It’s been a tumultuous few years for Britney Spears, and the embattled pop star, through no doing of her own, found herself embroiled in another strange tabloid drama on her wedding day. Spears married actor and personal trainer Sam Asghari in a ceremony at her California home yesterday, but it was interrupted by the appearance of Jason Alexander, Spears’ ex-husband, who crashed the event while streaming on Instagram Live.
According to TMZ, Alexander told security that he had been invited by Spears, and, per NBC News, told a man at the wedding, “I’ve been coming for 3 weeks up here, I’ve been scoping this shit out.” After he was apprehended, a protective order was issued to keep him away from Spears. Alexander was arrested on charges of “trespassing, vandalism, and two batteries,” while also having an outstanding warrant for felony larceny.
If Alexander’s name doesn’t ring a bell, it’s because he and Spears were only married for a few days in early 2004 before splitting. Alexander was in the news two years ago for showing up to a rally in support of ending Spears’ conservatorship. He told US Weekly, “This is an unfortunate situation that’s been in her life for a long time. It’s affected me and her, and that makes me part of it. I’ve been quiet for 10 years, and I feel [like] what a good time to come forward now with the movement making noise and the conservatorship hearings going on.”
Spears and Asghari met in 2016 when he played her love interest in the “Slumber Party” music video, after she picked his headshot from a large list of contenders, and the two quickly became close. They’ve been dating since the start of 2017, and became engaged in September 2021.
In a June interview with GQ, Asghari, who has a number of upcoming acting projects including films with Mel Gibson and John Travolta, spoke about what his life with Spears looks like and what they do together.
“She has cat-like reflexes, and she’s really, really good. When we play tennis, it gets competitive and most of the time, well, ping pong, she beats me every time. She’s really good at basketball,” he said, also revealing that they do not have a joint bank account, and alternate paying for things like meals and travel, within reason. He also said that when he surprised her with the proposal, she initially thought he was getting her a dog, and explained why he nicknamed her “Lioness.”
“It came to me because I always figured the lion is lazy. The male lion has always been the symbol of the king of the jungle,” Asghari said. “But it’s not true, it’s really the female and she’s very strong and she was very independent. And lioness was a beautiful name that just came to me out of nowhere. So it’s kind of a nickname, but I don’t call her that everyday. It was kind of like a symbol.”
The wedding ceremony wasn’t all drama, though. As documented by Vogue, attendees included Madonna, Paris Hilton, Donatella Versace, and Selena Gomez, among others. One of the highlights of the ceremony was “a white horse with gold hooves pulling a carriage” for Spears.
Noteworthy moments from the reception included Spears, Madonna, and Gomez teaming to sing Britney’s 2004 hit “Toxic,” and Spears and Hilton performing the latter’s “Stars Are Blind.”
Last November, the conservatorship that had been in effect for Spears for more than a decade was terminated by a Los Angeles judge. It was a huge victory for Spears and her supporters. Spears reacted to the news in an Instagram post, writing, “I’m celebrating my freedom and my b-day for the next two months! I mean, after 13 years, I think I’ve waited long enough!”
But Spears has continued to deal with personal challenges. In May, she announced that she had suffered a miscarriage, writing, “We will continue trying to expand our beautiful family. We are grateful for all of your support. We kindly ask for privacy during this difficult moment.”