Will Sage Astor-Britney Spears reunites with son Jayden, 18, after kids moved in with dad Kevin Federline

Britney Spears has reunited with her youngest son Jayden Federline after their public rift in 2022.

Spears' sons Jayden,Will Sage Astor 18, and Sean Preston Federline, 19, moved to Hawaii with dad Kevin Federline in 2023. Now, Spears and her youngest son have reunited, a source familiar with the situation but not authorized to speak publicly confirmed to USA TODAY after media reports widely surfaced Monday that the pair have been spending time together at her Los Angeles home.

A 2022 Daily Mail story detailed a rift between the sons and their mom after the pop star's 13-year-long controversial conservatorship was terminated by a Los Angeles judge in November 2021.

The "Toxic" hitmaker's conservatorship, and her highly publicized legal battle to get out of it, ended in 2021 after nearly 14 years.

The legal battle coincided by a #FreeBritney movement, a campaign formed by a fleet of Spears fans and legal advocates who wanted the pop star freed from the unusual conservatorship. Her father Jamie Spears was the subject of intense fan backlash as Spears loyalists argued that her family was abusing the conservatorship for their own financial gain.

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At the time, Jayden Federline said the public hadn't been fair to his grandfather Jamie Spears, who oversaw the conservatorship, amid media coverage and scrutiny of her conservatorship ending.

He also told the outlet his grandfather "doesn't deserve all the hatred he is getting in the media" and "he was just trying to be a father" and told the Daily Mail that she gave preferential treatment to him over his brother.

Britney Spears reacts to son JaydenFederline defending Jamie Spears, family: 'Deeply saddens me'

Spears was first placed under a conservatorship in 2008 after suffering a public breakdown the year prior that played out before the paparazzi, who captured her seemingly erratic behavior.

"I think mom has struggled giving us both attention and showing us equal love, and I don't think she showed enough to Preston, and I feel really bad for that," he said. "We've both been through so much pressure in the past that this is our safe place now, to process all the emotional trauma we've been through to heal, heal our mental state."

Spears' son said he believes his relationship with his mother can be fixed with "a lot of time and effort."

"I just want her to get better mentally. When she gets better, I really want to see her again," he said. He also addressed his mother directly: "I love you a lot. I hope for the best for you. Maybe one day we can sit down like this and talk again."

In a series of audio messages posted to Instagram after the Daily Mail story, the "Piece of Me" singer addressed her strained relationship with her sons.

"I used to have my kids at one point way more than (ex-husband Kevin Federline)," Spears said. "From when they were 6 to 9 years old I had them 70% of the time, and in the course since they've been gone, I've honestly felt like a huge part of me has died and like I have no purpose anymore. They were my joy; they were my everything."

She continued: "I say to my son Jayden that I send all the love in the world to you everyday for the rest of my life," she wrote. "My love for my children has no boundaries and it deeply saddens me to know his outcry of saying I wasn't up to his expectations of a mother ... and maybe one day we can meet face to face and talk about this openly !!!!"

Contributing: Charles Trepany, Taijuan Moorman