Britney Spears [1] and Sam Asghari have stuck together through thick and thin. The two met in 2016 on the set of the pop star's music video for "Slumber Party," and they've been joined at the hip ever since. Last year was a huge year for Spears, as her 13-year conservatorship finally came to an end [2] in November 2021. It was also the year that she and Asghari also took their relationship to the next level.
Just two months before Spears' conservatorship was terminated, the longtime couple announced their engagement [3] on Instagram. "I can't f*cking believe it 💍💍💍💍💍💍❣️!!!!!!," the singer captioned a video [4] featuring her custom diamond engagement ring [5].
This year brought even more milestones for the couple, and they haven't been shy about sharing them with fans. On April 11, Spears and Asghari announced that they were expecting their first child [6] together. The latter spoke about the pregnancy on Instagram, writing, "Fatherhood is something i have always looked forward to and i don't take lightly. It is the most important job i will ever do." A month after their announcement, the couple shared that they experienced a pregnancy loss [7]. They later revealed that they're "moving forward" with their future and still plan to expand their family.
On 9 June, after five years of dating and less than one year of being engaged, Spears and Asghari tied the knot [8] in an intimate wedding ceremony in Los Angeles. A sourcetold People [9] that the singer cried several times on her big day — all "happy tears."
The couple has been through it all, and they're now starting a new chapter together as newlyweds. Ahead, take a look at every big moment in Spears and Asghari's relationship timeline.
October 2016: Asghari Stars in Spears’s “Slumber Party” Music Video
Spears and Asghari first met while filming the music video for her 2016 song "Slumber Party." In the video, Asghari plays the singer's love interest and, throughout the video, the two pursue each other until Spears teases him with sensual, intimate moves on a dining room table. Prior to "Slumber Party," Asghari appeared in Fifth Harmony's "Work From Home [11]" music video as a construction worker.
The model reflected on working with Spears for the first time in a 2018 interview with Men's Health [12], saying, "I was excited that I get to meet one of the biggest artists of all time… I had butterflies,s."
Asghari revealed he attempted to shake off his butterflies and break the ice with Spears by joking with her, but it didn't land as well as he'd hoped. "She said, 'Hi, I'm Britney,' and I said, 'I'm sorry. What's your name again?'" he said. "I tried to be funny. I don't think anybody got it."
While the joke didn't land, it clearly still made an impression. Asghari and Spears exchanged phone numbers that same day and ended up going on a date shortly after.
April 2018: Spears and Asghari Attend the GLAAD Media Awards Together
Spears and Asghari made their first public appearance together at the GLAAD Media Awards in April 2018. At the event, Spears received the Vanguard Award, which is presented a celebrity who does not identify as LGBT, but has significantly promoted equal rights for the LGBT community. Asghari took to Instagram to congratulate Spears on her award [13], saying, "So proud of my better half @britneyspears to have such huge impact in promoting equality and acceptance of LGBTQ. The world is a better place because you are here."
July 2019: Spears and Asghari Make Their Red Carpet Debut
While not the couple's first public appearance, Spears and Asghari made their red carpet debut in July 2019 at the premiere of Quentin Tarantino [15]'s "Once Upon a Time in Hollywood." The film, which stars Leonardo DiCaprio [16], Brad Pitt [17], and Margot Robbie [18], received critical acclaim and earned several accolades from both the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
May 2020: Spears and Asghari Quarantine Together
When the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the world, Spears and Asghari were initially away from one another. In April 2020, the singer shared on Instagram [19] that she missed him and felt like they were quarantining apart forever. In May 2020, Spears and Asghari reunited, with a source telling Page Six [20], "They are quarantined together and are very happy doing many workouts and staying safe."
Throughout the pandemic, Spears frequently shared posts on Instagram of the two working out and having fun together. In one post, she wrote, "Grateful to have @samasghari to stay in shape with !!!!! So proud of him having a fitness program to keep people in shape while they stay home."
June 2021: Spears Gets Honest About Her Relationship With Asghari in Court Testimony
Spears had kept almost entirely quiet about her conservatorship, at least publicly, through the years. But in June 2021, she opened up to a Los Angeles probate judge in a harrowing 24-minute testimony in an effort to end her conservatorship. In the testimony, she called the conservatorship abusive, and gave more insight into how her father allegedly used it to control every aspect of her life, including her relationship with Asghari.
"If I didn't do any of my meetings and work from eight to six at night, which is 10 hours a day, seven days a week, no days off, I wouldn't be able to see my kids or my boyfriend," Spears told the court (via Variety [25]). "I feel like they're making me feel like I live in a rehab program. This is my home. I'd like for my boyfriend to be able to drive me in his car."
Later, she claimed she was being prevented from getting married and having children with Asghari. "I would like to progressively move forward and I want to have the real deal, I want to be able to get married and have a baby. I was told right now in the conservatorship, I'm not able to get married or have a baby, I have a (IUD) inside of myself right now so I don't get pregnant. I wanted to take the (IUD) out so I could start trying to have another baby. But this so-called team won't let me go to the doctor to take it out because they don't want me to have children – any more children. So basically, this conservatorship is doing me waaay more harm than good. I deserve to have a life."
In response to Spears's testimony, Jamie Spears said he was "sorry to hear [Britney is] suffering and in so much pain" and that he "misses his daughter very much," according to The Hollywood Reporter [26].
November 2021: Spears’s Conservatorship is Terminated
Shortly after Spears's engagement was announced, the most amazing news made headlines: the singer's 13-year conservatorship was officially brought to an end. Spears shared her feelings on Instagram [30], writing in part, "I'm celebrating my freedom and my B day for the next two months !!!!!!!!!!! I mean after 13 years … I think I've waited long ENOUGH !!!!" Asghari also took to the platform [31] to show his support as the news broke, writing, "History was made today. Britney is Free!"
April 2022: Spears and Asghari Announce They're Expecting Their First Child
In April 2022, Spears announced on Instagram [32] that she and Asghari are expecting their first child together. She described losing weight in Maui, but gaining it back quickly, and chalking it up to being "food pregnant." The singer wrote, "So I got a pregnancy test … and uhhhhh well … I am having a baby."
Asghari shared his excitement about the news as well, writing on Instagram [33], "Marriage and kids are a natural part of a strong relationship filled with love and respect. Fatherhood is something i have always looked forward to and i don't take lightly. It is the most important job i will ever do."
While Spears revealed in her post that she will keep her pregnancy mainly private to avoid a media frenzy, fans are just so happy for the singer, especially considering how hard she had to fight for her reproductive rights amid her conservatorship.
June 2022: Britney Spears and Sam Asghari Get Married
On June 9, the couple tied the knot in a small wedding ceremony in Los Angeles. Celebrities such as Madonna [34], Paris Hilton [35], Selena Gomez [36], and Drew Barrymore [37] attended the event; none of Spears's family members were present. Prior to the ceremony, her ex Kevin Federline [38]'s attorney, Mark Vincent Kaplan, told People [39] that the singer's two sons, 16-year-old Sean Preston and 15-year-old Jayden James, wouldn't be at the wedding because they "didn't want to take away from" the couple's special moment. However, he said that "they're happy for their mom and they are hopeful that Sam and Britney are starting a great future together."