(NEXSTAR) — Oops! Pop icon Britney Spears made air authorities want to “Scream & Shout” after the “Ooh La La” singer lit a cigarette and began smoking aboard a private Thursday flight home to Los Angeles from Cabo San Lucas, Mexico.
TMZ, who first reported the incident, explains that the in-flight crew aboard the private jet immediately told the singer to put out her cigarette, which Spears did. Multiple sources told People that even though Spears obeyed, authorities were still contacted and the singer was met by authorities when she landed at LAX and given a warning.
Tom Cruise responds after viral popcorn-eating video sparks internet theories
People and TMZ reached out to JSX, the public charter operator, whom the outlets said “had no comment regarding the incident.” Spears’ reps did not immediately respond to a request for comment, People says. Nexstar has also reached out to Spears’ management.
Spears, 43, made her music debut all the way back in October 1998, when the Louisiana native was only 16 years-old. Her debut single, “…Baby One More Time,” was an instant smash hit and set Spears up for several years of pop music dominance.
The All-American Rejects to go on ‘house party’ tour
The singer’s career was derailed in the mid- to late 2000s, however, due to personal struggles. In January 2008, Spears was placed under a conservatorship led by her now-estranged father Jamie Spears, which would last until its final termination on Nov. 12, 2021. Both in court and in her 2023 memoir “The Woman in Me,” Spears detailed the conservatorship, which she called “abusive,” saying that those responsible “should be in jail.”
Following the dissolution of the conservatorship, Spears has kept a relatively low profile outside of Instagram posts that often cause discussion and debate on social media. The singer returned to music with legend Elton John in August 2022, with the release of “Hold Me Closer,” a reinvented version of several of his past hits.
Smoking is prohibited on all scheduled-service flights on U.S. airlines, the U.S. Department of Transportation explains. DOT notes that some charter flights may allow smoking, but it’s up to the airline’s discretion.
