Sam Asghari has no regrets about his marriage to now-ex Britney Spears.
“You know, this is a seven-year-long relationship. It’s the longest I’ve been in a relationship with somebody and it’s the longest she’s ever been in a relationship with somebody,” Asghari, 30, said on the Wednesday, February 12, episode of “The Viall Files” podcast. “I wanted to be the normal part [of her] life.”
Asghari, a model and actor, first met Spears, now 43, on the set of her “Slumber Party” music video. Weeks later, they went on their first date and a romance unfolded “very naturally.” After five years together, Asghari proposed. They wed in June 2022 but separated the next year. Their divorce was settled in May 2024.
Still, Asghari remains grateful for his time with the Princess of Pop.
“I always say, even though it’s over now, I’m never sad it’s over,” he said. “I’m grateful it even happened.”
Keep scrolling for a recap of Asghari’s appearance on “The Viall Files” — and everything he mentioned about Spears:
A Professional Beginning
Asghari got his start acting in music videos, including Spears and Tinashe’s “Slumber Party” in 2016. While the Iran native thought the experience was “a really good time,” he stayed professional throughout the two-day shoot.
“Long story short, it happened very naturally,” he recalled of his then-budding romance with Spears. “There’s something about work … I really, truly want to be a professional in my life. I like to be as professional as possible and be there, be excited, be on time and not trying to make anything out of it.”
Asghari, who also wasn’t “too familiar” with Spears’ career at the time, talked to the singer between filming set-ups.
“We spoke and everything went naturally,” Asghari said. “In between [takes], we had a conversation of, ‘Well, have you had sushi?’ I was like, ‘Believe it or not, I have had sushi’ and we hit it off and everything was normal. And she was like, ‘Let’s grab sushi sometime.’”
At the end of the shoot, one of Spears’ assistants approached Asghari to ask for his number to give to the “Stronger’ singer.
“A few weeks later, she texted me like, ‘Let’s go grab sushi,’” he said. “It took about a couple weeks. The reason why is because I was focused on work. In this industry, you have to have short-term memory. … If you keep [your hopes] up, you’re going to mess it up.”
The First Date
By the time their first date rolled around, Asghari invited Spears to meet him at Koi in Los Angeles.
“Sushi was great,” Asghari said. “I’m not too nervous about mega-stars texting me to go to sushi. I’m more nervous if I picked the right restaurant. … It still has to be a traditional way to it.”
According to the Hacks alum, the initial date was “very brief” and only lasted 30 minutes.
“It was great and it was really cool,” he said. “We were talking and I got to know her a little bit. She was super sweet and everything was perfect, and then after that, we went to a movie. We kept seeing each other for a very long time. … Things went naturally and I was handling that really well.”
While Asghari told podcast host Nick Viall that he “hoped” he was Spears’ physical type, he believes their connection was more about “the right place [at] the right time.”
“What drew me the most was the perception,” Asghari said. “What I saw was a sweet, beautiful woman. I think America fell in love with her because she was America’s Sweetheart — and that’s what I saw.”
Learning of the Conservatorship
Once Asghari started seeing Spears fairly regularly, he was informed of her conservatorship. (Britney’s father, Jamie Spears, and Jodi Montgomery were in charge of her and her estate for 13 years until the guardianship was terminated in November 2021.)
“She was under the conservatorship and that was very strange for me to deal with,” he said. “I got hit with that at the beginning. She didn’t explain. Somebody called me and said, ‘Oh, just so you know, this is this and make sure you’re obeying by our rules’ and stuff like that. I’m coming from a country [where] I dealt with this already. I was like, ‘This is weird, but this is America. Something doesn’t make sense.’”
From there, Asghari tried to understand “what’s really going on” with Britney’s experiences and situations.
“When you’re in a relationship with somebody, I’m the type where I want to support in every way possible,” he said. “I also didn’t want to go look up what’s happening on the news because I know [that’s] different. I tried to really understand it. I tried to see why it’s happening and you don’t have much to say, especially if you’re just a boyfriend. Maybe I was afraid they would make me not see her. You have to be gentle and provide as much support as you can.”
Sam’s Lack of a Relationship With His In-Laws
According to Asghari, he did not have much of a connection to Britney’s father, Jamie.
“You know what, I don’t think I had a relationship with him; I had a relationship with her,” Asghari said. “I wanted him to know that, like, ‘I’m dating her, not you.’ I will always have my respect for everybody and I will always stay respectful. I try to understand what really happens and why.”
Asghari, however, did not address whether he had any bonds with Britney’s mom, Lynne Spears, and her siblings, Bryan and Jamie Lynn. (Britney also has two sons, Sean Preston and Jayden James, from her previous marriage to Kevin Federline.)
“My relationship is always respectful,” he stressed.
Dancing Around the Topic of ‘Gag Orders’ and NDAs
During the podcast appearance, Asghari denied that he signed a “gag order” disparaging him from speaking about Britney after their divorce.
“None of that,” he said. “What I do have is an upbringing of a lot of respect and morals. Sometimes when it’s personal life, I don’t go into detail. I don’t like talking about it.”
Popping the Question
Asghari explained that he had to wait to propose “until [Britney] was out of the conservatorship.”
“We went through a lot until then,” Asghari recalled. “The proposal was way overdue. We wanted to get married way before. … The second [the conservatorship was terminated], it was one of her dreams to have a princess-shaped diamond ring. It was basically all her goals that she truly wanted. That’s when it happened. It was truly now that the conservatorship is over and all these restrictions are lifted, let’s do what she really wanted to do.”
Asghari had wanted to “do it in the best way possible,” but to avoid media leaks, he opted for an intimate moment at their joint home.
“She was nervous [and] thought it was a puppy, maybe,” he quipped. “I proposed to her and she said, ‘Yes.’ … I wanted to be the normal part of her life because I don’t think she had that.”
The Viral Knife Video
In September 2023, Britney went viral when she uploaded a social media video of herself dancing with a pair of knives, which led to a police welfare check. Britney later said that the blades were props from Halloween.
“I’m not someone who’s like, ‘Let me take your phone from you and not allow you to do anything and restrict you from posting your own content,’” Asghari said on Wednesday. “Especially if you’re an artist. She’s a genius artist [and] what’s in her head is gold. … When you take away the way to make art and express yourself, I’m not gonna be the one that’s gonna stop anybody from posting whatever they want — especially if dance is the way you express yourself.”
Living Without Regrets
While Asghari and Spears announced their split in August 2023, he harbors no ill will toward his former spouse.
“Even though it’s over now, I’m never sad it’s over,” Asghari said. “I’m grateful it even happened. … Anything that has happened to me on a personal level has always been a blessing. It’s always been the right timing. I let the universe do that work for me and as long as I can be a good father and be a good future husband and as long as I can keep improving is No. 1 and I do want to stay grounded because I know that fame and success doesn’t mean anything. In the end, you want to be a good person.”
Asghari also looks back fondly on their relationship, noting that they had “a lot of fun” together.
“It was a seven-year relationship. We watched TV shows, we had a lot of pets,” Asghari said, noting they specifically bonded over Friends, a variety of cartoons and A Dog’s Purpose. “A lot of that [and] a lot of cooking, a lot of exercising and hiking.”
Why He Won’t Speak on the Breakup
Asghari further revealed why he’s stayed mum about the reasons for his and Britney’s split.
“When it comes to breakups, splits [and] divorce, it sucks,” Asghari said. “But, when it comes to the gag order [claims], you can’t take a poop in Hollywood without having an NDA. That’s the true part of it, yes, but also put that away. Also, I have three sisters [and] I have a family. I always hated that someone goes and talks about this and cries and tries to get attention or use that as leverage. It’s my life, I lived it, I experienced it, but certain things you talk about in public and certain things you don’t.”
He added, “It doesn’t matter what the cause is. It matters the time we spent together [and] the things that we learned. It was a big part of my life and her life, as well.”
According to Asghari, he never wanted to “use” Britney like many others allegedly did throughout her career.
“I’m gonna make sure I’m not doing that,” he stated. “It’s not even about me. I want to make everyone who loves me proud, so why would I do something that makes them think, ‘Wait a minute, my brother’s a piece of s—?’ I’d never want that.”
No Longer in Contact
While Asghari asserted that he will “always have respect” for Britney, they have not been in touch since the divorce was settled.
“I wish her the best and I would like [to be friends],” he said. “I wouldn’t mind.”
He also concurred with Viall that he’s giving Britney “time.”
Sam’s New Girlfriend Has ‘Never’ Brought Up Britney
Asghari is now dating Brooke Irvine, whom he doesn’t “think [even] cares about the industry.” (Irvine works in real estate and “coincidentally” met Asghari when they lived in the same apartment building.)
“She’s super supportive,” Asghari said of Irvine. “She didn’t bring up [Britney] one time. Never one time. That’s what was really cool. I think it’s weird to not talk about it. … If you had perception, might not even happen. I try to give the benefit of the doubt to people. I think the best way to be is yourself.”
