Britney Spears was the subject of a welfare check this week after she posted a video of herself dancing with knives, concerning fans and those who know her offline.
A member of the Los Angeles Police Department Smart Team who knows the 41-year-old pop star personally, alerted the group — which handles mental health evaluations — to the unsettling clip on Wednesday, as law enforcement insiders told TMZ.
Police left the residence after the “Toxic” singer’s security told them she was fine but preferred not to talk to them, according to the outlet.
Authorities subsequently received a call from Spears’ lawyer, and said fan outreach wouldn’t be enough to warrant such a move, TMZ reports. But as the individual who notified them is acquainted with Spears in real life, there was enough cause to check in.
Spears took to Instagram earlier this week with a video of her dancing with the cutlery. Despite her assurance that the knives were “NOT real,” fans thought otherwise when she sported both a gash on her leg and a bandaged arm in a subsequent clip.
“Lighten up about the knives, I’m copying Shakira!!!” Spears urged in another video, referencing a performance the Colombian pop star gave at the MTV VMAs earlier this month, during which she danced while holding a dagger in each hand.
Onlookers weren’t just concerned about Spears’ welfare after the videos, but that of her dogs, as they appeared frightened in the posts. And it isn’t just Spears’ erratic social media behavior that has worried those close to the “…Baby One More Time” singer.
News broke earlier this month that Spears — whose 13-year conservatorship was terminated in late 2021 — is dating her former housekeeper, an ex-convict who some sources claim came between Spears and husband Sam Asghari.
Spears’ reported romance with Paul Richard Soliz, 37, comes on the heels of her split from Asghari last month. The fitness instructor, 29, filed for divorce from Spears after just 14 months of marriage, allegedly after accusing her of infidelity and violent outbursts.