Inside Britney Spears’ and Sam Asghari’s 5-Year Relationship
- Britney Spears and actor Sam Asghari got engaged last year.
- They met on the set of Spears’ music video for her 2016 song “Slumber Party.”
- Asghari has supported Spears through the final years of her conservatorship.
Fans have closely watched Britney Spears and Sam Asghari over the last few years: Through Spears’ tumultuous conservatorship battle and the couple’s displays of affection on Instagram, their relationship has been highly publicized.
But for those who don’t know: Who is Sam Asghari?
He’s a 27-year-old model, actor, and personal trainer. Before fame, he immigrated with his family from Iran to the US.
According to a 2017 Men’s Health interview with Asghari, his sister helped him pursue modeling, and he walked his first show in 2015 for designer Michael Costello. He then booked his first acting gig in a 2016 Toyota Prius commercial that aired during the Super Bowl. This led to music-video appearances, followed by his current role as Armeen in BET+’s television series “The Family Business.”
He founded his personal training program, Asghari Fitness, in 2020. When he’s not promoting this on the company’s official Instagram account, he posts fun workouts, especially with his now-fiancée, Britney Spears, on his personal one.
Asghari and Spears, 40, have been an item since 2016. Here’s a timeline of their relationship.
Fall 2016: Asghari and Spears met while he starred in her ‘Slumber Party’ music video
Asghari was featured in Fifth Harmony’s February 2016 “Work” music video, but his big break (career-wise and romantically) wasn’t until when he was cast in Spears’ “Slumber Party” music video. In the video, which was released on November 18, 2016, Asghari plays Spears’ love interest.
“I was excited that I get to meet one of the biggest artists of all time. I had butterflies,” Asghari told Men’s Health the following year.
He spoke on his attempts to be witty with the singer, saying, “She said, ‘Hi, I’m Britney,’ and I said, ‘I’m sorry. What’s your name again?'”
The couple went on to hang out with each other throughout the shoot and exchanged phone numbers, according to the actor.
In a September 2019 interview, Asghari told Entertainment Tonight’s Keltie Knight that he didn’t have to audition for the video. Instead, a friend who was working on it passed on his name to the casting director.
“Then they sent my pictures to my [future] girlfriend, and she picked it. She said, ‘I want this guy,'” Asghari said.
Winter 2016: Spears reached out to Asghari after finding his number months later, and he hinted at their relationship online
According to People, Spears was the one to reach out first. She found Asghari’s phone number in her purse almost five months post-video shoot, she said in a 2017 interview on AMP 103.7’s “Fast in the Morning with Nathan Fast and Sybil Summers.”
“I was like, ‘He was really cute, this guy was really cute,’ so I called him,” she told the radio cohosts. “He’s just a really fun, funny person.”
The pair went out for sushi and kept the initial months of their dating life private, with only minimal speculation from the public. But in November 2016, the actor posted a photo of the pair on Instagram — which he quickly took down — confirming the rumors, according to People.
January 1, 2017: Spears posted a photo of herself with Asghari on her Instagram account for the first time
Spears and Asghari celebrated the 2017 new year together. To commemorate, Spears posted a loving photo of the pair together. This was the first time Spears personally shared insight into her relationship with Asghari.
February 2017: They attended their first event together as a couple and celebrated Valentine’s Day with Spears’ children
On February 11, 2017, the couple attended their first official event together. At Clive Davis’ and the Recording Academy’s 2017 Pre-Grammy Gala, Spears walked the carpet alone, but then met up with Asghari for the remainder of the event.
That month, Spears also let Asghari into her sons’ worlds. From approximately February 11 through February 14, the couple stayed in a Malibu, California, Airbnb. For the Valentine’s Day vacation — which Spears gleefully shared on Instagram — the couple spent it with Spears’ children Sean Preston and Jayden James, whom Spears had with her previous husband Kevin Federline.
March 3, 2017: Spears posted on Instagram for Asghari’s 23rd birthday
For Asghari’s 23rd birthday, Spears shared the birthday love in an Instagram post. She included photos of her and her man and captioned it, “my baby’s birthday”
Asghari also shared a post of his birthday cake with a chocolate-written “Happy Birthday Hesam” on it, pointing out that the singer uses his original name.
It would be the first of many loving birthday tributes they’d give each other over the years.
February 5, 2018: In another Instagram post, Spears said Asghari made her ‘feel like the luckiest girl in the world’
In the post, the pair wore athletic gear in front of a waterfall, and the singer reminisced on being with Asghari for over a year.
“He inspires me to be a better person and that makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world!!” she wrote.
The couple’s private love life became highly publicized through their Instagram accounts. Spears’ Instagram is full of PDA-packed photos and tributes to Asghari.
July 7, 2018: Asghari spoke to Men’s Health about how Spears ‘motivates’ him and is a ‘blessing’
In his 2017 Men’s Health interview, Asghari spoke on his love, admiration, and respect for Spears.
“She motivates me more than anyone,” he said. “It’s crazy how I can be humbled by a person like her. If I could be that humble when I’m that high in life, that would be the best thing.”
He continued, saying, “My personality is just to be a supportive person for my family and she’s family. I’m always going to support her. She is another blessing that happened to me.”
April 3, 2019: Spears checked into a mental-health facility and Asghari publicly supported her
After Spears started her Piece of Me tour in July 2018, her father, Jamie Spears, became ill in November 2018, which prompted the singer to take a break from her career. Then on April 3, 2019, Spears checked into a facility supposedly for “all-encompassing wellness treatment,” according to an anonymous source who spoke to People.
Asghari showed his support for his girlfriend, reposting a photo that is no longer available on Spears’ account. In the repost, Asghari commented on the singer’s treatment, adding his own caption, which includes, “It isn’t weakness, It’s a sign of absolute strength, people should only be inspired by this.”
Later in 2019, in a conservatorship court hearing, Spears said she was forced to go to the mental-health facility, according to The New York Times.
Spring 2019: Spears checked out of the facility and reunited with Asghari
CNN reported on April 26, 2019, that Spears had checked out of the facility, according to an anonymous source.
After being inactive online between January 2019 and April 2019 — and not posting with or about Asghari since December 2018 — Spears returned to social media. She confirmed her love for the actor on March 17, 2019, with a photo of the two of them and writing, “I love this man.”
July 22, 2019: The couple made their first red-carpet appearance at the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ premiere
Steve Granitz/Getty Images
Although together for over two years and having attended other events, the couple didn’t make their first joint red-carpet appearance until July 22, 2019, according to Cosmopolitan UK. They were all smiles when they walked the carpet for Quentin Tarantino’s film “Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood.”
September 4, 2019: Asghari spoke to Entertainment Tonight about their ‘normal’ love and the possibility of marriage
In the interview with Entertainment Tonight‘s Keltie Knight, Asghari spoke kindly of his relationship.
“What I love the most about my relationship is the fact that it’s so normal,” he said. “It’s not glamorous or anything.”
He added, “We can get inspired by each other here and there and really grow with each other.”
When asked about a possible marriage in the future, he said, “This is something that every couple should do. That’s the whole point of a relationship we are a family.”
Spring and summer 2020: The couple began quarantining together and shared more about their relationship online
Spears was separated from Asghari during the initial surge of the COVID-19 pandemic, and they didn’t reunite until some point between late-April and mid-May through updates via Spears’ Instagram.
Then the couple quarantined together. They kept it fun and flirty with frequent lighthearted posts showing them working out, dancing, and going to the beach.
February 2021: After the documentary ‘Framing Britney Spears’ was released, Asghari showed his support for Spears
On February 5, 2021, The New York Times released the much-anticipated and unauthorized documentary “Framing Britney Spears” for
Hulu
.
Asghari commented indirectly on the documentary to People on February 8 and to Entertainment Tonight on February 9, saying, “I have always wanted nothing but the best for my better half, and will continue to support her following her dreams and creating the future she wants and deserves.”
He continued, “I am thankful for all of the love and support she is receiving from her fans all over the world, and I am looking forward to a normal, amazing future together.”
On Instagram, Asghari was more blunt about his feelings, specifically about her father, Jamie Spears. According to Cosmopolitan UK, on February 10, the actor wrote in an Instagram Story, “Now it’s important for people to understand that I have zero respect for someone trying to control our relationship and constantly throwing obstacles our way.”
June 23, 2021: As Spears spoke out in a conservatorship hearing, Asghari wore a #FreeBritney shirt
On June 23, 2021, in a bid to remove her father as her conservator, Spears had a public conservatorship hearing over the phone with Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Brenda Penny — two years after Spears’ initial hearing, which didn’t lead to any positive change for the singer. Prior to the hearing, Asghari posted an Instagram Story of him wearing a hand-painted #FreeBritney shirt, according to Harper’s Bazaar.
In a transcript of the hearing released by The New York Times, Spears spoke on the wrongdoings she felt her father, team, and treatment specialists did to her, while also pleading to remove her father as her conservator. At one point speaking on the limits placed on her person, her finances, and her relationship with Asghari, Spears said, “All I want is to own my money, for this to end, and my boyfriend to drive me in his [expletive] car.”
Spears also alleged that her father and the conservatorship limited her rights to grow her family, which, after being released to the public, sparked waves of shock.
“I was told right now in the conservatorship, I’m not able to get married or have a baby,” she said.
She continued, “I have an ID [IUD] inside of myself right now so I don’t get pregnant. I wanted to take the ID [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.”
Jamie Spears’ lawyer, Vivian Thoreen, denied the claim, saying in court, “I’m not sure Miss Spears understands she can make medical decisions and have
birth control
implanted or not.”
September 12, 2021: Asghari proposed to Spears and the couple shared the happy news on Instagram
The couple excitedly announced their engagement on Instagram. Spears showed off her 4-carat diamond ring, which was designed by Forever Diamonds’ founder and jeweler Roman Malayev and engraved with Asghari’s nickname for Spears, “Lioness,” according to Harper’s Bazaar.
Months later, on November 10, 2021, in a since-deleted Instagram post, Spears said Donatella Versace was designing her wedding dress, according to Harper’s Bazaar.
September 29, 2021: A judge removed Spears’ father as the conservator of her estate. Spears and Asghari celebrated the win.
—Britney Spears (@britneyspears) October 4, 2021
Judge Brenda Penny decided to remove Jamie Spears as the conservator of Britney Spears’ estate. According to Insider, CPA John Zabel temporarily took on this role instead.
Asghari cheered on Spears in an Instagram Story, congratulating her and writing, “She did this. Her fanbase is called the army for a reason,” according to Harper’s Bazaar,
The singer shared how thankful she was for her fans who stood by her and advocated for her.
On October 4, 2021, Spears tweeted a short video clip of her with the caption, “#FreeBritney movement … I have no words … because of you guys and your constant resilience in freeing me from my conservatorship … my life is now in that direction !!!!! I cried last night for two hours cause my fans are the best and I know it.”
October 8, 2021: Asghari added a dog to the couple’s family to love and protect Spears
Asghari expanded the couple’s family by surprising Spears with a Doberman dog.
In a video he posted on October 8, Asghari holds the dog and explains, “Her name is Porsha and she’s meant to unconditionally love you. And it’s gonna be trained to protect you from any [expletive] who comes around you with bad intentions.”
November 12, 2021: Spears’ nearly 14-year conservatorship was officially terminated
Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Judge Penny officially terminated Spears’ conservatorship on November 12, 2021. It meant she was now free for the first time since 2008 to control her finances, her career, and her personal life.
Spears’ attorney, Mathew Rosengart, made a statement outside the courthouse, saying, “As of today, effective immediately, the conservatorship has been terminated as to both the person and the estate,” according to CNN. He continued, “This is a monumental day for Britney Spears.”
On November 12, Asghari posted a photo of the word “freedom” on his Instagram with the caption, “History was made today. Britney is Free!”
And on November 15, Spears broke her silence with a post excitedly describing her experience since her newfound freedom. “What a sight seeing so many people celebrating my victory …. I love my fans so much … so thank you!!!!” she wrote.
