Britney Spears celebrates Easter with unexpected group of celebrity pals after reunion with sons following DUI

Britney Spears left her fans confused — and even infuriated — when it was revealed that she spent Easter Sunday with a surprising group of celebrity friends.

The head-scratching friend group was revealed in an Instagram post on Sunday shared by Spears's former collaborator, the iconic songwriter Diane Warren.

Warren, 69, posted a photo revealing that not only was she hanging out with Spears, but they were also joined by the former Saturday Night Live star Molly Shannon and Spears's controversial friend and manager, Cade Hudson.

The odd pairing comes after Spears revealed her reunion with her sons, Sean, 20, and Jayden, 19, in the wake of her shocking DUI arrest.

The 44-year-old Toxic singer displayed plenty of playful attitude in the photo, which featured her scrunching up her face as she flashed her middle finger at the camera.

'Fun afternoon with some old friends!🐰🎶🎵❤️ ,' Warren captioned the photo before tagging the other three.

Spears looked too cool for school with a black wide-brimmed Cordovan hat, chunky black sunglasses, a burnt sienna top and the fingerless black lace gloves that she has recently taken to wearing in her Instagram dance clips. 

She had a red drink of some sort in her hand, and she flashed a gold luxury wristwatch as she flipped off the camera.

Warren, who wore a blue shirt, a black patterned scarf and round-frame amber-tinted sunglasses, followed suit and flashed her own middle finger while displaying a soft smile. 

Shannon, who was dressed in a floral-print top, had an arm around Warren's shoulders and flashed an infectious smile.

The post unleashed the ire of some of Spears's fans, with some criticizing Hudson's presence, while others worried that the singer had compromised her short-lived sobriety.

'She’s drinking again 😔,' one person claimed, though there was nothing confirming that the drink was alcoholic.

'I’m starting to feel like Britney Spears trolling us. There’s probably nothing wrong with her,' another user wrote.

Some fans bemoaned that Spears was in the presence of Hudson, her manager, with multiple commenters complaining that he allegedly wrote a statement after her DUI arrest that called it 'inexcusable' and expressed hope that she would get the 'help and support she needs.'

'Ewww not Cade after the statement he made after Britney’s arrest. He needs to GO!' read one representative comment.

The Daily Mail has reached out to Spears and Hudson for comment.

Some conspiracy theorists in the comments even became convinced that it wasn't actually Spears in the photo, possibly because she had her face partially hidden by her middle finger.

But many of Spears's less parasocial friends were delighted to see her with Warren and hoped that meant that the two could be collaborating again on new music. 

'OMG!!! 3 of my favourite women! Let’s get Brit on an Oscar ballad STAT! It’s been too long since "When Your Eyes Say It,"' one fan gushed.

Spears and Warren previously collaborated more than 25 years ago on the Oops!... I Did It Again track When Your Eyes Say It.

'So is Britney gonna get you that Oscar?! maybe an original track for her biopic,' wrote another person in reference to Warren's record for the most Oscar nominations without a win (17), though she is the recipient of an honorary Academy Award.

 Notably absent from the Easter Sunday photo were Spears's two sons, Sean and Jayden, though she recently spent some time with the two.

After their late March reunion, eagle-eyed observers noted that Sean had reportedly begun using his mother's last name on social media.

Sean, 20, has seemingly left off his father Kevin Federline's last name from his Instagram handle, and now goes by 'Sean P Spears,' according to TMZ.

Prior to the change, his Instagram username was simply Sean Preston. 

The change comes after Sean's recent reunion with his famous mother, 44, following a period of estrangement and her DUI arrest.

Last week, the pop star shared multiple social media posts featuring Sean and his younger brother Jayden, 19, both of whom she shares with her ex-husband, 48. 

The Daily Mail has reached out to representatives for Spears and Federline for comment.

Following her 2007 divorce from Federline, and after her 13-year long conservatorship began in 2008, Federline had majority custody of the boys, who later moved with him to Hawaii.

In 2022, Federline revealed that the boys were estranged from their mother, though after several attempts at reconciliation, it appears she is back on good terms with her sons.

Spears had an unexpected reunion with both of them for a sailing trip over the weekend. The young men appeared alongside their mom on a boat in videos uploaded to Instagram.

Spears was visited by Jayden earlier this month in the wake of her dramatic DUI arrest, and previously saw him around Christmas time, but Sean doesn't appear to have spent time with her since last year.

Spears has been sober since her DUI arrest on March 3 in the Westlake Village neighborhood of California, near her mansion.

And the Womanizer singer has been regularly attending Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings in the Los Angeles area.

'Britney has been very open and honest in her AA meetings, she has said she loves pouring her heart out as she knows that is the best way to heal and feel better,' a source told The Daily Mail.

'The only thing she has indulged in is fancy coffee drinks. She is being super careful because she wants to be there for her kids.'

The Louisiana native has been catching up on quality time with her sons lately. Though the boys have lived in Hawaii, they have been by their mother's side in recent weeks.

'She is very happy that they are close again. It is healing her heart. She loves her sons,' the insider added.

Shortly after the news of her arrest broke, a rep told Daily Mail: 'This was an unfortunate incident that is completely inexcusable.

'...[Britney's] boys are going to be spending time with her. Her loved ones are going to come up with an overdue needed plan to set her up for success for wellbeing.'

Ventura County sheriff records show Britney is scheduled to appear in court on May 4.

In December, Spears issued a biting message to her estranged family, after Sean spent Christmas with them in Louisiana.

Spears has had a contentious relationship with her family members for years following her 13-year conservatorship that ended in November 2021.

Last October, Federline claimed that their two sons had once again cut contact with the singer after witnessing 'shocking things' at her home.

Federline alleged that their boys were 'terrified', and that one of them expressed fears that 'mom is going to die.' He made the shocking claims during an episode of Piers Morgan Uncensored.

'[Britney] saw one of my sons one day this year, and he decided not to go back over there because of what he saw,' he said in reference to Sean Preston.

'The other one, Jayden, who's my younger son, is 19 now — he's been over there quite a few times over the past year, and he's stopped seeing her in the last few months because of the situation.' 

After he was asked why his sons don't 'want to be around her' and what exactly they have seen, the former backup dancer said, 'That's not my story to tell.'

'That's my sons' story to tell if they decide to. I mean, the things that they’ve seen are shocking, right?' Federline said.

Federline added that he wanted Spears to 'be able to share the type of relationship that I have with our kids.'

'This isn't about bringing her down. This is about telling the truth and trying to build her back up.'

In his 2025 memoir, You Thought You Knew, Federline recounted several episodes in which he alleged Britney acted erratically around their sons.

Federline, who was married to the Toxic singer from 2004 to 2007, claimed Spears 'punched' Sean in the face, knowingly gave Jayden shellfish despite his allergy, and at one point wished both children 'dead.'

A representative for Spears denied all claims, with the singer accusing Federline of 'gaslighting' her and firing back at the allegations, writing on social media, 'I 100 percent beg to differ.'