Fans are divided over whether or not it was a good idea for Britney Spears and fiancé Jason Trawick to go their separate ways. Spears announced her split from Trawick and "The X Factor U.S." on the same day. (Official statements were released on January 11, 2013.)
Spears, 31, and Trawick, 41, had been dating since 2009 and got engaged in December 2011. In April 2012, he became her co-conservator overseeing her personal affairs with Spears' father. But now that the couple has split up, Trawick has been removed as her co-conservator, according to TMZ. The former couple never publicly announced any wedding plans. Many people had predicted that Trawick and Spears would never get married.
Trawick used to be Spears' agent but he formally resigned as her agent in 2010. However, he still had a big influence on her career, as he reportedly led the negotiations for her to get the "X Factor" job, which she officially got in May 2012. Trawick was one of the people in her life who pushed her to become a judge on "The X Factor." And even though Spears got paid a reported $15 million for the "X Factor" job, the results were disastrous, as the show lost millions of viewers after Spears joined (ratings for the show dropped 25 percent, compared to the show's ratings in 2011), and she got mostly negative reviews as an "X Factor" judge.
Spears has also failed when it comes to marriage. She has been married twice. Her quickie marriage in 2004 to childhood friend Jason Alexander ended in an annulment two days later. She was married to her second husband, Kevin Federline (her former backup dancer), from 2004 to 2007. Spears and Federline have two sons together: 7-year-old Sean Preston and 6-year-old Jayden James. Their marriage ended in a bitter divorce that got a lot of coverage in the media. In 2007, Spears lost custody of the boys to Federline, but she has visitation rights.
Many tabloids had reported that there were problems in the Spears/Trawick relationship months before the former couple officially announced the breakup. There were tabloid allegations that Trawick was physically abusive and unfaithful to Spears, but her spokesperson denied those allegations. There were also reports that Trawick began to act more like an employee/babysitter to Spears after he was appointed her co-conservator. That change in his behavior reportedly killed the romance in their relationship, and they were sleeping in separate beds during the last weeks of their relationship.
And then there were reports that Spears and Trawick had many arguments about her money and who had control of it. According to Forbes magazine, Spears was the highest-earning female music artist in the world from May 2011 to May 2012. During that period of time, she made an estimated $58 million, mostly from touring, her fragrance business and other merchandising deals. That number does not include the reported $15 million that she was paid to be a judge on "The X Factor." (Her "X Factor" salary will be included in Forbes' tally of her earnings from May 2012 to May 2013.)
According to TMZ, the former couple also reportedly argued over family planning: Spears wants to have more kids, but Trawick does not. TMZ also reports that Spears expected Trawick's career to revolve around her and didn't want him to have any other clients, and (according to OMG!) Trawick started to become very "resentful" of those demands because he wanted to have other clients.
There were signs of a breakup when Trawick was seen in Miami without Spears on January 1, 2013. (Most couples spend New Year's Day together.) In addition, Spears was seen in the Los Angeles area not wearing her engagement ring a few days before the announcement was made about her split from Trawick. There were rumors in December 2012 that Trawick was going to dump Spears, but he was hoping to remain in some sort management role with her. However, it is clear from their breakup statements that Trawick will not be involved with Spears personally or professionally.
Some of Spears' fans expressed disappointment or sadness about the breakup with Trawick because they believe that Trawick was a stabilizing force in her life after she had her notorious psychiatric breakdown in 2008, and that he was a good stepfather to Spears' sons. Other fans are happy or relieved about the breakup because they believe that Trawick was "too controlling," "creepy" and a "gold digger." Meanwhile, other people are happy or relieved that the relationship ended because they think Trawick dodged a "train wreck" marriage and he's better off not being involved with Spears.
The official PR statements about the split have the typical celebrity breakup line about the former couple remaining "friends." However, most people don't believe that the Spears/Trawick split was amicable. There's been a lot of Internet debate over who broke up with whom.
One thing's for sure: Spears is going through major changes in her personal life and her career. The same week that she announced her split from "The X Factor" and Trawick, it was also announced that she had switched agencies. She dropped agency William Morris Endeavor (Trawick's former employer) to sign with Creative Artists Agency. Spears is still represented by her longtime manager Larry Rudolph.
She could also be changing record companies in 2013 or 2014. Spears is working on her eighth studio album, which is the last studio album that she owes to Sony Music. After her contract with Sony Music expires, it's very possible that she will sign with another record company. Insiders are predicting that if she does sign with another record company, it will be Island Def Jam Music Group, which is headed by chairman/CEO Barry Weiss. Weiss is the founder of the now-shuttered Jive Records, which was Spears' record company for most of her career.
Here is a sampling of what people have been saying on the Internet about the Spears/Trawick breakup:
From E! Online's message boards:
"Oh that's a shame, he seemed good for her & stable, they were a nice couple :/ hope they get back together."
"Britney, glad you made the call before you took the plunge. I adore you and think you are so talented and such a sweet southern girl. I know you got off track there for a bit, but most of us were allowed to rebel a bit (college, high school, etc.) while you didn't have that luxury, as you were in the public eye and had a very specific image to uphold. I totally understand your need to travel off the track for a bit, and you seem to have gotten back to a very good place. I'll be cheering for you- keep on rocking!"
"It's for the best... he came into her life at a difficult time and saw her through it... now that she has finally gotten her life together and this drama from her past with Sam Lufti is over, she has a chance to start again and on her own. Sometimes people come into your life for a reason and that's it. He saw her through a lot. She can't make the same mistakes she did in her 20's and jump into marriage bc some guy was there to pick up the pieces during a rough time. She's been married before... this shows maturity that she ended it before it got to that point."
"Hopefully this breakup will not lead her down a wrong dark path, she has worked so hard on herself to get to a healthy place again in her life."
"Good for you! I didn't think you were a right anyway! Just something about him wasn't right!"
"They may be good friends, but I never thought they made a good looking couple. He looks way too old for her. I know he is only 40 ut he looks older and she needs someone who wopuld complement her looks and is good for her. I really hope she finds true love. Britney is special. She also needs to get from under her conservartoship and her father. She is a grown woman who is the huge earner and should have total control of her money and her life."
From the Huffington Post's message boards:
"I think this woman hasn't been right in the head since she broke up with Justin Timberlake."
"Why do they lie? Britney was fired because she is boring and Jason dumped her!"
"Better they split up before the wedding than after."
From OMG!'s message boards:
"That's too bad. He seemed to offer her emotional stability."
"These stars like Britney will never find true love unless they get out of the spotlight and actually have time to spend with someone to build a strong relationship."
"Knew it would happen before they got married them breaking it off wise move on her part."
"He sounded like a control freak anyway...sometimes wiping the slate clean is a good idea and then you need to move forward. I just hope she stays on the right track for her own sake and her kids."
"I thought he seemed like a great guy 'normal' and brought stability to her life. Too bad it didn't work out."
"Uh oh. Lost her job and fiance within a few days. Another downward spiral in the works?"
"Quit (fired) xfactor, check,,,,dumped boyfriend (got dumped) ,check,,, back to crazy town,,,check.."
"Defintiely WAY BETTER than getting married-only to find out it was a mistake and divorcing AGAIN. Way to go, Brit!"
"Good for her. I'm happy she is reclaiming her life."
"What kind of man gives up his job for a woman? a loser? a golddigger? a leech? a bum? all of the above?"
"HE IS LUCKY HE GOT OUT WHEN HE DID!!!"
"She finally came to her senses and got rid of the gold digger. Thank god !!!!!"
"Uh oh, She has lost her job and broken off her engagement in the same week. Downward spiral! Quick, everyone get your clippers ready!"
"From the moment they got together I saw this coming. Spears is another one that can't keep a man. These men only get with her to use her for money and attention. Nobody gives a #$%$ about this looney toon!"
"Her being happy and healthy is all that matters at the end of the day. If she isn't happy with him then it is time to move on and find a man who WILL make her happy."
"Mistake number 1 - making her his entire world, even quitting his job...anything else after that, he has no one to blame but himself."
"Aawwwww .... poor Mr. Trawick - looks like he just lost his meal-ticket and now he'll have to go back to work. Way to use your head for once, Britney."
"So he used to manage famous women, although less famous than Britney, and then ended up as her Conservator and Fiance. It seems like he might have thought he was stepping up then was disappointed to find himself Mr. Britney Spears instead of the boss. Who knows, that may be off base to guess but it seems plausible."
"He did this to help boost his career and the money HER dad gave him to watch her. He knew what this would mean and he did it anyway so I don't eel sorry for him. Britney is better off without him. You can tell in her eyes that she's not happy with him. EYES DON"T LIE."
"As a woman, i could tell Britney never loved him. He was there when she needed someone to lean on.....and she probably feels stable enough on her own again."
"He was the best ting to happen to her and she blew it. get ready for spears to hit another trainwreck wall soon."
"Good for her! She deserves much praise for not following past behavior of dead-beat men. She's become very wise in her older age and has obviously learned from past failures. Proud of you, Britney!"
"He wanted her to have his child..she's on medication that could prove harmful to a developing fetus. If she went off her medication she could relapse. It was a deal breaker for them both. Best wishes to Britney. So glad to see her doing well."
"I think he met a coathanger that was smarter."
"She appears to have MANY emotional issues and is not what you might call NORMAL. I feel it's the best thing that ever happened to this guy, but, now he will have to buy his own cup of coffee. She's best being alone as she seems to drag down anyone who gets close to her."
"Seems to me that if you are dealing with a mental illness, and unable to direct your own affairs to the point that you have a conservator, you probably should not be getting married just yet. Hopefully she will keep getting better and be able to make her own decisions! Sounds like the Dad is making all the decisions, probably about the marriage too."
"She seems to mess up everyones world.......do i hear sociopath."
"This man is lucky to get out now; Britney is a total mess, and I have only observed what has been fed to me through the media. Her poor children and parents and family, is all I can say. She is the money train, I know, but most reckless to be around or involved with, I am quite sure. She takes baby sitting and always will, I guess."
"I'm glad this sick love affair is over. He was just using her just like Kevin did."
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