2023 was the year Britney Spears finally spoke her truth with the release of her memoir, The Woman in Me. But the year wasn’t without its bumps in the road for the star. She had to deal with tabloid rumors, rocky familial relationships, a divorce and a jarring public slapping incident — but through it all proved she’s stronger than yesterday.
– The year started with Britney refuting claims she was having a “breakdown.” Fans called police to request a wellness check on her in January after she deleted her Instagram account, but Britney confirmed she was fine. She wrote on social media, “I love and adore my fans but this time things went a little too far and my privacy was invaded.”
– Less than a month later, Britney hit back against rumors her family was planning an intervention, writing, “Enough is enough.”
– In July, Britney made headlines when video circulated of her approaching NBA star Victor Wembanyama and seemingly getting slapped by his security guard. Police determined that when she went to tap Wembanyama on the shoulder, her hand was pushed off by his bodyguard, causing it to spring back and hit her in the face. No charges were filed.
– Britney made a return to music in July, with the release of a new will.i.am collab that had been recorded years prior, “Mind Your Business.”
– In August, news broke that Sam Asghari had filed for divorce from Britney after 14 months of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences. Britney confirmed the split in an Instagram post, but assured everyone she was “actually doing pretty damn good.”
– Britney’s long-anticipated memoir, The Woman in Me, came out October 24, with an audiobook read by Oscar-nominated actress Michelle Williams. It contained many bombshells, including that she had an abortion during her relationship with Justin Timberlake, and that JT cheated on her and then eventually broke up with her via text. The book sold more than 1 million copies in its first week.
– In celebration of her memoir, her 2002 film, Crossroads, was rereleased in theaters in October. In addition, a Crossroads: Special Edition soundtrack was released featuring new remixes of “Overprotected,” “I’m Not a Girl, Not Yet a Woman” and “I Love Rock ‘n’ Roll.”
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