Britney Spears’ Former Assistant Feels DUI Arrest Is a ‘Push to Put Her Back in a Conservatorship’

The timing of Britney Spears’ recent arrest for allegedly driving under the influence is strange, according to her former assistant.

Sean Phillip — who has also been a friend of the pop princess, 44, for two decades — appeared Tuesday, March 10, on Extra and said he feels like something isn’t adding up.

“I think there are some people out to get her,” Phillip said, adding that “the timing is so off” considering that Spears got “financial independence” with the sale of her music rights in a deal estimated to be worth about $200 million.

“Then she’s arrested,” Phillip noted. “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.”

According to Extra, Phillip became friends with the “Circus” singer in 2003. They apparently lost touch but recently reconnected. “It’s just been, like, nice,” he said. “[We] send each other funny stuff … It’s just been nothing but funny conversations and joy.”

Spears was reportedly released from jail around 6 a.m. on March 5. Phillip told Extra that the singer texted her following the incident, telling him, “I’m OK.”

However, he insisted, “I don’t think she’s free. 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.”

“I encourage her to speak for herself,” he added, “cause she can squash everything in a second.”

The “Gimme More” singer is scheduled to appear in Ventura County Superior Court on May 4.

The Grammy Award winner was notably placed under a controversial conservatorship in 2008, leading to the #FreeBritney movement, but it was dissolved in 2021.

Spears — who experienced a public breakdown nearly two decades ago during which her erratic behavior, including shaving her head, made headlines — has previously been in and out of rehab.

Following the arrest, a representative for the singer told Star that “hopefully this can be the first step in long overdue change that needs to occur in Britney’s life,” calling it an “unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable.”