Britney Spears has commented publicly for the first time since she avoided jail after pleading guilty to reckless driving involving drugs or alcohol.
The singer was originally arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence, but later admitted to a reduced charge during a court appearance.
As part of her sentence, Spears received 12 months of probation and has been ordered to take a Driving Under the Influence (DUI) course, along with paying associated fines and fees.
Authorities said she was taken into custody on March 4 after allegedly driving her BMW “erratically at a high rate of speed” on a California highway.
After the arrest, Spears entered a rehabilitation facility.
She has now broken her silence on social media, sharing her first public message since the case.
On Instagram, the pop star posted a photo of a snake.
While she didn’t mention the legal situation directly, she reflected on the symbolism of snakes as representing “good health,” and used the post to express gratitude for supportive friends. She also wrote about working on self-compassion and learning to speak to herself more kindly.
“Went to the pet store with my kids and look at what what a beautiful baby snake this is,” she wrote. “Snakes are symbolic of good health, higher consciousness, and pure luck…
“I’m so damn thankful to my friends and so many new beautiful people I have met through my spiritual journey… all a blessing in disguise…”
She added: “I still have to learn how to be kind to myself and the way I speak to myself… It’s a never ending journey and sometimes I just stop, look up and say wow God I think that was you and smile on!!!!”
Her attorney, Michael Goldstein, had previously shared a statement on her behalf after the hearing.
“Through her plea today, Britney has accepted responsibility for her conduct,” the statement said.
“She has taken significant steps to implement positive change which is clearly reflected in the Ventura County District Attorney’s decision to reduce the charge in this case and dismiss the DUI.”
Spears ultimately pleaded to what’s commonly referred to as a “wet reckless” — a reckless-driving offence involving drugs or alcohol that is treated as a step down from a DUI when prosecutors agree to a lesser plea rather than proceed to trial.
Such plea deals are more typically considered in situations where the person has no prior drink-driving related convictions and the alleged blood alcohol level is relatively low.