think you should wait till you're older to have kids. I've had a career since I was 16, have traveled around the world and back, and even kissed Madonna! The only thing I haven't done is experience the closest thing to God, and that's having a baby. I can't wait!"

Spears gave birth to the couple's first child, Sean Preston, on September 15, 2005, according to CNN, and almost exactly a year later, the couple welcomed their second child, Jayden James, on September 12, 2006 (via Us Weekly). However, as many people speculated from the get-go with their whirlwind romance, trouble in paradise soon plagued the new parents of two, and just a few short months after Spears gave birth to their second son, the "Toxic" singer decided to pull the plug on their relationship.

According to sources who spoke to People at the time, Kevin Federline's party boy/bad boy behavior contributed to his split from Britney Spears just two years after the couple walked down the aisle. The last straw, said one source close to the pair, was when Federline went to Las Vegas, Nevada with a group of buddies to celebrate popular nightclub Tao's one-year anniversary, leaving Spears home alone with their one-year-old son and three-week-old baby. "This was her last straw," the source told the magazine. "He said, 'I have to go to Vegas.' He didn't have to go to Vegas. He uses any excuse to party. She said, 'I've had enough.'"

Other sources who spoke to the outlet revealed that the couple had been having some issues at the time, but they didn't think that Spears and K-Fed would completely call it quits. "We're all in shock. (We're hoping) it might just be that she's feeling a lot of postpartum emotions and this is something that will blow over," one source close to Federline revealed.

Spears officially filed for divorce on November 7, 2006, citing irreconcilable differences on the court docs (via Showbiz CheatSheet). She was also granted temporary custody of their two children.

Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's divorce was finalized in July 2007, according to Page Six, and in the 2008 documentary, "For the Record," the "Gimme More" singer admitted that she made a mistake when it came to marrying Federline. "I think I married for the wrong reasons," she said (via Showbiz CheatSheet). "Instead of following my heart and doing something that made me really happy, I just did it for the idea of everything."

In an exclusive interview with People in 2008, Federline opened up about his two-year marriage to Spears, telling the outlet that juggling marriage and being a dad took a toll on him. "It's hard enough to be in a marriage, and then have a kid, then kids, it changes everything," he explained. "For me, I'd become more concerned with my children. Not that I ignored Britney, but my kids are always most important."

Federline also revealed that he didn't quite understand Spears' comment about marrying him for all the wrong reasons, telling the magazine, "I really don't understand it. I can't really tell you how it was for her, but I know for me, I fell in love. And I loved the idea that I was in love and I got married and had two beautiful children. If that's what she's talking about, I don't know, I still don't get it."

Although Britney Spears and Kevin Federline's roller coaster relationship was one of the most defining times in 2000s pop culture, the former spouses have set aside their past drama for the most part, as their primary focus is co-parenting their teen sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James. "It wasn't always easy, but it's a lot easier now," Federline told Bravo in 2017 (via Us Weekly). "When you are co-parenting, you have to be willing to give up some of the things you would really like to do."

"Britney does not have much of a relationship with Kevin other than everyday co-parenting stuff," a source told Us Weekly in December 2019. "They're cordial but don't do very much as a family."

After Spears gave a rare testimony at her hearing in June, Federline's longtime lawyer, Mark Vincent Kaplan, issued a statement about the "Circus" singer's plea to end her conservatorship, saying that Federline "only hopes [for] the best for her because when the best for her is achieved, it's the best for their kids," adding that, "The best thing would be for their mom to be healthy and happy. And if either of those things aren't true, it doesn't provide for the best setting for custody to be exercised."