Amidst a media storm ignited by her mid-air cigarette escapade, Britney Spears has finally stepped forward to share her version of events. On May 22, the 43-year-old pop icon, in violation of federal aviation laws, sparked up a cigarette aboard a chartered JSX flight before extinguishing it at the behest of flight attendants, sources previously verified to PEOPLE. Following the incident, authorities also issued a caution regarding her airport behavior.
JSX, the public charter operator that hosted Spears on that fateful journey, declined to comment post-event.
However, the next day, Spears recounted the flight's drama and its aftermath from her unique perspective in an Instagram post accompanied by an in-flight video of herself. She began, "Me yesterday!!! It's actually hilariously surreal!!!"
"Most planes I've been on prohibit smoking, but this one was a different breed; the drink holders were perched outside the seats!" she penned on May 23. "Confession time: it was my vodka virgin voyage!!! I swear, I felt brilliant!!! I was like, 'Wow, what sorcery is this?!' I felt so clear-headed and sharp, craving a cigarette more than ever!!!"
Continuing her narrative, she revealed, "My buddy slipped it into my mouth and lit it up, making me think, 'Oh, so this is one of those planes where smoking's allowed?!'"
The singer then issued an apology, remarking that involving authorities was "perhaps a tad excessive." She further leveled several accusations against a particular flight attendant, describing her as "odd" and claiming she "invaded" her personal space.
"I sincerely apologize to anyone I may have offended, but flight attendants usually usher me to the aircraft's rear anyway!!!" Spears wrote. "I thought officials were greeting me with support, and I thought, 'WOW, I'm feeling the VIP treatment!!! I've never been to an international airport!!! Am I famous, or what?!'"
"The flight attendant summoned officials just because I had a puff!!! And embarrassed me in front of everyone, which I thought was a bit much, especially since she didn't take a shine to me from the moment I stepped on the plane!!!" she continued. "The plane was empty for the first 20 minutes, and she wouldn't let me stand; she insisted I sit down, acting so strangely about it!!! I didn't appreciate the way she buckled my seatbelt, it felt like an invasion of my space!!!"
Spears was traveling with her security detail from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to Los Angeles on the headline-grabbing May 22 flight, where, as detailed in her Instagram post, she indulged in vodka and lit up a cigarette.
Alarmed by her actions, flight attendants insisted she stub out the cigarette, which she promptly did. Authorities were subsequently contacted mid-flight, and upon landing, Spears was met by officials who warned her about her in-flight conduct before allowing her to depart.
"This isn't her first brush with caution," a source exclusively told PEOPLE. "She's not exactly known for adhering to the rules."
For 13 years, Spears was under conservatorship amidst mental health concerns stemming from troublesome incidents in the early 2000s, with her father, Jamie Spears, serving as the conservator of her estate. In November 2021, the "Circus" singer successfully petitioned the court to terminate the conservatorship and, nearly two years later, released her best-selling memoir, "The Woman in Me."
