When Spears earned her release, she put her head down and returned to work. She had guest appearances on TV shows and started working on her sixth album, “Circus.” The album came out in November 2008, and there’s no title more apt, to sum up, Britney’s life to that point.
Spears appeared in a stylized ringleader’s outfit, and she cracked her whip on tour to promote the album. A comeback was on the horizon, but it was up to Spears to keep herself on the straight and narrow. Would her return to good graces last, or would she plummet again?
Losing the Kids
Through all of these changes, trials, and upheavals, Spears and Federline's divorce proceedings continued. At the center stage, where their two children and the custody battle for them. In late 2007, a picture featuring Spears driving both of her sons around – despite her suspended license – made the rounds, and a judge granted full custody to Federline.
Sadly, Britney had to hand over Sean Preston and Jayden James to her ex-husband and was allowed scheduled visits that were few and far between. This directly led to Spears's next big breakdown and a huge change in her life.
5150
During a January 2008 visit with her children in her Los Angeles home, Britney locked herself in a room with her younger son, Jayden. After a four-hour police stand-off, they got a hold of her and took her to a hospital on a gurney, eventually earning a 5150 involuntary psychiatric hold.
Jamie and Lynne Spears applied for a restraining order against Adnan Ghalib and Sam Lufti, claiming they'd tried to control her affairs and had snuck her a cell phone while institutionalized. It didn't end for Spears: She ended up under a conservatorship, meaning her father Jamie would oversee her well-being and assets.
Another Relationship Comes and Goes
In 2009, a new beau appeared by the name of Jason Trawick, Spears's then-manager. He was ten years her senior, and after the trouble with Sam Lufti and her parents, plenty of people wondered what he wanted out of it. However, Trawick chose to stop being her manager to avoid conflicts of interest.
However, he remained one of her conservators, alongside Britney's father. They got engaged in 2011 but broke up in 2013, stating they wanted different things in life. Jason seemed to have her best interests at heart but was still removed as a conservator by Spears's father.
Clawing Her Way Back
Time passed, and Britney's life cooled down. She got a four-year residency in Las Vegas, and during that time, she put out several albums, all of them well regarded. She also started her own perfume line with Elizabeth Arden, releasing a total of twenty-four fragrances.
Almost a full decade after her woeful performance at the MTV Video Music Awards, she stepped onto the stage in 2016 and performed “Make Me” to great applause. Things hadn't ended for the singer, though. The sharks were circling, and they smelled perfume in the water.