Britney Spears' Husband Seeks Financial Support

(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
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Britney Spears' Husband Seeks Financial Support

(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)
(FILES) US singer Britney Spears (L) and Sam Asghari arrive for the premiere of Sony Pictures' "Once Upon a Time... in Hollywood" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, California on July 22, 2019. (Photo by VALERIE MACON / AFP)

Britney Spears and her husband Sam Asghari separated nearly three weeks ago, and he is seeking spousal support and attorneys' fees in their divorce, according to his divorce filing.
Asghari, 29, filed his petition to dissolve his 14-month-old marriage to the 41-year-old pop superstar in Los Angeles County court late Wednesday.
Like the vast majority of those who file for divorce in California, he cites irreconcilable differences as the reason for the split.
The document lists the couple's separation date as July 28, though reports of the split did not emerge until Wednesday. It says he will try to get financial support from her, while blocking her from getting any from him. And it seeks to have her pay for his divorce lawyers.
The filing says the value of Spears' and Asghari's assets, and those they own jointly, has yet to be determined. Spears and Asghari had no children together.
“No negative intention has ever been directed towards her and never will be. Sam has always and will always support her,” Asghari’s representative Brandon Cohen said Thursday afternoon.
Email sent to a Spears' representatives were not returned.
She has not addressed the split on social media. An Instagram post since the divorce filing is a photo of herself on horseback on a beach, with a caption that begins, “Buying a horse soon!”
Spears married Asghari at her home in Thousand Oaks, California, on June 9, 2022, in front of guests including Selena Gomez, Drew Barrymore, Paris Hilton and Madonna, in a wedding seen as a milestone in her newly reclaimed life after the dissolution just six months earlier of the court conservatorship that controlled her life for more than 13 years.
Spears met and began dating Asghari, a model and actor, when he appeared in her video for the song “Slumber Party” in 2016.



‘Comeback’ Queen Demi Moore ‘Has Always Been Here,’ Says Director

US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)
US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)
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‘Comeback’ Queen Demi Moore ‘Has Always Been Here,’ Says Director

US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)
US actress Demi Moore poses with the Best Performance by a Female Actor in a Motion Picture – Musical or Comedy award for "The Substance" in the press room during the 82nd annual Golden Globe Awards at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California, on January 5, 2025. (AFP)

Demi Moore's Golden Globe best actress win for "The Substance" has, almost overnight, transformed the 1990s megastar into a seemingly unlikely favorite for the Oscars.

In her acceptance speech Sunday, the 62-year-old -- who once generated headlines as much for her love life as for her hit films -- said she had long been dismissed as a "popcorn actress," and had never "won anything as an actor."

But for Coralie Fargeat, the French director who also wrote Moore's new, blood-drenched body horror film, there is nothing surprising about the late-career reappraisal her leading lady is now enjoying.

"It was so moving to see Demi on that stage," Fargeat told AFP, the morning after Moore's big win.

The movie allowed audiences "to see who she is as an actress, and not project any more the stereotype that if you're beautiful, you can't be a good actress."

"It is being called a comeback. But she has always been here," Fargeat added.

Society's obsession with pigeonholing and pinning expiration dates on women is the core premise of "The Substance."

In the film, globally distributed by MUBI, Moore's character Elisabeth is a fading movie star, who is abruptly fired from her hit TV fitness show as she turns 50.

Out of desperation, she injects herself with a mysterious serum which allows her to live in a younger version of her body -- as long as she returns to her older form every week.

Inevitably, the allure of remaining young proves too strong, especially after Elisabeth's stunningly youthful alter ego is catapulted to fame by creepy male executives.

- 'Dream' -

Fargeat had long been a fan of Moore's acting work, which included hits like "Indecent Proposal" and "Ghost," as well as more divisive fare like "G.I. Jane."

"I could like or not like the movies, but I think she always delivered pretty great performances," said the director.

But Moore's real-life career also incarnated "this iconic star" represented by her character in "The Substance."

"Someone who has been totally valued for this dream, this fake promise that if you're young, beautiful, you're going to be happy and successful," said Fargeat.

"And when this goes away, it's like all your life is going away."

Even so, Moore's pitch-perfect casting as Elisabeth nearly did not happen.

Fargeat at first assumed Moore would not be interested in a role requiring countless, grotesque scenes of gore and decay.

But the director picked up a copy of Moore's 2019 memoir "Inside Out," which laid bare the actor's battles with ageism and misogyny, as well as addiction, abuse and very public divorces.

"When I read her book, I really saw that she was ready to take the level of risk that the movie requested," said Fargeat.

"The film is really about women's bodies. I wanted to tell my stories [in] the flesh," recalled Fargeat.

Fargeat also admits she was a demanding and meticulous director on set, requiring "a lot of takes."

Moore has spoken about losing 20 pounds (nine kilos) and contracting shingles due to the intense strain of filming, while co-star Margaret Qualley described being in the movie's prosthetic suits as "torture" that triggered panic attacks.

"If the lead performance isn't ready to go that far, the whole movie falls apart," said Fargeat.

Moore "took the risk to follow the vision of the movie... that's very, very brave and courageous," she said.

- Oscars race -

With the Globes win, more attention will come to "The Substance" -- both from wider audiences, and Oscars voters, who are picking their final nominees on ballots due this week.

Fargeat herself could earn nods for best director and best original screenplay, and "The Substance" is tipped by many pundits to make the best picture list.

But few would now bet against Moore for best actress.

"From the beginning, I believed that this can happen," said Fargeat. "That's what cinema is about -- creating things that people are not expecting."

"I'm just immensely proud to have created this part."