Last year, Britney Spears and Sam Asghari celebrated their wedding. As far as spending the rest of their lives together, that isn’t going to work out as hoped: Asghari confirmed yesterday (August 17) that he and Spears are getting divorced.
While the marriage lasted 14 months, their relationship goes back farther than that. So, let’s take a look at how it came to be and what happened along the way.
October 2016
The two first met while making Spears’ video for “Slumber Party,” which was filmed at a Beverly Hills mansion (per US Weekly). Asghari later told Men’s Health that he and Spears exchanged numbers on set. He said of meeting her, “I was excited that I get to meet one of the biggest artists of all time. I had butterflies.”
2017
The two appeared to hit it off after meeting on the “Slumber Party” set. On New Year’s Day 2017, Spears shared a photo of herself and Asghari enjoying a nice dinner. They were spotted together multiple times throughout that year, including at Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy gala in February, at Michael Costello’s Art Hearts show during Los Angeles Fashion Week in March, in Japan in June, at Disneyland in September, and courtside at a Los Angeles Lakers game in November.
February 2021
The two remained an item for the next few years, and in 2021, at the height of the #FreeBritney movement, Asghari spoke out against Spears’ father, Jamie Spears. He wrote in a social media post, “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 opinion and freedom.”
September 2021
Months later, the two announced that they were engaged. Asghari’s manager said at the time, “The couple made their long-standing relationship official today and are deeply touched by the support, dedication and love expressed to them.”
April 2022
The pair planned to grow their family in 2022 when Spears announced she was pregnant with her and Asghari’s baby. About a month later, though, she revealed she had a miscarriage, writing on Instagram, “It is with our deepest sadness we have to announce that we lost our miracle baby early in the pregnancy. This is a devastating time for any parent. Perhaps we should have waited to announce until we were further along. However we were overly excited to share the good news. Our love for each other is our strength. We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family. We are grateful for all of your support. We kindly asked for privacy during this difficult moment.”
June 2022
The couple’s engagement reached its natural conclusion when they got married in an intimate wedding ceremony. It was a star-studded event, as icons like Madonna, Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton, and Donatella Versace were in attendance.
Spears later wrote of the big day, “Wow !!! Holy holy crap !!! WE DID IT !!! WE GOT MARRIED !!! Gggggeeeeezzzzz !!! It was the most spectacular day !!! I was so nervous all morning but then at 2:00 pm it really hit me … WE’RE GETTING MARRIED !!! I had a panic attack and then got it together … the crew who created our home into literally a dream castle were fantastic !!! The ceremony was a dream and the party was even better !!! So many incredible people came to our wedding and I’m still in shock !!! [Drew Barrymore] my girl crush and [Selena Gomez] who btw is way prettier in person if that’s possible both came !!! I was speechless … I kissed [Madonna] again [winking emojis] and we danced into the night with [Paris Hilton] … Thank you [Donatella Versace] for designing my dress … I felt so beautiful … Thank you also to [Stephanie Gottlieb] [Charlotte Tilbury] and [Sofia Tilbury] for my jewelry and makeup !!! I think we all fell on the dance floor at least 2 times !!! I mean come on … we were all VOGUING !!! [Asghari] I LOVE YOU !!!”
August 2023
Things apparently soured from there, which brings us to present day: Reports that the two were getting divorced after 14 months of marriage surfaced a couple days ago, then Asghari confirmed them yesterday (August 17), writing, “After 6 years of love and commitment to each other, my wife and I have decided to end our journey together. We will hold onto the love and respect we have for each other and I wish her the best always. Sh*t happens. Asking for privacy seems rediculous [sic], so I will just ask for everyone, including media, to be kind and thoughtful.”