Spears was arrested on suspicion of a DUI in Ventura, Calif., on March 4 and released the following morning

Britney Spears’ former assistant calls DUI arrest ‘suspicious’: ‘I think there are some people out to get her’

Spears was arrested on suspicion of a DUI in Ventura, Calif., on March 4 and released the following morning

By Marina Watts

Marina Watts is a news writer for with seven years experience covering entertainment, pop culture and celebrity news. Her previous work appears in PEOPLE, Bustle and *Newsweek*.

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March 11, 2026 10:56 a.m. ET

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Britney Spears in New York in August 2016. Credit:

Dimitrios Kambouris/WireImage

- Britney Spears' former assistant, Sean Phillip, expressed concerns regarding her DUI arrest in an interview with Extra.

- "I don't think she's free," he claimed. "There's still a care plan in place. I personally don't think she has access to all her finances, but a lot of other people do, and I don't think it's fair."

- Spears is expected to appear in court on May 4.

Britney Spears' former assistant is speaking out about her DUI arrest.

In an interview with Extra, Spears' friend of two decades and former personal assistant, Sean Phillip, shared his thoughts about the incident.

"I think there are some people out to get her," he told the outlet. "And the timing is so off that she gets financial independence and then she's arrested."

Phillip, who has been friends with Spears since 2003, is referring to Spears selling her music catalog for $200 million in February. "We all think it's a push to put her back in a conservatorship [because] guess what happened when the conservatorship stopped? People stopped getting money," he claimed.

Britney Spears via Instagram.

Britney Spears/Instagram

"I don't think she's free," continued Phillip. "There's still a care plan in place. I personally don't think she has access to all her finances, but a lot of other people do, and I don't think it's fair."

In 2021, Spears was released from a 13-year-long conservatorship by a Los Angeles Superior Court judge, which gave her the ability to make decisions about her personal life, finances, and other aspects of her life.

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As for what advice Phillip has for Spears, he said, "I encourage her to speak for herself [because] she can squash everything in a second."

Days before Phillips' appearance on Extra, he appeared on *Good Morning Britain *on Friday, March 6. "You have to imagine what she's going through all these times," Phillip said at the time. "And it makes me feel bad when she has to endure public mistakes."

"I think she's going to be okay," he added. "She's one of the strongest people that I've ever met. She gives me inspiration to go forward sometimes."**

Britney Spears' ex-husbands Sam Asghari and Kevin Federline react to her DUI arrest

What to know about Britney Spears' past controversies and legal woes

On March 4, Spears was arrested around 9:30 p.m. by the California Highway Patrol in Ventura County, Calif. She was released the following morning, per Ventura County Sheriff's Office arrest records.

"This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable,” Spears’ rep said in a statement to PEOPLE on March 5. “Britney is going to take the right steps and comply with the law and hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life.”

"Her boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for well being." Spears shares sons Preston, 20, and Jayden, 19, with ex-husband Kevin Federline.

Spears is due in court on May 4.

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