Sam Asghari has addressed Britney Spears’ recent DUI arrest, saying he understands that anyone can “make mistakes.”
Spears was stopped by police on Wednesday, March 4, after a report to the CHP’s Ventura Communications Centre alleged her black BMW 430i was being driven erratically at a high speed on southbound US-101 near the Borchard Road exit in Newbury Park.
Authorities say she was alone in the vehicle and was subsequently arrested on suspicion of ‘driving under the influence of a combination of drugs and alcohol’.
Police also alleged Spears “showed signs of impairment and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests” following the traffic stop.
She is expected to appear in court over the matter in early May.
After news of the arrest surfaced, Asghari — the Tehran-born model and fitness trainer who was previously married to Spears — was questioned about it during a Fox News appearance on Friday while he was discussing the Israel-Iran conflict.
He immediately replied: “My full attention has gone to Iran at the moment.”
Asghari later added: “When it comes to people making mistakes, I understand that.”
“I think that everyone deserves privacy. And I hope the press has learned from the past, that they give her the privacy that she needs.”
In the wake of the arrest, a representative for Spears issued a statement that read: “This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable.
“Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”
The statement, shared with E! News, continued: “Hopefully she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.
“Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for wellbeing.”
Asghari’s measured response comes roughly two and a half years after the pair ended their relationship.
Spears and Asghari began dating in 2016 and married in 2022. However, the marriage was short-lived: they separated in July 2023, and a judge later finalised their divorce in May 2024, citing ‘irreconcilable differences.’
At the time, TMZ and other outlets alleged the breakup followed a major argument involving claims of infidelity. Those rumours were never confirmed, though reports suggested Asghari moved out of their shared home.
There were also reports that he struggled with Spears’ unpredictable behaviour. After the divorce, however, he offered a simpler explanation, saying that ‘people grow apart and people move on.’
Later in the year, Spears shared a series of Instagram posts that appeared to touch on her past experiences. In one post dated 19 October, she uploaded a photo of herself on a horse and used the caption to compare her shoulder blades to ‘wings’ while reflecting on the storyline of 2014’s Maleficent.
According to People, the 44-year-old referenced a ‘traumatic experience’ she said she described ‘at the end’ of her 2023 memoir, The Woman in Me, writing that ‘for 4 months I no longer had my private door and illegally was forced to not use my feet or body to go anywhere’.
She went on to say she felt ‘like my wings were taken away and brain damage happened to me a long time ago 100 percent’. Another post the same day reportedly recalled a conversation she had with her grandfather before he died.
Before those messages, Spears had posted videos of herself dancing and sipping from a teacup. In another post, she showed bandages on her wrists and legs and later explained it came from “falling down the stairs at my friend’s house”, adding: “It was horrible.”
These posts arrived around the same time as her ex Kevin Federaline’s promotional run for his book, You Thought You Knew. In November, Spears’ account was deactivated.
The ‘Circus’ singer returned to Instagram on 7 November and described the previous year as overwhelming, writing: “So much has happened this year, it’s crazy … Get your ballerina [slippers], circle, and own your boundaries. It’s incredibly strict and somewhat of a form of prayer but with so many endless possibilities in life, it’s important to do you and keep it simple.”
In February, the BBC reported that Spears had sold her full music catalogue to independent publisher Primary Wave in a deal said to be worth around $2 million (£146m), with the transaction reportedly completed on 30 December.
A source cited by The Hollywood Reporter claimed the sale included rights tied to major hits such as ‘Hit Me Baby One More Time’ and ‘Oops… I Did It Again’.
Spears has not publicly addressed the reported sale.
In another lengthy Instagram post, she said she would ‘never perform in the U.S.’ and cited ‘extremely sensitive reasons’. She also suggested she could still perform internationally, adding: “I hope to be sitting on a stool with a red rose in my hair, in a bun, performing with my son… in the UK and AUSTRALIA very soon.”
Spears last performed live in Las Vegas in December 2017.
Separately, TMZ reported on 5 March that the Crossroads actor had been granted a permanent restraining order against a man who, according to court documents, allegedly harassed her online for years beginning in 2013.
The report said the man, 51, was noticed by Spears’ security when he allegedly arrived at her home. Police were called, and a deputy reportedly took him into custody.
In the filing, Spears said she did not know the man and had no relationship with him. The court reportedly ordered him to remain 100 yards away from her at all times.
Later on 5 March, reports reiterated that Spears had been arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence. Booking information on the Ventura County Sheriff’s website showed she was arrested at 9:28pm on 4 March and booked at around 3am, roughly five and a half hours later.
She was released the following morning and is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on 4 May. After her release, she deactivated her Instagram account.
A representative for Spears told BBC News: “This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable. Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life. Hopefully, she can get the help and support she needs during this difficult time.
“Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well being.”