The Big Flop - Fed Up With K-Fed (A.K.A Britney Spears Ex) with Alex Falcone And Robby Hoffman | 89

Episode Date: May 26, 2025

In 2004, backup dancer Kevin Federline hit the relationship jackpot when Britney Spears spotted him at an LA club. Two years, two babies, and one reality show later, K-Fed decided being Mr. Spears wasn't enough – he wanted to be Hip Hop royalty. But when his rap career tanked faster than his marriage, even Richard Branson and a truck covered in pennies couldn't save this wannabe rapper's career.Alex Falcone (Portlandia) and Robby Hoffman (Hacks, Dying for Sex) join Misha to learn how K-Fed went from bustin’ a move to just plain bustedBe the first to know about Wondery’s newest podcasts, curated recommendations, and more! Sign up now at https://wondery.fm/wonderynewsletterListen to The Big Flop on the Wondery App or wherever you get your podcasts. You can listen early and ad-free on Wondery+. Join Wondery+ in the Wondery App, Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Start your free trial by visiting wondery.com/links/the-big-flop/ now.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Before we dive into today's tale of catastrophe, I have to tell you about Wondery+. If you're someone who craves the juicy details behind the biggest flops, Wondery+, is exactly what you need. Add free episodes and early access to new stories that will take you even deeper into the world of business blunders. Trust me, it's a game changer. Join Wondery Plus in the Wondery app or in Apple Podcast. Okay, let's set the scene. It's the early 2000s and a pop icon is on the cover of a magazine professing her love for a backup dancer. No, it's not Madonna.

It's JLo. Wait, scratch that. It's Britney, bitch. Yeah, that's right. Our pop princess is making headlines for a lot of reasons. But one of those reasons is her hasty marriage to Kevin Federline, aka K-Fed. And while he and Britney are married, he... re-invents himself? As a rapper, but with the styling of Ellen DeGeneres as my very credible source and guest, Robby Hoffman, sees it.

So besties, let's get into how K-Fed possibly made the worst rap album of all time. Or at least of 2006. One of the most talked about men in the world, Kevin Federline, beats out. Is Kevin a Hollywood hopeful or the real deal? Kevin has been a tabloid target himself these past few months, called everything from a freeloader to a philanderer. We are on a sinking ship. Take your seat at Premium Blackjack Pro, where strategy meets top-tier gameplay. Drop in on the exciting Sugar Rush and Crazy Time slot games, or play the dazzling MGM Grand Emerald Nights, a slot experience that captures the magic of MGM. With so many games, it's time to make your move. Download the app and visit BedMGM Ontario today to experience the next level of gaming.

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passenger or light truck tires. Find your pro at your local TREADXPERTS. From tires to auto repair, we're always there. TREADXPERTS.ca From Wondery and Atwill Media, this is The Big Flop, where we chronicle the greatest flubs, fails, and blunders of all time. I'm your host, Misha Brown, social media superstar

and king of shake an ass at Your Bestie Misha. And I'm so excited because on our show today, we have a comedian and writer, it's Alex Falcone. Hey, Alex. Hello. Bestie Miesha. Crowd goes wild. Joining Alex on the show is another comedian, writer and host of the podcast. Too far. It's Robbie Hoffman. Hey, Robbie. How are you? Oh, I'm really, really excited because you're here. So thanks. Fantastic. So before we jump into the story of Kevin,

I guess I just want to shoot it over to you. What do you remember about Kevin Federline? Well, full disclosure here, I have the same birthday as Britney Spears. So, okay, and I found this out getting one of my first magazines ever. I was just a little kid, like, oh my God, we have the same fucking birthday.

I haven't talked about KFED in 10 years and I need to. Like this is actually a catharsis stream. When they said KFED, I wrote my manager, I said, bingo is just an AMO, I'm all on it. What about you, Alex? Were you a KFED stan back in the day? I know nothing about him, I thought it was a shoe. There we go.

Okay, well, we are here to enlighten. So, yes, today we are covering the man who was the talk of all the tabloids in the early 2000s, Kevin Federline. He's the backup dancer who married Britney Spears and desperately wanted to launch a rap career of his own, but completely failed because all his fame, money, and connections could not compensate for his total incapability to rock the mic. K-Fed did work up as a male dancer. So this is what I'm trying to understand.

So backup dancer sounds like not the easiest job to get. No. No. Yeah. No. He really did work his way up. So he can dance? Yes.

He moved to LA in 1996. He was a former pizza boy who he trained as a dancer. I've seen this movie. Yeah, yes. He moved to LA in 1996. He was a former pizza boy who, like, he trained as a dancer. Oh, I've seen this movie. Yeah, exactly. He had his big dream so that he could hang up that, you know, pizza delivery uniform once and for all. And like so many people who moved to the big city trying to become famous or break into the music biz,

he initially leads a very modest lifestyle doing this starving artist thing. He lived with five roommates in a one-bedroom apartment. He was slowly and surely starting to establish himself in the dance scene. He made connections with other aspiring dancers. He joins the community. And these other dancers, they actually gave him a nickname.

Do you know what his nickname was? No. Dirt Cat. Dirt Cat? Yeah. Why? Because of his grungy look. Oh.

I thought he had a good look. You'll notice that Brittany, Brittany, she's from butt fuck, Louisiana, if I'm not mistaken. She didn't grow up. She doesn't need somebody, you know, from Hollywood and this whole thing, okay? When I saw at the gas station,

Barefoot picking up Siggy's, that is the real Brittany. That was her. She just wants to pick up a Siggy, fill a car, be pregnant. That's what she wants to do. He came from that. He had an M&M vibe to him. He wore the oversized and one brand, that sort of thing.

I would say in during their relationship, she must, he was like this kind of Southern belle boy and she was Southern but not the belle you think she is. She was the white trash Southern, my favorite, and shout out because I love you guys. She wasn't that prim and proper. Sure. I feel like if you are a hot backup dancer

and you meet a celebrity singer and they like you and they're like, you are going to be my kept backup dancer boy and you don't have to work ever. I think that's more charming than him being like, finally this is going to turn into my music career. It sounds lovely. But he was working. He wasn't somebody that was just trying to find

his big break through somebody already famous. He started dancing with acts like Michael Jackson, Destiny's Child, even Justin Timberlake, which little did they know that one day they would be competing for the title of Britney's Worst Ex. But things were going well for him and his personal life, and in 2000, he starts dating an actress, Shar Jackson from the sitcom Moesha. Oh, I recognize Shar, okay.

And two years later, when Kevin is 24, they have a kid together. So, from there, Kevin gets booked to dance on an episode of Will and Grace, and appears in Pink's Get the Party Started music video, a early 2000s classic. This is an impressive career. I already feel like not a flop. His next gig, though, was a little more prestigious. He makes his movie debut in You Got Served.

Really? Yeah, I mean, he was just a background dancer, and his character didn't even have a name, but still things are... They're going great for Dirt Cat. Being in a feature film is like a huge deal. Especially a feature film about dancing. Especially that. I had to Google that.

I thought it was about tennis. It turns out it's a dancing movie, so that makes perfect sense for him. Yeah, tennis. Can we just back up here? First of all, we have no right to be criticizing a man's career and how hard he's worked. I've made a full 180, okay? You know what it's like when people, it's like when people like criticize this like,

this book or that album, you do it then. You write a book. You make an album. You dance back up in Will and Grace. You dance back up in Will and Grace, exactly. It's like, he did something. He went for his dreams and I fucking respect the hell out of K-Fed up until this point.

Let the record show. I'll just, you know, Misha, I'm taking full credit the hell out of K-Fed up until this point. Let the record show. Absolutely. Misha, I'm taking full credit for this Robbie turnaround. I feel like I helped a lot with this. You did. I changed the attitude. You did. Let's actually watch a clip of You Got Served.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.

Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. They taking all our food. Which one's the best? Red jumpsuit. Oh, you're kidding with the long hair. That's your move, I get it. Now, if your group's a dude stealing each other for stealing dance moves, is that gay? At what point?

Should they just kiss is what you're saying. You should just kiss. That part where they get up in front of each other, they should just kiss. Your boy took your dance move. I mean, yeah, at this point. Just be gay. Forget the whole mo... Just be gay. There's easier ways to be gay than this whole dance-off.

["SHADOWS"] Well, speaking of that, the reviews for You Got Served were savage. They called You Got Served cliched, amateurish, and feeble. And even though Kevin's got too small of a role in the movie to even get called out by name, it's his first flop. All of the other things he did, they were all commercial successes

and, you know, big projects. This one, the critics even put them... I expunged this from his record. This can't possibly be his fault. No additional dancing from him could have saved this movie. No, no, and he wasn't paid enough to have anything associated. He is expunged of this flop, let it be known here.

It's still amazing that he got to be in this terrible movie. Fantastic. Absolutely. And you know, the reviews, they don't seem to hurt Kevin's confidence in the slightest. Good. Yeah, don't read the reviews, Kevin. Exactly. Especially though, when he's out at the club and everything changes for him one fateful

night in April of 2004 when he meets someone at a nightclub called Joseph's in Los Angeles and it's Britney bitch. Bitch. We got to keep in mind this is like when Britney's at the peak of her fame. A few months earlier is her fourth album in the zone, the hit top of the charts. She's about to win a Grammy for toxic. Her latest world tour is about to make $30 million. Oh, and the press is in an absolute Britney frenzy

because of her kiss with Madonna at the MTV Video Music Awards. Britney's sitting at her regular table in the club when she spots Kevin, and she's the one who makes the first move. That's right, Kevin didn't waltz up to Britney and say, hey, they call me Dirt Cat, wanna dance. Wow, you know what? Gabby and I met outside.

And I feel the organic meeting is just, there's something to it. It's more than you and the person. It's, it's an energy. Well, you're right. Brittany says upon meeting Kevin, quote, he was like a magnet. I was being pulled. It was so beyond my control. Thank you, thank you. Also, like a lot of times people meet in the club and they're like, let's dance. And then they just kind of like vibrate a little bit.

But like Brittany and Kevin could probably dance the heck out of a nightclub. They probably danced well. She's to this day, even when they ruined her and they took everything from her. Even that one she did with the knives? Yeah, she's still dancing. They've gotten more violent, there's no question.

But the dance is in her soul. She will spin for the rest of eternity, that is for sure. I'm happy about that. This is actually kind of a cute meeting. Yeah, I'm really into them. I'm gonna be sad that when they break up now, you've convinced me. You would be the only one in America.

So, yes, meeting at the club, this is the start of a whirlwind romance between Brittany and Kay Fed. Now you might be thinking, wait a second, doesn't Kevin have a girlfriend, Shar, and a young kid? Oh yeah. Correct. I wasn't thinking that, but you're right, good point.

I'm over it. Brittany comes to you. There's nothing to do here. I mean, she must have been on his hall pass list. Thank you. But Char was also six months pregnant with their second child. That's not great.

But by the end of April, Kevin's left Char, who again is pregnant, and his daughter, who is almost two, and by June, Kevin and Brittany are engaged. Love it. No notes. The early 2000s was crazy. I've told people, do not have kids. This is liable to happen to you. This is liable. I'm not having kids. It's true. I think it was the first time we met,

and you were like, just don't have kids, one of you might meet Brittany Spears. Thank you. It's sound advice. It is probably the first time we met and you were like just don't have kids one of you might meet Britney Spears It is probably the best advice I've ever gotten well, this is the early 2000 So when news of the engagement drops people in Hollywood are ruthless about it They obviously do not think it's going to last they didn't find this story as cute as we did. Okay, they did not know So let's take a look at an Access Hollywood story about the couple. Britney Spears got engaged. Oh, right. I'd heard that.

To her backup dancer. Backup dancers, which it always works out with the backup dancers. It's a given. I'm sure they have some brokenhearted, you know, 19-year-old boys. They wait a couple of months, you know, she'll be back. Wow.

Terrible. From Samuel. From Samuel. So, I mean, if you're a K-Fed, though, how are you feeling about people talking like that about your relationship? Obviously, it's not gonna work out. But you don't have to say that first. Tell us the story first. They're people. I mean, look, I didn't, I don't remember all of the 2006 coverage of

Britney Spears, but I'm guessing they were mean to her no matter what happened all the time for everything. So the fact that they were mean to her about a partner does not seem particularly surprising. No. Sure. Sure. Well, Kevin and Britney, despite all of the media coverage, they go ahead and they get hitched on September 23rd of 2004, just five months after meeting each other in that club. So how does Kevin get dressed up for his big day? Well, he and his groomsmen wear white tracksuits with the word pimp on

the back. Classy. So let's take a look at these outfits. Oh, pimp daddy. But you know she loves these. You know she loves these. She's from butt fuck Louisiana. This is her shit. Listen, Gap, listen, you're talking to somebody. I just got married in Vegas. Me too.

This is muscle tough. This is the moves. Right here, the suits are beautiful, the custom. Okay. And Kevin's father and stepdad are wearing the pimp daddy ones. So the other ones are pimps. They are both the pimp daddies. Well, after getting married, Kevin and Brittany do what all newlyweds do.

They get a reality TV show. Oh, why do I not remember this? If the show was called over under six months, how could people not watch that? If it was just a show to see how long before they get divorced. Thank you. That's a hell of a pitch. Misha does the reporting, Sal Cohn does the distribution.

Creative executive producer. The programming, do you understand? What are you gonna do? I'm enjoying, I'm at the wedding, bro. If it's a fly or a squeal, a wobble or peel, your dreads worn down or you need a new wheel. Wherever you go, you can get a pro at Tread Experts. Conquer rugged terrain with on-road comfort.

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case is back in the spotlight and one question still lingers. Did Karen Reid kill John O'Keefe? The evidence is overwhelming that Karen Reid is innocent. How does it feel to be a cop killer, Karen? I'm Kristin Thorn, investigative reporter with Law and Crime and host of the podcast Karen, the Retrial. This isn't just a retrial. It's a second chance at the truth. I have nothing to hide.

My life is in the balance and it shouldn't be. I just want people to go back to who the victim is in this. It's not her. Listen to episodes of Karen, The Retrial, exclusively and ad free on Wondery Plus. So at this point, the optics, they aren't great for Kevin when it comes to these gold digger accusations flying around.

He's driving around in a Ferrari worth 200 grand and he is still going out to the club on a regular basis, sometimes dropping thousands of dollars in just one night. But Brittany's hoping this show will set the record straight about her and Kevin. She says, from the day Kevin and I met there have been constant rumors and inaccurate speculation about our lives together. I am really excited about showing my fans what really happened. And Kevin is also hoping that this reality show might finally be the thing that helps him launch a music career of his own. So the show, it's called Britney and Kevin, Chaotic.

Wait, with a K? K hyphen, awtic. No. Oh, okay. Would have been so good. It premieres on UPN in May of 2005. It is just six episodes long. It includes Brittany and Kevin's home videos,

and it's all about their relationship and how they went from club music to wedding bells. I want all six episodes. Is there any way to stream these? We can look into it. Please. But here's the intro intro I want what everyone wants My ideal guy would be somebody that hasn't really seen that much

Because I have and I'd like to see through him. I just didn't believe in the fairy tale. I care about you If you ever watch this tape, I care Wait, what why what what? Watch the state. I care. Wait, why, what, why were they kissing from so close up? It's very chaotic, his nostrils, why am I in this man's nose? The camera angle was from her chest to his chin.

What was happening there? No, it was very unflattering angles on his part. Very unflattering angles. Also watching humans kiss at that angle, not good for anybody. That's not a... Now I kind of regret ever kissing. Is that what it's been looking like this whole time? I am embarrassed for every kiss I've ever had.

Now, even if they had come off looking great in the show, which they don't, it wouldn't have mattered, because, like I said, not very many people tune in to see Brittany and Kevin's home videos. The first episode of the show debuts at a sad 81 on the Nielsen charts, and by the last episode, Chaotic has lost almost half its audience and isn't even in the top 100 anymore. And for somebody like Britney Spears at this moment of her career, that's not great. Yeah, it's honestly kind of shocking.

I wonder if there was just a terrible production marketing. I think it was probably pre-Kardashian. So it was kind of like the reality, I think at the time that we were into were more game showy survival shows, The Survivor and Amazing Race. Right, if it was Britney and K-Fed on an island, we would have tuned in. Yeah, I think like this probably was maybe around, maybe there was only the Osbournes or maybe the Jessica Simpson, Nick Lachey, I can't remember. But it wasn't as, you couldn't get on a regular neck. What was she on, UPN did you say?

She wasn't on even E or anything like this. Right, this is like a Paramount Plus exclusive streaming. Yeah, I expunged this from both the records. Okay, great, expunged. Due to the records. Okay, great. Expunged. Due to the mismanagement of the programming. Yeah, not their fault. It wasn't just what network it was on. It was also not a critical darling.

One reviewer called the show an insult to common sense and decency and says it's embarrassing, nauseating, and excruciating. Other critics say it's a self-indulgent, mindless piece of drivel, the absolute wreckiest of train wreck television. Britney and Kevin, Chaotic stands out as potentially the worst television show I've ever seen and I'm guessing could also qualify as the very worst ever put on network television.

Okay, well network television, to call it that, is a stretch. I mean it's the N in UPN, but yeah. Well, this is now Kevin's second flop. He got served. We've expunged it. We got served. So far he has zero flops. Yeah, I don't know if you knew this, but Ravi is in charge of the record.

So can't expunge. Right. Okay. For the record, he's been expunged of both flops. So far he has a win. He bagged the girl. So I want to know where it turns. Kevin, once again, he is taking the setback in stride.

He sees a future where he's a bigger star than even Britney herself. And he thinks the moment is right to make that future a reality. Kevin's married into fame, and he's gotten a taste of media attention as a result. But it looks like K-Fed doesn't want to be famous just because of who he married. He wants to launch a career of his own.

He's dreaming of becoming a multi-hyphenate, modeling, acting, designing clothes, and maybe most of all, making music. I would have fucked with a K-Fed tracksuit. He could have done tracksuits. If he sold shoes, it would have been exactly... It wouldn't have been perfect for me. That's what I already thought he was. Yeah, but there are cute little sneaks.

How is he gonna make this happen? So, he starts by trying to revamp his image with a makeover on the cover of Details magazine. That's right, this is the end of an era. He is ditching Dirt Cat, okay? Oh, he's Clean Cat now. So, let's take a look at some pictures. Here's a typical K-Fed fit pre-makeover.

Ooh, love that. Oh, they're matching though, that's cute. Very, very. I know. To be fair, this is what everybody looks like. I would wear that today. Yeah. With his bod, why not?

I'd fuck with that. He looks great. Yeah, not the hat. I love the hat. You do? I don't know, bucket hats are back in. I know, and I'm against it still. So for the listeners only, Kevin was wearing a wife beater,

some baggy jeans, high-rise sneakers, and... A Gucci bucket hat. Yeah, but importantly, Brittany was wearing a white tank top and the same fade of denim, so they were very... They were cute. Tissue her. Yeah, exactly. Well, here is Kayfed with his new look on the cover of Details. Oh.

No. Not even the dog? No, this is like, it's giving, like, first season of, like, Queer Eye. Oh, yeah. A really insane JVN blowout. Yeah, it's giving, like, also, like, the haircut is, like, the same hairstylist that does Ellen with the little wisp at the back. Like this like lesbian haircut and shirt, this satin polka dot button down.

The dog is giving gay. I like though, if you had a makeover and someone's like part of this, one of your accessories is dog, that's very funny. Well, that was actually Brittany's idea, because that's their Chihuahua Bit Bit. And she said, bring Bit Bit to the photo shoot. I wanna, I just wanna put this out there, Bit Bit is innocent.

Bit Bit had nothing to do with any of this. Look, this is not Bit Bit's fault. This is his first flop, in my opinion. Can I? Oh. Because the first time he's not being him, I turn on him. Oh, this feels too phony.

You be you, start to finish and I'm with you, bro. I'm here for you. You don't do you, you've lost me because you're not you. You want him to stay dirt cat. He can evolve, he can do whatever he wants, but you gotta do you, bro. Oh, you want a middle step, you want to step between. No, he's not, listen, him totally immediately thinking

he's gonna be a different guy is not. Listen, him totally immediately thinking he's going to be a different guy is not an evolution. It's losing yourself. You know, with the satin shirt and the dog, he's giving magician. That's what it was. Yeah. Cruise ship magician. Yeah. But you know, what's even more confusing is the fact that the music that he does put out does not make sense with this new makeover. Before we get into his music, part of striking out on his own Kevin also does another side project. He teams up with Richard Branson on an advocacy campaign.

Oh, he believes in stuff. Yes, right? Doesn't sound so bad. At least he's using celebrity status to boost a good cause, right? What do you think this cause is that Kevin's volunteering his time for? It must be something he's really passionate about, right? What brings together Kayfed and the virgin guy? Both passionate about it?

Mm-hmm. Okay, let me guess. Public transit. I'm going to say, oh, they both probably have chlamydia. Maybe it's about that. That's a good one. Planned Parenthood type of thing. Yeah, yeah, they both probably have chlamydia. Maybe it's about that. You could, that's a good one. Planned Parenthood type of thing. Yeah, yeah, get tested.

Yeah. Well, it was to stop the US government from taking pennies out of circulation. Oh, that was my next, yeah, I almost said pennies. You're like right on the tip of my tongue. If there's two people who I associate with pennies, it's Richard Branson and the guy who married Britney Spears. Both of them have a lot of interaction with pennies.

Yeah, I mean, they just, they could not believe that it costs more money to make a penny than they're actually worth. And the US government would try to take them out of circulation, not on my watch. Absolutely not. But the craziest thing is this worked. The two of them, we still make pennies

because of these guys. We still make pennies. It was just a headline the other day. Yeah, Kevin is firmly pro-penny at a rally in New York to save the cent, which also doubles as a publicity event for Richard Branson's cell company. Kevin rolls up in a truck, blinged out with pennies, wearing an Abraham Lincoln mask. Okay, this I like. Let's see this.

Finding out what you like and don't like has been such a roller coaster. No, cause he's coming back. It's him being himself as an A-blanket. I just want you to be you. I don't want you to be me. I don't want you to be nobody else. Well, Robbie, let's take a look

at Kevin making his grand entrance. Let's see. Well, I can't see him. Cause he's got the Lincoln mask, but I will say the suit still feels like a cruise ship magician. Yeah, the suit is so ill-fitting. And the mask doesn't take away from that either. The mask is too small.

Oh, okay, I see. This is the penny truck he's getting out of. Yeah, he's getting out of a truck, Blink out with pennies. The mask is upsetting. This does look like he's going to murder. It's too small. Like, since one... I feel like masks have to be bigger than your head.

Yeah, you're not supposed to see your ears. That's what I'm Like since one, I feel like masks have to be bigger than your head. Yeah, you're not supposed to see your ears. That's what I'm saying. A second tier of ears behind the first years. That's sad. I can see the beater under the collared shirt. I can see peaks of Kev. And we're on the right track back home.

Come on home, Kev, come on home. This is the most like, we're rebuilding you, Kev, and we're gonna make you famous by supporting a charity. And you're like, do you like animals? No. Do you like children? No. Do you want to stop hunger? No. And they got to Penny's and he was like, okay, I'm in. It feels really embarrassing actually.

This is my, I was on board until now. This is where I get off board. Take that, Robbie. You get off when he's actually done something that's not a flop. You know, winning on the wrong side is still flopping, I think. Well, Penny's aside, as all of this is going on, Kevin and Brittany, they keep moving their relationship forward at an incredibly quick pace, and they have a baby in September of 2005.

The boys are so stunning. They look identical to Brittany. It's unbelievable. Also, on the career front, Kevin's finally taking those steps to make his musical dreams a reality. He's throwing his energy into finally recording his first album. And even before it's released, he's not shy about hyping it up.

Kevin says, it's gonna be huge. I'm doing shit not even Eminem does. Oh, he's inspired by Eminem. Yes. I don't love that. There's a lot of people doing stuff that Eminem's not doing. Philharmonic. Most musicians.

I mean, very few people are doing it. So that's a weird way to phrase it. Sure is. Now, there is just one problem. Kevin's album doesn't have a big record label attached, or any big time music producers who are involved. In fact, he basically seems to be working on the album alone in his and Britney's home studio. So he's gone from

sharing a shower with five guys to sharing a studio with one of the biggest pop stars in the world. So all of the resources in Britney's musical team and none of them were willing to take on her pet project, her dorky husband. They say who? It's very suspicious that he's not getting more help and it makes it seem like he must be in all of the auditions. So in January of 2006, he releases a song called Popo Zao. Now you might be wondering what does Popo Zao mean. He sings in Portuguese, it means bring your ass.

So let's take a look at a clip of K-Fed bringing some cameras into his studio to share Popo Zao with the world. Oh yeah, baby. The single is Popo Zao. This is a Brazilian ass shaker right here. Can I say that? Right on. It's so bad. So what he's doing is, he's playing it, he's sitting in his studio, he's playing the song,

and he's just writing the volume button as if he's really involved in the production. He just keeps turning the volume up and down little tiny bits bits to be like, look, I'm working really hard. And then acting like he's surprised at how good it is. He keeps going like, oh, wow. I think he was playing with his fingers. Yeah, he would do a little finger piano and then be like, wow, that part, that really hit me that time.

I wanna see a kitty with a little bit of titty was my favorite part from that. It was so bad, actually. And I was, because I make up songs with Gab all the time. Bring that ass over here. I said, bring that ass over. I do make up songs. So I was down with the lyric part of this one, which is interesting to me.

But the song was so bad. And you better believe it's not anything Eminem is doing. In the early hours of December 4th, 2024, CEO Brian Thompson stepped out onto the streets of Midtown Manhattan. There's a silent start firing at him. And the suspect, he has been identified as Luigi Nicholas Mangione, became one of the most divisive figures in modern criminal history. It was meant to sow terror. He's awoking the people to a true issue.

Listen to Law and Crime's Luigi, exclusively on Wondery+. You can join Wondery+, the Wondery app, Spotify, or Apple podcasts. Hey, I'm Mike Corey, the host of Wondery's podcast, Against the Odds. In each episode, we take you to the edge of some of the most incredible adventure

and survival stories in history. In our next season, it's 1980 and in the Pacific Northwest, the long dormant volcano Mount St. Helens is showing signs of life. Scientists warn that a big eruption is coming, but a restricted zone around the mountain is limited by politics. On May 18th, hikers, loggers, reporters, and researchers are caught in the blast zone as the volcano erupts. They find themselves pummeled by a deadly combination of scorching heat, smothering ash, and massive mudslides. The survivors have to find their way to safety before they succumb to their injuries, or face another eruption. Follow against the odds on the Wondery app or wherever you get your podcasts. People hate Popozao so much. Billboard says it's a monument to mediocrity. So the reaction was also so bad that it also gets removed from the upcoming album.

Wow, the opposite of a single. These are like when penguins push one of them off into the water to test to see if there are sharks out there. These are sacrificial singles. They are. And meanwhile, things are starting to get rocky in Kevin's relationship with Brittany. In September 2006, they have their second child. And this is the time when Brittany's really kind of like starting to realize that maybe Kevin is more invested in fame and money than their

family. Okay, now we're really getting into it. I'm excited. Yes. So Kevin either doesn't know about or doesn't care about the trouble that's brewing for him at home. He is out promoting his album, which probably proves Brittany's point. But despite the failure of his first two tracks, Kevin still believes he has a hit on his hands. After all the hype leading up to it, Kevin finally releases his album Playing

With Fire in October of 2006. It is, and I mean this, a commercial and critical flop. It debuts with abysmal sales of just 6,000 records. And this is the time when we were buying. This is the time when we were buying. And he's attached to the largest and most famous person in music in the world at this time. I mean, just keep dancing.

Keep dancing. And I think when he talks, he makes everything work. No, like Britney Spears didn't come across the club to hear the words he had to say. Could he have done Dancing with the Stars? Did they have Dancing with the Stars back then? He should have started it. Cause he would have killed on that.

Yeah. Well, it becomes the worst reviewed album of all time. Okay, good. So, not good for him. Here are some readings of some of the lines of the reviews from Playing With Fire. First, the worst thing about Playing With Fire is that it's too stale and inept to inspire laughter. It can only elicit weary groans. An oh-so-tiny sliver of myself kind of wanted Playing With Fire to be less aggressively shitty than it was. If only so, the restless, rapacious media

would ease off this tattered target of its ire. Unfortunately, this disc is just as disposable and dumb as you'd expect. Yeah. Deserves it. That's embarrassing. Yikes. Yeah, I mean, his rapping style was described as constipated. Oh! That is insane.

Yeah. So, okay, so the album might have flopped in terms of sales and reviews, but we all know that the real fans are on the road, right? Oh, no. Is Brittany going to these? Is she now back up dancing for him? Because she's a really wonderful dancer also. No, at this point, Brittany is suspect of him not loving her

and just wanting her money and fame for himself. Really? Yes. So, Kevin is going on tour now. He's gonna take his music directly to the fans. But he leaves these two babies at home? Yes, this is why Britney's pissed. No! What?

They weren't always a tour boss like Gwen Stefani? Yes. No. And for what? When the babies are young, it's easy to travel with them. They're not in school. You put them on the bus. Everybody's seen this.

I don't know that he had a bus. This doesn't sound like a tour that was gonna have a lot of dates. No, no. And in New York, he sold one-fifth of the tickets available. Look, we've all been there. Yeah, of course. I'm not gonna cast stones, but you can't afford to bring your baby with you when you're selling a fifth of the venue. For the record, I'm selling out.

Okay, K-Fed, let the record be shown. But the thing about this New York City performance that was like really mind blowing and sad is that Kevin delayed the performance for three hours hoping that more people would show up. Oh, I hate that so much. But they never did. And someone needs to explain to him

that usually the musician keeps the crowd waiting, not the other way around. Every comedy show I've ever been to, somebody has been like, we're gonna hold in case a few more people show up, and then no one else shows up. Oh, it's brutal. A few minutes, fine. You hold 10, 15. By the hour, three. Three hours, it's crazy. Are you deranged? Whose season event happening? It's 10 p.m. Oh, the event started at eight.

Maybe I'll go now. There's really bad traffic in New York. That's true. Now, he only played for about a half an hour, and one person in attendance said that he seemed really confused about how to act on stage, just saying things like, hey, 30 times in a row, or New York, thank you for coming. Buy my CD.

But don't worry, Kevin's not giving up. If anything, he is determined. So he is headed to Chicago to play House of Blues. Great venue. Surely the Windy City will give KFED a warmer welcome. And it is a very warm city typically. I can see the audience reception wise. So it's on you.

Yep. But just before the show, TMZ notices that Kevin has drastically cut the price of tickets for the show on Ticketmaster. Good. Can you guess how much they were going for? Maybe they were going for deranged over a hundred, and hopefully they were going by $13 by the end of it. What was it?

That's a good guess. Zero Zip Zilch. He was giving them away for free. Oh, it was paper in the room. Yes. And Kevin literally cannot give away tickets to his concerts. It would have been more embarrassing if he tried to pay people to come and show up. But they still said, a concert from Popo ZaoGuy, thanks,

but no thanks. And very, very few people showed up in Chicago. And the very few people who were showing up to Kevin's events were mostly there to hate watch. Right, the hate watch money is still good money, but it's apparently not enough. No, no, no. Not enough. But yeah, people were heckling and booing him.

So it will not surprise you that after this, even more of the tour dates, they got cancelled. And the album flopped, the tour flopped, maybe even harder. It's giving J-Lo. Look, I'm not good at music either. If I made a CD, it would be bad. I can understand that. I don't feel like I need to rag on him for that.

But booking a huge venue when you don't have fans is very embarrassing. That part's, you self-produced the album. No one's liked it. And you've booked a tour, like your first ever live shows. He didn't even self-produce. He wife-produced. You think he produced it? Well, I mean, like no one, he couldn't get in it.

No, no industry is behind you. You got your wife's money, you put this out, but like, and the reviews are bad and you're like, but I booked huge venues for myself for my debut. Like you should at least find out if people like it first. That part's really weird to me. He was banking on those Will and Grace fans. Yeah. I do, I love that backup dancer, at least find out if people like it first. That part's really weird to me. He was banking on those Will and Grace fans.

I love that backup dancer three seasons ago. We should go see him live. Yeah. But I mean, yes, to recap, he had been in a dance movie that everyone hated, a reality show that nobody watched, produced two singles on an album that everybody hated, and then went on tour that nobody showed up for. Yeah, that's pretty sad.

So I mean, career trouble's happening, but personal trouble is just around the corner. So, November 7th, 2006, Brittany decides she's had enough of KFED and she files for divorce after just slightly over two years of being married. Okay. On The View, they literally drop confetti to celebrate the news. That's how anti-Kevin people are. So let's take a look at a clip.

It's the biggest news in the country, ladies and gentlemen, Brittany Spears is leaving K-Sat! Confetti! She's crazy. I love confetti so much. This is a beautiful moment. I mean the view continues to be just so mature and just a great source of professional takes. That said, it is exciting that another man who was only there to exploit her was removed from her.

Yeah. So what I do like about this is that it is not Britney bashing. No, no, no, no, no. It is like, we think you're too good for him. And so there is a support, it is a supportiveness to this trash talk that I find okay. Same. Oh yeah. Well, now that he and Britney are no longer together,

Kevin's no longer got the same access to fame and wealth. That would have helped him build that career he so desperately wanted, but that doesn't stop him from doing anything he can to stay in the lime light, basically becoming one of those people who's mostly famous just for the sake of being famous. He's not famous just for being famous. He's famous because he was with Britney Spears. He needs to write that record because famous for famous is something I can respect. I'll put respect on the Kardashians name where I need to. They've built a tremendous business. He did not.

He's trying to do that step where he turns Mr. Britney Spears into fame. Thank you. Yeah. Thank you. He does do a Super Bowl ad for Nationwide Insurance in 2007 in which he plays a fast food worker who daydreams. How are you at Nationwide Insurance thinking the thing that will sell people on our insurance

is this guy who just got dumped by Britney Spears? Like what part of that says? Well, he ran off with her kids and a lot of her money. Maybe this company helped them. Oh, OK. So it's like you want to protect your family from their mother. Nationwide is on your side. Well, despite no longer being married

to an incredibly rich pop icon, Kevin is still spending a ton on partying. In just a few months between 2007 and 2008, he drops almost $50,000 on shopping and eating out in Las Vegas. Wow, he went out to dinner twice? Sorry, it's a very expensive city. One time he spends $365 on a meal at a strip club and leaves a $2,000 tip.

So at least he's for the workers. He is! Okay, that's actually kind of charming. I don't hate that as much. Look, if you're going to be a playboy throwing around money, like, buying a Ferrari is stupid, but over-tipping? That's the whole fun of being rich. Wait, how much was the bill?

$365. Oh, beautiful! See? It comes back from its humble roots. How much was the bill? $365. Oh, beautiful. Yeah. See, it comes back from his humble roots. It's always the poor who are the most generous. That said, he did steal from Brittany and Chris.

Right, he's tipping with someone else's money. She tipped well, in my opinion. He's tipping other people's money, must be nice. Right, yeah, Brittany tipped well at the strip club. That part is true. But of all the things to waste money on, tipping tipped workers, this is great. Good for you.

Over the next few years, Kevin starts to go quiet. He does a few episodes of TV shows here and there. And in 2010 is a contestant on a celebrity reality weight loss TV show. Why? Guess he needed to lose a few pounds. I guess so. Wait, does he have to lose weight?

He was very skinny in all those photos. I don't know, maybe it was baby weight. In these years, Kevin's no longer trying to make his own music. He's happy to be a DJ showing up and spinning tracks at random spots like a Vegas strip club that pays him 10 grand per performance. Wow.

But in 2016, he gets the itch. He starts wanting to make his own music again, and so he teams up with a rapper, Critchy Critch, for a new song called Hollywood. Kevin's trying one last time to make those music dreams come true. Now the music video for the song features Andy Dick, a Leonardo DiCaprio lookalike, and references to that whole Kanye and Amber Rose controversy. Wait, it was that long ago? Yeah. Now you might be wondering if Kevin has gotten any better at rapping in the 10 years since

his album dropped. I was not wondering that. Well, let's take a look, shall we? Thank you. Here's one hint though. The whole vibe of the video is gross and sexist. I thought that was Bill Maher. That's not my thing. It's so bad.

It's so bad. Yeah, this track of course goes nowhere. With lyrics like that, it's not exactly the kind of bop they're going to be playing over the sound system at every grocery store in America. I mean, you can't say that Sexist has not worked in Club Bangers, but in this case, it's not enough to get you over the hump

of everyone doesn't like you. Yeah. Now, K-Fed has once again, he's tried to break in the music biz and has once again, totally flopped. I guess it just goes to show that nepotism has its limits. Now, let's do a little, where are they now? Kevin got married again and he and his new wife live with their two kids and his kids from his marriage with Brittany in Hawaii.

So K-Fed has managed to land on his feet. Since 2016, K-Fed has basically had the good sense to keep a low profile. Staying out of the news is a good thing to cover. The fact that we don't hear about him very often is to his credit. Now, it's not totally off the grid because he did give an interview about Brittany in 2022 that reminded everyone of two things. One, that he exists and also why they didn't like him in the first place. Because in the interview, he says that Britney's controversial conservatorship saved her

and that their kids don't want anything to do with her. Now, keep in mind, this is at the peak of the Free Britney campaign, when people are calling for her to be let out of that conservatorship. And are also reappraising Britney's career in the way that she was treated by the press, and by her exes, and by her family. So not good timing, Kev. Yeah, I don't fall positive on Kevin in all of this.

Robbie, was that just him being himself, though? No, this is him when he lost himself and decided to live off the mother of his kids. I don't know. And decided to purposely suppress her. Rather than getting her if she did need help, i.e. some protections, which could be the only help at the time, rather than like, no, you're going to deal with it. You're going to even put out more. We're going to make you a robot so you can produce this.

I mean, it's just, of course, at the height of the Free Britney movement, he doesn't want her to be free because his gravy train either diminishes or ends. Since that interview, Kev's gone back into hiding, at least keeping a low profile. But if we know old Dirt Cat, you know, it's only a matter of time before he tries to claw

his way back into the spotlight. I mean, again, I think being bad at music, very relatable. Sure. It's only a matter of time before he tries to claw his way back into the spotlight. Again, I think being bad at music, very relatable. Sure. It's just that you keep putting stuff out. If you just make music because you liked music, it would be told I would like that part of the story so much more. It's that he keeps releasing it as if it's a huge deal. That part is so inexplicable. It's terrible. Absolutely. So here on The Big Flop, we try to be positive people and end on a high.

So are there any silver linings that you can think of that came about from Kevin Feddelline, KFed, Dirt Cat? For me, I learned a new Portuguese word. Yep. So that was a start. I learned Papa Zow. Definitely saying that right. There's no silver lining. It's tragic.

I feel like you could probably come up with one. No, we have to end on a low note. He's complicit and he is the most pathetic of people. He exploited the mother of his children. Well, here's your moment. Here's the big assessment. So now that you both know about KFED, who had fame, money, access to the biggest celebrities in the world, but still could not get any kind of career off the ground himself, would you consider him a baby flop, a big flop, or a mega flop? Just a loser.

He's not even worth mentioning. I don't even think he did anything worthy of flopping. I don't even think anything had enough of a stakes to be a flop. I don't even think he got any project to that level. They never even went anywhere to flop. They started flop. Pretty embarrassing that you could not make even a workable, one workable single

with Britney Spears as a full-time helper, that is embarrassing. I feel like me and Britney Spears in 2006 could have produced a hit, and it would have been mostly me letting Britney Spears do the work. But I think because he tips well, I'm gonna say it is just a big flop.

Well, on that note, thank you so much to our guests and fellow Britney fans, Robbie Hoffman and Alex Falcone for joining us here on The Big Flop. And of course, thanks to all of you for listening and watching. If you're enjoying the show, please leave us a rating and review or subscribe. And we'll be back next week with another flop. If you remember the old days of broadcast TV, not being able to skip commercials, maybe flipping to another channel

to try and fill the commercial break, you might remember this little jingle. 1-800-94-JENNY. That's right, we're taking on the weight loss empire of Jenny Craig. Bye. Bye. Thank you so much.

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