Britney Spears Admits to Lighting Cigarette on Flight but Says Notifying Authorities ‘Was Kinda Much’

After making headlines for lighting a cigarette mid-flight, Britney Spears is sharing her side of the story. On a May 22 flight, Spears, 43, lit a cigarette — a violation of federal aviation regulations — before putting it out at the request of flight attendants on the charter plane, sources previously confirmed to PEOPLE. Authorities also issued a warning about her conduct at the airport following the flight.

After the incident, JSX, the public charter operator that Spears was aboard, had no comment.

The day after the incident, however, the “Toxic” singer recounted the events of the flight and aftermath from her point of view in an Instagram post. Alongside a video of herself on the flight, Spears began, “Me yesterday !!! It’s actually incredibly funny !!!”

Britney Spears in her May 23 Instagram post.Credit: Britney Spears/Instagram

Britney Spears in her May 23 Instagram post.Credit: Britney Spears/Instagram

“Some planes I’ve been on you can’t smoke mostly but this one was different because the drink holders were on outside of seat !!!” she wrote in the May 23 post. “Confession it was my first time drinking VODKA!!! I swear I felt so SMART 🙄🙄🤔😂😂😂😂 !!! I was like wow what the heck is in there !!! I felt so clear and smart !!! And said I want a cigarette so bad !!!”

So, she continued, “My friend put it in my mouth and lit 🔥 it up for me so I was like OH SO THIS IS A PLANE WHERE YOU CAN SMOKE !!!”

The star went on to apologize and state that in her opinion, contacting the authorities was “kinda much.” She also made several allegations about one flight attendant in particular, describing her as “weird” and claiming she “invaded” the singer’s personal space.

“I do so apologize to anyone I offended but the flight attendants always make sure I’m way at the back of plane anyways 🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️🤷🏼‍♀️ !!!” wrote Spears. “I thought officials greeted me as support and I was like WOW I feel special !!! I’ve never been to an international airport 😂😂😂😂 !!! Am I famous or something ???”

“The flight attendant called officials because I smoked a cigarette !!! And embarrass me which jeez I thought was kinda much but she didn’t like me the moment I got on plane !!!” the singer continued. “Nobody was on the plane for first 20 minutes and she wouldn’t let me get out of my seat I wanted to stand up !!! She acted so weird about making sure I sat down and it was weird !!! I didn’t like the way she put the seatbelt on me and invaded my space !!!”

Britney Spears’ statement about lighting a cigarette on a May 22 flight.Credit: Britney Spears/Instagram

Britney Spears’ statement about lighting a cigarette on a May 22 flight.Credit: Britney Spears/Instagram

Spears was traveling with her security from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, to Los Angeles on the headline-making May 22 flight, where — as she stated in her Instagram post — she was drinking and lit a cigarette.

Alarmed by the move, flight attendants insisted the star put out the cigarette, and she did. Authorities were then contacted mid-flight and when the plane landed, Spears was met by officials, who issued a warning about her conduct on the flight before she was allowed to leave.

“This is not her first warning,” a source told PEOPLE exclusively. “She doesn’t exactly follow the rules.”

Spears was under a conservatorship for 13 years following mental health concerns after a series of troubling incidents in the early 2000s. The star’s father, Jamie Spears, served as the conservator of her estate.

The “Circus” singer successfully petitioned the court to terminate the conservatorship in November 2021 and, about two years after it ended, released her best-selling memoir, The Woman in Me.

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