As concerns continue to mount about Britney Spears’ relationship with Paul Richard Soliz, members of the pop star’s inner circle want him gone.
Multiple sources told Us Weekly those closest to Spears, 42, are concerned about Soliz’s proximity to the pop star, with one source saying “those around Britney are wary of Paul’s intentions.”
The source added, “They don’t think he’s a good fit for her.”
Soliz, 37, has been in Spears’ orbit since he was hired to do maintenance work at her home in 2022. He was present at Chateau Marmont in Los Angeles in the early hours of Thursday, May 2, when the fire department received a call about “an adult female injured.”
Spears was later photographed walking out of the hotel barefoot, carrying a pillow and a blanket in her arms. A source later told Us Weekly that Spears “rolled her ankle walking down the stairs.”
Regardless of what happened on Thursday night, a second source told Us that Spears’ friends “want Paul out of the picture.”
“They have tried for months to tell her to stop associating with him but the more they tell her to stay away, it has the reverse effect,” the source continued. “She isn’t listening to them.”
Us Weekly reached out to representatives for both Spears and Soliz for comment.
Spears and Soliz’s relationship is believed to have developed after Spears filed for divorce from Sam Asghari in August. In September, Soliz exclusively told Us Weekly that Spears is “a phenomenal woman.”
But those around Spears have seen “a noticeable change” in her since Soliz has been in the picture, said the second source.
Spears’ shift has been even more noticeable in the absence of Asghari, 30, according to the second source, saying Spears was “doing pretty well” when she was with her ex-husband. The couple’s divorce was finalized on Thursday.
“Sam is a very structured person and would work out and eat well and it was hard for her to adapt to all of it, but she needed someone like him,” the source added of the actor-model, who wed the singer in 2022. “He provided good structure.”
Soliz, meanwhile, “doesn’t provide that structure and people around her have noticed he’s bringing her down,” the source says. “There’s some concern he is more of a yes man who gives into all of Britney’s desires and whims and doesn’t say no…[He’s]not the best influence.”
Prior to his relationship with Spears, Soliz amassed a lengthy criminal record, including charges for multiple misdemeanors including disturbing the peace, child endangerment and driving without a license.
In December 2020, Soliz was arrested for possession of a firearm by a felon and unlawful possession of ammunition. Soliz ended up pleading no contest and was sentenced to two years probation and served 90 days in jail.
The second source explained that Spears “does have a team around her,” but given the end of her 13-year conservatorship in November 2021, “she can say no if she doesn’t want to do something.”
Finally, a third source added Spears is “doing alright” after the incident at the Chauteau Marmont, and “recuperating at home tending to her ankle.”
For the time being, the same source confirmed Spears and Soliz “are still in touch and still seeing each other.”
Reporting by Travis Cronin and Andrea Simpson