Kevin Federline decided to write his debut memoir, You Thought You Knew, to tell his story on his terms.
“I’ve sat back and watched people tell my story through a different lens for 20 years,” Federline, 47, told Us Weekly exclusively ahead of the book’s Tuesday, October 21, release date. “I focused on my family, focused on my kids, focused on making sure that we were doing right by them — and everybody involved, really.”
Federline shares sons Sean Preston, 20, and Jayden James, 19, with ex-wife Britney Spears. The former backup dancer wanted his boys “to be old enough to understand” his truth before releasing the book.
“It was time for me to tell my story, time for me to finally come forward and put my life in perspective because I don’t want them to have to do it,” he told Us. “I felt like waiting was great. It gave me a chance to reflect. It gave me a chance to get a well-rounded perspective of everything and allowed my kids to be old enough to get behind it and give me the OK.”
Kevin Federline Addresses Claim He Wrote Memoir Because Child Support Ended
Aside from a reflection on his life as a whole, Federline also spoke candidly about his nearly three-year marriage to Spears, 43. She has since addressed her ex-husband’s memoir both via social media and her rep.
“With news from Kevin’s book breaking, once again he and others are profiting off her, and sadly it comes after child support has ended with Kevin,” a rep for Spears shared in a statement to Us on Tuesday, October 14. “All she cares about are her kids, Sean Preston and Jayden James, and their well-being during this sensationalism.”
Keep scrolling for the biggest revelations from Federline’s You Thought You Knew:
Why Now?
Federline wanted to share his life story “in my words,” he wrote in the book’s introduction. The former rapper wrote that he “stayed quiet” for years as a way to “protect the people I love.” Ultimately, it brought him pain.
“Silence didn’t bring peace,” Federline wrote. “It left me choking on the words I never said.”
Cheating on Ex Shar Jackson
In 2004, Federline was “just thinking about smashing” Spears after they ran into each other at a nightclub. The two slept together for the first time that night — meaning that he cheated on ex-fiancée Shar Jackson, who was still pregnant with their second child.
He admittedly handled the split with Jackson “poorly,” lying about having a work job while going to follow Spears on tour. (Federline told Us that he and Jackson are “great” these days.)
“I thought this would be a one night stand, and then it would be done,” he wrote of Spears. “But it became more than that. We became really close and connected over those first few days.”
Elsewhere in the book, Federline claimed that Spears cheated on him as well. He allegedly caught her “full-on making out” with one of her backup dancers. (Teresa Espinosa, the dancer named in the book, later defended Spears in an Instagram statement.)
Marrying Spears
Federline proposed before meeting Spears’ father, Jamie Spears, who was allegedly in rehab at the time. It was important, however, for Federline to meet Jamie before tying the knot with Britney.
“I could feel him sizing me up, trying to figure out who I was, what my deal was,” Federline wrote, noting that he ultimately got Jamie’s blessing.
Before their wedding, Britney apparently called ex-boyfriend Justin Timberlake “to end one chapter of her life before starting a new one,” Federline wrote.
Kevin Federline Reveals Whether Sons Have Read Book With Britney Bombshells
“She never really got over him,” he claimed. “She might’ve loved me, but there was always something there with Justin that she couldn’t let go of.”
The Downfall of Their Marriage
Federline alleged that Britney went on a “rampage” one day during their marriage. The apparent outburst came after his friend dropped off marijuana at their house.
She was allegedly holding one of their sons and “slapped” Federline in the face. He claimed that “wouldn’t be the last” time that she was physical with him, but they “were never the same after.”
Claims About Their Sons
During Britney’s second pregnancy, Federline alleged that she drank “half a bottle, if not more,” of wine and took prescription medication.
Once they became teenagers, Federline wrote that the boys “didn’t want to go to their mom’s house anymore.” Elsewhere in the book, Federline claimed that their sons woke up to Britney holding a knife “silently” while they were sleeping.
Thoughts on the Conservatorship
Federline wrote that “truly believed” Britney’s conservatorship was the “right move.” He was “never” fully behind the #FreeBritney movement, which saw fans rally to get Britney out of the conservatorship put in place by her father in 2008 after a public breakdown. (The conservatorship was terminated by a judge in November 2021.)
Federline felt the conservatorship was a “lifeline” that “brought a level of order that had been missing for years” from her life. Now, he’s “lost faith” that Britney “will ever fully turn around.” He alleged that she will “never accept” that she needs “help.”
