Britney Spears Gets Cryptic About 'Boundaries' Amid Sam Asghari Divorce

Pop star Britney Spears shared a cryptic quote on Instagram on Monday night that might be related to her divorce from actor Sam Asghari.

The "Special Ops: Lioness" actor filed for divorce on August 16, citing "irreconcilable differences" according to court documents obtained by The Blast. The actor listed July 28, 2023, as the date of separation, hinting that the split was well underway long before it made headlines earlier this month.

On Monday, August 28, the "Toxic" singer shared a quote on Instagram emphasizing the importance of placing boundaries in real life as well as online. Bold text written on a door reads, "You can mute people in real life too. It's called boundaries."

Comments on the post were disabled, as all of her recent posts have been, but the quote did get almost 50,000 likes in only six hours. Britney tagged @wealthink247 for the photo but did not write anything else in the caption.

It seems that most fans of the couple were able to predict the split coming for a while. In December 2022, the “(You Drive Me) Crazy” singer confessed that the 29-year-old actor “hates” her meditation practice and thought that she had “gone bonkers” in a since-deleted Instagram post.

“I’m that meditation b—- now 🧘🏼‍♀️… my husband hates it … he thinks I’ve gone bonkers,” she wrote at the time, adding, “Normally I forget to eat … I wait way too long and I’m too sensitive so if anything goes wrong at the house it’s like the world has ended.”

“So l got in my car yesterday and I cried … I cried so d— hard but geez, my car is my spaceship 🚀 … it’s where I have my best interests, thoughts, creative urges, ideas, it’s spiritual … totally spiritual and we’re all in this together on the road,” she wrote.

Although Sam posted a photo of the two meditating together on Christmas day, by March 2023, they were both photographed walking around without their wedding rings. Although Sam posted something to his Instagram Stories for their one-year anniversary on June 9, 2023, Britney didn’t share anything, as she had deactivated Instagram around the same time.

Although it wasn’t a surprise that their relationship came to an end, it was a surprise when TMZ reported that the couple had separated due to allegations of infidelity, later sharing that Sam found footage of Britney in a “compromising position” with a male staff member in the home. However, a source told ET that Britney was “adamant she didn’t cheat,” adding, “The two haven’t got along for a while and it finally came to an end after a major blowup.”

“Britney and Sam have had ups and downs throughout their relationship. They have a lot of love for each other, but they also argue a lot over fundamental issues,” they continued. “Sometimes they feel as though each other’s needs aren’t being completely met. Recently, things took a bad turn and their arguments became more serious and real.”

Another insider claimed that the two “have had issues on and off as a couple since before they were married.”

“Their issues tend to get worse when they are away from each other and spending time apart. Britney has the tendency to feel like she isn’t being prioritized by Sam at times,” the insider alleged. “Their arguments have led them to become unhappy at times in their relationship. They are also on different pages when it comes to their future as a couple, which has been a point of contention.”

A week later, another source told ET that the dynamics of their relationship changed once Britney was free from her 13-year conservatorship, which started in February 2008 and was struck down by a judge in November 2021.

“Britney could be argumentative at times, but also felt like Sam didn’t let her do a lot of things without him,” a source said. “Before Britney’s conservatorship ended, Sam was very supportive. Once it ended, Britney felt very free, but that eventually changed based on certain dynamics in her relationship with Sam.”

“Britney felt like things shifted in her relationship with Sam once her conservatorship ended. Before it ended, Britney was more in a set routine, but once she was free, a lot changed,” another insider divulged. “Britney wanted to embrace her freedom and felt like Sam couldn’t necessarily handle that,” they continued, adding, “Britney will never let another person control her, and she felt like that was starting to happen again.”

Fans are looking forward to hearing more insight from the "Gimme More" singer about her conservatorship when her highly anticipated memoir, "The Woman In Me" hits bookshelves on October 24, 2023.