Not a girl, most *definitely* a woman: Happy 40th birthday, Britney Spears!

Scott Gries/Getty Images

As if she didn't already have enough to celebrate, Britney Spears turns the big 4-0 today, December 2. Within the past few weeks, Britney's 13-year-long conservatorship was finally ended, and it appears that wedding plans with fiance Sam Asghari are proceeding quickly.  The mom of two is even thinking about having another baby. 

A few days ago, Britney teased on Instagram, "Guess what???? My b-day is coming soon!!!!"  And while we don't know how she's planning to spend her special day, let's celebrate her by highlighting just a few of her many accomplishments.

--Last year, Rolling Stone named Britney's "...Baby One More Time" the Greatest Debut Single of All Time.

--Britney has sold over 100 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. She's also the best-selling female albums artist of the 2000s.

--Britney's scored five number-one singles and six number-one albums. Her second album, Oops!...I Did It Again, set the record for the highest debut-week sales by a female artist, with 1.39 million. That record stood until Adele's 25 broke it in 2015.

--Her honors include an American Music Award, eight Billboard Music Awards, a Grammy, six MTV VMAs, six People's Choice Awards, 12 Teen Choice Awards and the GLAAD Vanguard Award, among dozens more.

--Britney's line of signature perfumes, now numbering more than 20, has made over $1.5 billion.

--Britney's Las Vegas residency Piece of Me grossed nearly $138 million and won multiple awards.

--Among the TV shows Britney has appeared in over the years: Will & Grace, Glee, How I Met Your Mother, The Simpsons, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Jane the Virgin.  She was also a judge on The X Factor's second season.

Asked to send Britney a birthday wish, her old pal Joey Fatone from *NSYNC tells ABC Audio, "To Britney: Happy 40th birthday! Have fun, enjoy, be safe. You need to party your a** off!"

"Not too crazy," he adds. "But party your a** off in the sense of, to have your freedom, to have fun, to be able to enjoy yourself and do what the hell you wanna do...obviously, within reason! So Britney, happy 40th birthday and enjoy!"

--Britney's first movie, 2002's Crossroads, written by Shonda Rhimes and co-starring Zoe Saldana, Taryn Manning and Dan Aykroyd, was a box-office hit.

--Britney is a doting mother to her teenage sons Sean Preston and Jayden James, and wrote this year, "I'm so incredibly blessed to have these two little men in my life."

 

Thursday, December 2, 2021 at 6:00AM by Andrea Dresdale Permalink