Britney Spears reunited with her son Jayden over Christmas and some fans insist this must only be because the child support ended. Jayden recently turned 18 and graduated from high school, meaning that Spears no longer has any legal financial obligation to him, and the timing of the holiday reunion is too much for some.
Spears herself appeared happy in a Christmas Day Instagram video in which she planted a kiss on her son’s cheek and said “this is my baby” to the camera.
Jaden’s home for Christmas
Alongside the video, Spears seemed over the moon in the accompanying text and hinted that both sons are spending the holiday with her.
“Best Christmas of my life !!! I haven’t seen my boys in 2 years !!!” she wrote. “Tears of joy and literally in shock everyday koo koo crazy so in love and blessed !!! I’m speechless thank you Jesus !!!”
The pop legend had also been in conflict with her other son from ex-husband Kevin Federline, Preston. At age 19, Preston did not appear in the video, and though Spears said “my boys,” it’s not clear if he was there off-screen or not.
A complicated relationship
Spears lost custody of Jayden and Preston after a court placed her under a conservatorship in 2008. As Federline took over, she reportedly sent them $20,000 per month in child support payments. She was only allowed to see them up to a couple of times each week.
A lot changed for Spears once she beat the conservatorship, but her relationship with her sons didn’t seem to improve. In 2022, Federline told the Daily Mail that the boys hadn’t seen her in months before the interview because they were uncomfortable with the photos she posted online.
“I try to explain to them, ‘Look, maybe that’s just another way she tries to express herself.’ But that doesn’t take away from the fact of what it does to them,” he said. “It’s tough.”
Weeks later, Jayden said in an ITV News interview that he hoped she would post less over time, accusing her of doing it for attention. At the same time, he said that he hoped they could repair their relationship.
“It’s just going to take a lot of time and effort… I really want to see her again,” said Jayden.
Fans are suspicious of the timing ….Jayden shows up after Britney Spears’ child support stopped, fans are suspicious
Following Spears’ joyful Instagram post, fans are speculating that Jayden reunited with her because she no longer has to pay child support and he wants her money. In the U.S., child support payments typically end either when the kid turns 18 or after they graduate from high school, if this happens after the 18th birthday.
According to reports from TMZ that cite anonymous sources, Spears and Federline concluded a legal spat over the issue by agreeing that the payments would stop after Jayden’s graduation, which took place for him earlier than normal. He got his high school diploma in November, and Spears reportedly made her last payment on Nov. 15.
This doesn’t mean that Spears can’t support her kids voluntarily, just that she’s no longer required to by law. The reunion date could also be related to the fact that Jayden graduated, giving him plenty of time to travel from Hawaii to see his mom.
Still, many comments under a Pop Base post on X about the Instagram video accused Jayden of sniffing around for cash. Others, however, hinted that they believe Federline kept her boys away from her and that they’re now making their own choices as adults.
The internet is chaotic—but we’ll break it down for you in one daily email. Sign up for the Daily Dot’s web_crawlr newsletter here to get the best (and worst) of the internet straight into your inbox.
