Britney Spears was arrested on Wednesday night in Ventura County on suspicion of driving under the influence. According to sheriff’s records, the 44-year-old singer was booked early Thursday morning and released a few hours later. Although formal charges are still being finalised, she is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.
Requests for comment were sent to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Office, the California Highway Patrol, and Spears’s representative, but no official statements have been issued yet. Reports indicate that she was taken into custody around 9:30 pm on Wednesday and released the next morning.
Spears, who was born in Mississippi and raised in Louisiana, became a global pop sensation in the late 1990s and early 2000s. She first gained attention through the The Mickey Mouse Club and later rose to international fame with hits like ...Baby One More Time, Oops!... I Did It Again, and Toxic.
The Recording Industry Association of America has certified much of her music catalogue as platinum, with her albums ...Baby One More Time (1999) and Oops!... I Did It Again (2000) achieving diamond certification. Her most recent studio album, Glory, was released in 2016.
During the early 2000s, Spears became one of the most heavily scrutinised celebrities in tabloid culture. As she faced personal and mental health challenges, constant paparazzi coverage exposed many private moments of her life to public attention.
In an emotional Instagram post on February 4, 2026, Spears reflected on the lasting impact of her family struggles, years after her conservatorship ended. The conservatorship, which lasted nearly 14 years, concluded in 2021 and restored her control over personal and financial decisions. In the post, she said she felt fortunate to be alive despite the difficulties she faced with her family and admitted that she still feels fearful of them.
