Britney Spears has hit back at her ex-husband after he claimed that her teenage sons do not want to see her "right now".
Yesterday, the pop star's former partner Kevin Federline spoke out for the first time in a decade, giving a wide-ranging TV interview in which he touched on what it was like co-parenting with the iconic star.
At one point, 44-year-old Federline revealed that the two sons he shares with Spears - Preston, 16, and Jayden, 15 - had decided not to see their mother for the time being, or even to attend her recent wedding to Sam Asghari.
"The boys have decided that they are not seeing her right now. It’s been a few months since they’ve seen her. They made the decision not to go to the wedding," he said per MailOnline, adding: "It’s been tough. It’s the most challenging thing that I think I’ve ever had to do in my life."
He went on to talk more specifically about the impact Spears posting nude selfies on Instagram was having on her teenage sons, saying: "I try to explain to them, 'Look, maybe that's just another way [Spears] tries to express herself.' But that doesn't take away from the fact of what it does to them. It's tough."
Since news of Federline's comments broke, Spears has taken to her Instagram page to address the claims.
"It saddens me to hear that my ex-husband has decided to discuss the relationship between me and my children," she wrote in an Instagram Story.
"As we all know, raising teenage boys is never easy for anyone," Spears continued, before implying that she was prevented from seeing her boys long before she began sharing her selfies.
"It concerns me the fact that the reason is based on my Instagram...it was LONG before Instagram," she wrote.
The pop star also implied that Federline's words had had a very simple effect on her, writing: "Only one word: HURTFUL."
In a follow-up Instagram post, Spears suggested that the pressures of fame and her conservatorship - which came to an end in November 2021 - had made it difficult for her, but that she has always tried her best as a mom.
"I’m only human and I’ve done my best," she wrote, adding: "I'm not surprised that just as my family did their share of interviews, they will too. I'm not surprised at all with their behavior and their approach to what I've had to deal with."
The singer's husband also took to Instagram to share his response to the comments.
In an Instagram Story of his own, Asghari wrote: To clarify, my wife has never posted a nude selfie except of her butt [which] is quite modest these days. All other posts were implied nudity [which] can be seen in any ad for lotion or soap."
Addressing Federline directly, Asghari then wrote: "There is no validity to his statement regarding the kids distancing themselves and it is irresponsible to make that statement publicly. The boys are very smart and will be 18 soon to make their own decisions and may eventually realize the "tough" part was having a father who hasn't worked much in over 15 years as a role model.
"Kevin's gravy train will end soon [which] probably explains the timing of these hurtful statements. I do not know him personally and have nothing against him aside him choosing to vilify my wife."
The dancer ended the Story by writing: "I will not comment on this matter again except to say I have a job."