Britney seeks control, bounces assistant

The firing came just hours before Spears hopped on a plane to Vegas, where one of her bodyguards was cited by police after getting into a fight with a paparazzo. Spears claims the photographer was overly aggressive, especially toward her son Sean Preston, and she has filed her own complaint with police.

But the recent scandals are not surprising to those who know Spears.

"Britney becomes hostile toward anyone she thinks is trying to control her," our source said. "So a lot of these blowups kind of stem from that. Britney has been telling friends that she will never work for anyone ever again who tries to make her do anything she doesn't want to. That's why she fired her manager and publicist. She thought they were all taking advantage of her, making her do things that would make them money but weren't really in her best interest. She said she's tired of being taken advantage of."

In particular, Spears bristled at having to give Rudolph 20 percent of her income, the source said.

"She thinks everyone just sees her as their personal cash cow, and it's made her overly sensitive to anybody who tries to give her direction or advise her," the source said.

That sentiment came to a head following Spears' stint at the rehab facility, Promises. Rudolph was a key player in convincing Spears she needed to go.

"That was the end for her," the source said. "She never felt like she belonged there. So that's when she decided never to do anything she didn't want. She won't sit through a photo session if she doesn't feel like it. And she won't keep around any assistant who tries to make her stick to a schedule if she doesn't want to stick to it."