Broadimage/Shutterstock; VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty
Kevin Federline is expressing his thoughts on the controversy surrounding the father of his ex-wife Britney Spears.
In an interview with The Daily Mail, Federline, 44, said that he believes the conservatorship that Britney was put under by her father Jamie Spears “saved” her. However, he admitted it was hard to watch the drama surrounding the years-long legal arrangement that ended in November 2021.
“This whole thing has been hard to watch, harder to live through, harder to watch my boys go through than anything else,” he explained. ‘It’s been tough. It’s the most challenging thing I’ve ever had to do in my life.”
“I saw this man that really cared, and really cares about his family and wanting everything to be okay,” Federline continued. ‘When Jamie took over [the convervatorship], things got into order. He saved her life.”
Federline also said that his two sons — Sean Preston, 16, and Jayden James, 15 — “had a lot of questions” about Britney’s conservatorship, which the pop star previously alleged in court was abusive at the hands of her father and her other conservators. “I don’t know that I can answer all of them for them, but I just tried to explain to them that your mom needed help, you know, and the people were in play to try to make that happen, to make it better,” he explained.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
Matt Baron/BEI/Shutterstock
RELATED: Britney Spears’ Sons Preston and Jayden Won’t Be at Wedding but Are ‘Happy’ for Her: Lawyer
Federline also said that he is open to having his children with Britney, 40, reconcile with the pop musician’s father, despite the two teens having a restraining order against Jamie, 70.
Federline sought an order of protection from a court for his sons after Jamie allegedly got into a physical altercation with Preston, who was 13 at the time, in August 2019.
Want to get the biggest stories from PEOPLE every weekday? Subscribe to our new podcast, PEOPLE Every Day, to get the essential celebrity, entertainment and human interest news stories Monday through Friday.
“I would absolutely welcome Jamie Spears back in the boys’ lives. Especially if that’s what the boys wanted,” Federline said. “I don’t have any hard feelings towards Jamie Spears.”
“People make mistakes,” he added. “I feel bad for him. I feel like he’s been put through the wringer.”
RELATED VIDEO: Britney Spears and Sam Asghari Are Married! All the Details
Continuing his conversation with the publication, Federline also spoke about how his two sons are currently choosing not to see their mother.
Insisting that the teens love Britney, Federline told The Daily Mail, “The boys have decided they are not seeing her right now. It’s been a few months since they’ve seen her. They made the decision not to go to her wedding.”
Federline also said he has had a hard time explaining Britney’s decision to post nearly nude photos online to his two sons. “‘Look, maybe that’s just another way she tries to express herself,’ ” Federline explained as what he has said to his sons, he told the outlet. “But that doesn’t take away from the fact of what it does to them. It’s tough. I can’t imagine how it feels to be a teenager having to go to high school.”
Britney has since reacted to Federline’s statements in an Instagram Story post and a post shared on her feed, where she wrote in part that she “gave them everything.”
Britney’s husband, Sam Asghari, also chimed in with a set of social media posts as well, writing in one directed at Federline: “I wish him the best and hope he has a more positive outlook in the future for benefit of all involved.”
