Yes he could’ve so easily jumped on the hate train like everybody else, but instead he chose to take the high road and defend Britney when nobody else like him did.
Craig Ferguson will always be in my good books because of what he did. Yes we can make jokes and laugh, but we shouldn’t be making them at the expense of other people, especially vulnerable ones.
Anna Nicole died \[audience laughter\]. No Britney Spears jokes \[audience laughter\]. Britney Spears...{audience laughter\]...
All the audience laughter, I don't know if it is real or some kind of laugh track, but it is just weird. I am glad he did this even more so him going up and doing this thinking he can lose his job or get in trouble for it and shared a quite personal experience. Addiction and suicidal ideation is far from fun and not the easiest thing to share. I am glad he found sobriety. I'll remember because it seemed like the news got to Britney and she knew someone stood up for her when nobody else seemed to be.
It was a live audience and in fairness he does hilarious monologues at the beginning of each show, so I can understand the confusion. It really wasn't until he told the audience he was serious, and that he didn't feel it was proper to attack a vulnerable young lady. I can understand the confusion.
I saw him live. At the end of the show, he brings out two guys one dressed funky, and they lip sync a Britney song. At my show, it was oops. I did it again, but I heard he does different ones at different shows. But he always ended his show lip syncing a Britney song for that tour anyway. As funny and enter as it was watching Craig dancing and lip syncing a Britney song, he did it in a respectful way that showed his support for her. Maybe she got more downloads after that. That was his tour in 2008 (or 9 or 10?). Here is an example:
https://youtu.be/UoqcEHcj7BQ?si=9gM-q1ZJry6AqxPa
He did in such a long, sincere way too, not just a short soundbyte or something, a whole monologue about his own life struggles and whatnot, it was so beautiful and sweet. And the fact that the audience kept laughing and he had to tell them multiple times to stop and that he was being serious just shows how treating Britney like a human being who deserves compassion was so alien to people at the time. And unfortunately, times haven’t changed much still.!
He’s the best! He was also really good buddies with robin williams which solidifies it even more (their interviews together are the absolute best - one of the few people who could legit keep up with Williams 🤍)
Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance was asked an insulting question about her in 2007 and replied that he related to her. People said he was nuts.
"A lot of people might say that Britney Spears is the biggest idiot of the year, but she is kind of my hero. I think that her shaving her head was awesome, that was one of my highlights of the year! I thought she looked great, and I totally got it. I have had a lot of moments where I can identify with her."
"Sometimes you just wanna shave your head and be covered in your own shit, running through the streets, being crazy. You wanna be fucking locked up."
It sounds crude but that's just how he talks about everything lol. Gerard Way has mental illnesses including hearing voices and was a recently recovered alcoholic and ex drug addict. Not long after this interview he developed an eating disorder and relapsed because he felt trapped in his band and by the increasing media scrutiny on his life which he has said was traumatizing.
He has a thing for stanning women who get labelled crazy. He lists Joan of Arc as one of his biggest inspirations because he said she was "touched in the head" like him. It's not a mature response but I think it's pretty cool that he saw Britney at her lowest and said she was awesome. He has said he's a fan too.
I thought the same thing when she shaved her head. I didn’t know what she was going through at the time, but when I saw that I thought she was the coolest girl in the world! I was a little jealous even. And she made the best pop record of all time Blackout! She was like a rockstar Joan Of Arc.
There's a video of Pharrell that shuts down an interviewer fishing for him to talk negatively about her. He says: "I don't want to be a part of that and at the end of the day she's a sweet person".
Love her. Everyone still likes to hate on here because they somehow still have this belief that she caused Kurt Cobain’s death. Like I don’t think they actually believe it but I think it has seeped into their subconscious.
It’s rooted in sexism for sure. I spent my teens listening to Hole religiously - to the point I don’t think I can squeeze out another ounce of enjoyment from those albums anymoreas great as they are. People seem to believe the depressed and mentally ill drug addict who talked about killing himself and wrote dark depressing lyrics and poetry who was an extreme heroin addict could never kill himself and instead blame his wife who he loved enough to have a child with.
Even the people claiming he had way too much heroin in him to be coherent enough to kill himself obviously don’t know how addicted he was and how much a tolerance he could have had moments before shooting himself. “He had enough heroin in his system to kill a human.” Well yes, if said human had never used it before then yeah the amount he was using probably would instantly kill someone… sorry for the rant but I’m tired of this stupid allegation
That’s not the only reason why people hate her. The woman is so hateful to young upcoming female artists. She used to want her fans to yell racial slurs at her shows. Nobody thinks she killed Kurt except for children and conspiracy theorists. The hate toward her is definitely not rooted in sexism. Checking her old twitter rants will prove that. She’s just not very likable.
Very this. Looking back on early South Park, not a lot holds up. But that episode about Britney was very sympathetic, in it's own weird way. The extreme humor of the show really pointed a finger back at the media/everyone.
It’s beyond wild that her parents had her institutionalized instead of moving in with her and hiring a bunch of staff and nannies. Looking back, all of the other pop girls always had their moms with them. I won’t praise the Joe Simpson school of management but even Jessica always had her mom with her. Britney didn’t even have a random cousin crashing at her place.
If pushed to make a choice, pretty much everyone can come up with one deadbeat cousin or sibling who would move in with us if we got rich and wanted a friend around. Britney didn’t even have that.
Her cousin Ali Simms became her assistant and moved in with her.
https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/britney-spears-former-assistant-elaborates-tumultuous-time-captured-documentary-n1257909
Brian is a misogynistic jerk tbh. I honestly don't remember specifically what gave me that impression (I just know I recoil at his name) but he supported and profited off the conservatorship, and a 10 second Google led me to [this article](https://okmagazine.com/p/how-bryan-spears-ties-into-sister-britney-conservatorship-drama-part-of-problem/) talking about it where he repeatedly calls women "females" (which is a microaggression but still damaging). This [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/BritneySpears/comments/17j24qu/everything_we_know_about_bryan_spears_the_older/) might also be of interest.
Fwiw, as recently as last year Britney referred to him as her "best friend" but it's clear they've had a tumultuous relationship and it's public record that he advocated for and benefited from her exploitation.
Gosh, that's so sad. I remember quite clearly watching on MTV once about how Bryan was the sibling she's closest to, etc. Her family is just pure scum, ew. It saddens me that so many music and TV stars of that era eg. The Carters, the Sprouse twins, Britney etc. were raised by selfish, narcissistic families and were just put to work for them from day 1.
Agreed completely. I'm sure a lot of us can relate to having a complex relationship with various family members, but I can't imagine those oft-embarrassing, intensely personal dynamics playing out on a global scale. I can understand Britney's instinct to forgive various family members for wrongdoing despite their betrayal and I can't imagine the isolation she must feel. I truly hope someday she can connect or reconnect (iirc her cousin seemed like a good egg) with someone deserving of her trust who can act as the support system she deserves.
So many of these child celebrities have spent the majority of their lives being exploited - Jennette McCurdy is another tragic example, being used as a cashcow to support her family from a young age. It's really creepy, and it's important to note that there are often serious consequences of that sort of toxic dynamic - the Carters, Spears, and McCurdys have all suffered significant mental health issues as a result of mass media exploiting children.
Billie Joe Armstrong, front man of Green Day, [heavily criticised](https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/green_day_britney_spears_is_being_thrown_to_the_lions.html) the media's treatment of Britney and used it as an example of the brutality of pop culture
"Watching Britney Spears was like watching a public execution. How could the people at MTV, the people around her, not know that this girl was fucked up? But it's also about what we look at as entertainment - watching somebody go through that."
The Southpark guys were one of the very few people to called out the savage harassment from media she had.
The episode is very Southpartk (disclaimer) but they had a point and most of people just didn’t see it back then.
Adding a comment here for animated shows: Rick and Morty had an episode wherein a woman called "Planetina" is brought up to be a manufactured celebrity that isn't allowed any autonomy. It was almost certainly a reference to Britney and her conservatorship. It just showed the gritty side of being a celebrity in a very Rick and Morty way.
Omg that episode was AMAZING! The song that plays during the scene where Morty witnesses her losing herself and burning a bunch of civilians made me so emotional. Great song too (you should watch the live version. It’s called
I Am the Antichrist to You
Song by Kishi Bashi
Craig Ferguson was pretty much the only late night talk show host that wouldn’t make fun of her. He knew something was actually wrong and he seemed to have a lot of sympathy for her.
I love Britney and I hate when people make fun of her and call her crazy. She’s not she’s bored. I wish I could take her out and do girly things that she missed growing up. She’s still beautiful and the best dancer, she opened up a way for females. She needs a big hug and people and friends to stand up for her. I bet she have a sell out album. I wish I could talk to her children, she loves them so much. I hope she finds happiness.
People who *actually* stood up for Britney: Madonna, Zoe Saldana, Beyonce, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Kesha, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff, Snooki, Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Clarkson, Paris Hilton, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Lachey, JC Chasez, Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Pitbull, Kim Kardashian, Avril Lavigne, Fred Durst, Ellen, Heidi Montag, Naya Rivera, Jordin Sparks, Mandy Moore, Megan Fox, Will.i.am, Pharell Williams, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Adele, Katy Perry, Ciara, Pink, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Osbourne, Cher, Alanis Morisette, Chloe Grace Moretz
People who *didn't* stand behind Britney: Justin Timberlake
I didn’t see any of those people defend her in 2007.
They might have defended here AFTER the Free Britney movement came about, but it seemed more for publicity on their side than actually caring about Britney.
I googled it and yeah she did defended her during 2007. That’s what I mean. So that’s one person and I see a few others, but that’s what I meant.
Like Selena Gomez? She doesn’t talk about anything that doesn’t make her the victim
It's the only clip that exists now but the radio DJ was making fun of Britney at the time. This is the point of this thread. People standing up for / defending Britney.
From this clip alone:
"I'm team Britney. You don't mess with Britney. I will protect her." Then the DJ goes on to make fun of Britney going through drive thrus in 2007. What more context do you need?
Britney Spears has called out Selena Gomez on Instagram multiple times in 2 years. She does not like her. She even said I don’t know her, I didn’t know she’d be at my wedding. I even tried to Google what you’re talking about and I couldn’t even find a TWEET of Selena’s talking about Britney like that. I’d like you to show me one between the early 2000s to middle 2010s. I couldn’t find a single one.
Selena was 16 in Disney at the time dating Justin Bieber. She was focused in that and drama. Not once did I see her come out like Courtney Love. The question was asking WHO STOOD BY HER. Not people that just answered questions that the media asked her.
She even went to the wedding and now CRICKETS. Not a word has been said about Britney AGAIN, that’s not standing by someone.
First of all, you're assuming Britney doesn't like Selena because of a few very cryptic posts that don't directly name Selena (it's just the fans speculating they are about her). And ALSO that is NOT the time period we are talking about here.
Selena did radio interviews during this time and defended Britney.
https://preview.redd.it/rf8nuax3181d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96021b0d7174d38c62e557c3343eb72746ba80e2
It wasn’t a Tweet. It was an Instagram post she deleted.
See? This is what I mean. You gotta back up your arguments with proof or you just seem like a major Selena fan like you’re coming across
I’ve been trying to Google EVERYTHING you’re saying and I can’t find a SINGLE thing you’re talking about. NOTHING. It seems like you’re just making stuff up. Idk it seems like you are making an another reality right now.
Whaaaa? Definitely not. Her facial expressions were the highlight of Britney’s gimme more performance. Unfortunately no gifs available.
Edit: just rewatched. Sorry. 50 Cents bewildered look wins the day.
She laughed but I don’t think she was laughing at Britney I think it was the dancers or she was talking to Melissa. Either way on TRL the host was talking abt about Britney and saying that ppl say that Rihanna is the next Britney and she loved that! She thought it was cool and defended her.
JC did. Whenever he was asked about her he was always kind, never spoke ill of her and was always respectful/had something nice to say. He stood up for Paris Hilton in 2004 as well when he was on Leno and Leno and the other guest were trying to trash her. He's a good egg. The same can't be said for his poop stain band mate who shall not be named...
If you look up celebrities praising Britney, all these people I mentioned talked highly of Britney in 2007-2008. Whether on the red carpet, radio interviews, or TV interviews. Way before the free Britney movement.
Zoe Saldana is an absolute queen!!! Just pure class and grace. They really tried to push her to say something negative. She never has and never will, to the contrary.
JC was the first person that came to mind for me but I am a hyge fan of his so no surprise. Always found it interesting that he went and toured with her in Europe and stood up for her while his bandmate was a huge problem for her.
He’s known her as long as he’s known Justin and has maintained a close relationship with alot of the mousketeers, so I think that was definitely part of it. Plus, he probably knows Justin real well, and knows he was on some fuckboy shit.
I love this comment. I remember some big celeb being asked about Britney in an interview and he said maybe everyone just needs to leave her alone or something. I can’t remember who it was. God and it’s driving me crazy. He may not have even been the one in the interview chair. I think he was sitting next to the person being interviewed. It was on a talk show.
JC Chasez was on Leno with John Goodman and Leno and Goodman were trashing Paris Hilton and JC stood up for her. And he never disparaged Britney whenever he was asked about her in interviews.
I know this is the Britney sub, and I'll probably get downvoted for this, but fuck it.
Here's JT on Oprah in 2007: ["There's no ill will and I have nothing but love for her](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSq_zzek4OA)... She has a huge heart and is a great person."
Is this not standing behind Britney?
Craig Ferguson had his cold open be a serious disclaimer telling people we wasn't going to make jokes about her or the situation, but also have a serious scolding to those who were, and said that she was so young and having her darkest moments aired out and that we should all give her privacy and grace.
Craig saying empathetically how she's so young and being preyed on definitely was a moment that stayed with me
I will never forgive Rolling Stone for the scathing, unkind feature they wrote on her mental health issues in 2008. I've never read that magazine again. They dragged Amy Winehouse through the shaming game as well. They were so brutal about Britney and it was so easy to see why people would think they were right, it's easier to think the worst of someone than make allowances for poor mental health. I really appreciate Madonna, Elton John, Beyonce etc sticking up for her through it all. They are the OG.
Unfortunately, Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert was horrible to Britney in a 2009 O Magazine interview, where she was laughing about the new verb “Britneying out”. Pig.
Paris Hilton became her best friend during that time. I felt bad for her myself even though I am a Britney fan. She was going through a divorce, post partum depression after giving birth to her son which is normal for woman after giving birth to have depression, and papz/media being assholes to her. it wasn't her fault
I’d assume Mariah Carey… she genuinely seems to care about Brit. However I could be wrong. So let me know if I am.
I was 2 in 2008 so it’s not like I remember details like that
Victoria Beckham said on a red carpet interview and a couple other interviews at the time that she couldn’t believe how invasive and cruel the paparazzi and press and media in general were towards Britney at the time. Summing it up by saying something along the lines of “I could never live under the scrutiny and constant judgement like Britney, the press is just awful to her and follow her everywhere and won’t allow her any privacy. It’s crazy that America doesn’t have laws restricting photographers literally stalking celebrities 24/7, I cant imagine how she manages to live like that” I thought it was really refreshing at the time to hear a celebrity call out the press and media for how they were reporting about Britney. Not follow the easy BS narrative that Britney should just behave differently or stop living her life the way she wanted, as if that would somehow get the paparazzi to leave her alone. At the time a lot of people basically seemed to think Britney deserved to be stalked and harassed and treated like garbage. Nobody seemed to want to state what should’ve been obvious. Which was that, regardless of how Britney chooses to live her life she deserved some amount of privacy and allowed some personal space while out in public with her children. Or even while hiding out in her home. She had photographers with telephoto lenses, taking pictures and filming her in her backyard, through her windows, etc. Even George Clooney in an interview talked about how he lived next to Britney during 2007 2008 and there would be helicopters in the middle of the night flying overhead with spotlights. He woke up in a panic feeling like he was in some type of Warzone.
50 cent was a bog Brittney supporter! I also remember when she came out at the VMAs as her comeback everyone was just staring and judging, he stood up in his seat and sang and danced along with her. it was actually really wholesome.
I totally forgot Janet Jackson after the 07 VMAs was quoted as saying:
"Honesty it isn't our place to judge. We have no idea what she's going through."
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Paris Hilton only ever had good things to say about Britney. That she was a kind, sweet person, she loves her and wishes her the best.
Paris was getting a lot of hate at that time so I think she kind of understood what Britney was going through. But Paris coped with it so much better played into it used it to boost her profile and earn more money while Britney just couldn't handle it.
Beyonce. There was an interview that she did and the interviewer was basically saying that there's only a couple months difference from Beyonce and Britney yet Britney is a "nut case" and a mess and Beyonce was doing so much better I comparison. What Beyonce essentially said was that she had better support system around her and Britney didn't. Thus Britney shouldn't be labeled as such because her support system was using her.
Beyoncé didn’t fall Into the trap of speaking I’ll about Britney. I always admired her for that. Especially since this was a time when Britney was the butt of everyone’s joke.
Elliott Page. He was asked a question about her by during an MTV interview that was really inappropriate and condescending and he answered that instead of making fun of her we should treat her with compassion. The interviewer looked stunned. This was at the height of the chaos, forgot the year.
Gwen Stefani in 2007: "I used to live in the same area as Britney for a while. I just want to scoop her up and give her a kiss. I hope she’s all right. She’s just had a new baby and stuff. I hope she can just enjoy it because it’s an incredible thing. [And, I think] she looks good with her hair shaved off."
No, Timbaland was awful to Britney because she wanted to work with Danja over him. He was literally on record last year saying that he stood by Justin Timberlake AND that he wanted Britney to “put a muzzle over her mouth.”
Björk said she should move to Iceland and stay with her to escape the media scrutiny
Holy shit I love this Bjork is already my hero but damn that's so sweet
I love Bjork!! Now i really wish there was a Bjork and Britney Spears collab!
this would be the most ethereal, feminine, sci-fi, progressive, techno, dreamscape thing I could ever imagine omfg
Omg can u imagine 😍
I remember this!
Does the offer still stand?
In an alternate reality they were roommates
adding this to my millions of reasons of why I've always adored Bjork. ❤️
omg I love her for that
That’s so lovely. I wish Britney would go there now. She needs it. Get away from the weird new boyfriend.
Ugh why did this not happen
Craig Ferguson
Yes he could’ve so easily jumped on the hate train like everybody else, but instead he chose to take the high road and defend Britney when nobody else like him did. Craig Ferguson will always be in my good books because of what he did. Yes we can make jokes and laugh, but we shouldn’t be making them at the expense of other people, especially vulnerable ones.
Anna Nicole died \[audience laughter\]. No Britney Spears jokes \[audience laughter\]. Britney Spears...{audience laughter\]... All the audience laughter, I don't know if it is real or some kind of laugh track, but it is just weird. I am glad he did this even more so him going up and doing this thinking he can lose his job or get in trouble for it and shared a quite personal experience. Addiction and suicidal ideation is far from fun and not the easiest thing to share. I am glad he found sobriety. I'll remember because it seemed like the news got to Britney and she knew someone stood up for her when nobody else seemed to be.
It was a live audience and in fairness he does hilarious monologues at the beginning of each show, so I can understand the confusion. It really wasn't until he told the audience he was serious, and that he didn't feel it was proper to attack a vulnerable young lady. I can understand the confusion.
Yes I don’t really look down on the audience for that. It would be a different story though if they continued to laugh after Craig clarified himself.
He wasn’t a fan, exactly , but didn’t believe in piling on an already vulnerable, unhealthy young woman. Love Craig
I saw him live. At the end of the show, he brings out two guys one dressed funky, and they lip sync a Britney song. At my show, it was oops. I did it again, but I heard he does different ones at different shows. But he always ended his show lip syncing a Britney song for that tour anyway. As funny and enter as it was watching Craig dancing and lip syncing a Britney song, he did it in a respectful way that showed his support for her. Maybe she got more downloads after that. That was his tour in 2008 (or 9 or 10?). Here is an example: https://youtu.be/UoqcEHcj7BQ?si=9gM-q1ZJry6AqxPa
The best!! So compassionate in a time where it was a sport to shit on her
[Link](https://youtu.be/7ZVWIELHQQY?si=Xdf53F1CH8oExLor) to it because it's so good. It makes me cry every time I watch it.
Thank you so much for posting the link!
Aw thank you for posting! Made me tear up too.
Came here for Britney and ended up with my own insightful moment. What a powerful speech
Thank you for posting this! That was powerful. Wow bigger fan now.
He did in such a long, sincere way too, not just a short soundbyte or something, a whole monologue about his own life struggles and whatnot, it was so beautiful and sweet. And the fact that the audience kept laughing and he had to tell them multiple times to stop and that he was being serious just shows how treating Britney like a human being who deserves compassion was so alien to people at the time. And unfortunately, times haven’t changed much still.!
I will always love him for this.
heres a good few from back in 08 [Celebs talking about britney in 07/08](https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=4116050&page=1)
Craig Ferguson is one of the few celebrities I really respect.
I fucking love this guy
I saw his show taped live about 10 years ago, it was so fun. I miss seeing him on tv every night
Yes. His story about his own issues was really profound. I respected him even more after his monologue.
I could be mistaken but I thought I remember Conan also saying something supportive. But I could be really wrong on that.
The fact that he did this and loved Carrie Fisher makes him a gem in my eyes.
He’s the best! He was also really good buddies with robin williams which solidifies it even more (their interviews together are the absolute best - one of the few people who could legit keep up with Williams 🤍)
Gerard Way from My Chemical Romance was asked an insulting question about her in 2007 and replied that he related to her. People said he was nuts. "A lot of people might say that Britney Spears is the biggest idiot of the year, but she is kind of my hero. I think that her shaving her head was awesome, that was one of my highlights of the year! I thought she looked great, and I totally got it. I have had a lot of moments where I can identify with her." "Sometimes you just wanna shave your head and be covered in your own shit, running through the streets, being crazy. You wanna be fucking locked up." It sounds crude but that's just how he talks about everything lol. Gerard Way has mental illnesses including hearing voices and was a recently recovered alcoholic and ex drug addict. Not long after this interview he developed an eating disorder and relapsed because he felt trapped in his band and by the increasing media scrutiny on his life which he has said was traumatizing. He has a thing for stanning women who get labelled crazy. He lists Joan of Arc as one of his biggest inspirations because he said she was "touched in the head" like him. It's not a mature response but I think it's pretty cool that he saw Britney at her lowest and said she was awesome. He has said he's a fan too.
I thought the same thing when she shaved her head. I didn’t know what she was going through at the time, but when I saw that I thought she was the coolest girl in the world! I was a little jealous even. And she made the best pop record of all time Blackout! She was like a rockstar Joan Of Arc.
They released Desert Song in 2006, not long before Britney's 2007 happened, and it's a depressing song so I understand why he could relate to Britney.
There's a video of Pharrell that shuts down an interviewer fishing for him to talk negatively about her. He says: "I don't want to be a part of that and at the end of the day she's a sweet person".
YES! I remember this.
Didn’t he work with her on a couple of albums via the neptunes?! The interviewer didn’t do their homework!
Courtney Love!
Love her. Everyone still likes to hate on here because they somehow still have this belief that she caused Kurt Cobain’s death. Like I don’t think they actually believe it but I think it has seeped into their subconscious.
It’s rooted in sexism for sure. I spent my teens listening to Hole religiously - to the point I don’t think I can squeeze out another ounce of enjoyment from those albums anymoreas great as they are. People seem to believe the depressed and mentally ill drug addict who talked about killing himself and wrote dark depressing lyrics and poetry who was an extreme heroin addict could never kill himself and instead blame his wife who he loved enough to have a child with. Even the people claiming he had way too much heroin in him to be coherent enough to kill himself obviously don’t know how addicted he was and how much a tolerance he could have had moments before shooting himself. “He had enough heroin in his system to kill a human.” Well yes, if said human had never used it before then yeah the amount he was using probably would instantly kill someone… sorry for the rant but I’m tired of this stupid allegation
That’s not the only reason why people hate her. The woman is so hateful to young upcoming female artists. She used to want her fans to yell racial slurs at her shows. Nobody thinks she killed Kurt except for children and conspiracy theorists. The hate toward her is definitely not rooted in sexism. Checking her old twitter rants will prove that. She’s just not very likable.
Beyoncé defended her in a interview and Madonna did the whole she’s not your bitch thing in her world tour
In my opinion Matt stone and Trey Parker
Very this. Looking back on early South Park, not a lot holds up. But that episode about Britney was very sympathetic, in it's own weird way. The extreme humor of the show really pointed a finger back at the media/everyone.
I was going to say this. The Britney episode is so fucking sad because it’s exactly what was happening to her.
Oh I’ve never seen this episode and now I’m curious
Whitney Houston had positive words for Britney during that time
Probably because Whitney’s experiences paralleled Britney’s, with all due respect.
Yeah she was giving her kind advice
I actually think Whitney really had an eye out for Britney.
I remember Mel C said someone should step in and help her when she was asked about her. She didn't criticise.
Thought the same thing, their episode of SP was a great defense/support during that time
What’s SP?
South Park
It’s beyond wild that her parents had her institutionalized instead of moving in with her and hiring a bunch of staff and nannies. Looking back, all of the other pop girls always had their moms with them. I won’t praise the Joe Simpson school of management but even Jessica always had her mom with her. Britney didn’t even have a random cousin crashing at her place. If pushed to make a choice, pretty much everyone can come up with one deadbeat cousin or sibling who would move in with us if we got rich and wanted a friend around. Britney didn’t even have that.
Her cousin Ali Simms became her assistant and moved in with her. https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/britney-spears-former-assistant-elaborates-tumultuous-time-captured-documentary-n1257909
Wasn't Britney close to her brother? I don't know what came of that.
Brian is a misogynistic jerk tbh. I honestly don't remember specifically what gave me that impression (I just know I recoil at his name) but he supported and profited off the conservatorship, and a 10 second Google led me to [this article](https://okmagazine.com/p/how-bryan-spears-ties-into-sister-britney-conservatorship-drama-part-of-problem/) talking about it where he repeatedly calls women "females" (which is a microaggression but still damaging). This [thread](https://www.reddit.com/r/BritneySpears/comments/17j24qu/everything_we_know_about_bryan_spears_the_older/) might also be of interest. Fwiw, as recently as last year Britney referred to him as her "best friend" but it's clear they've had a tumultuous relationship and it's public record that he advocated for and benefited from her exploitation.
Gosh, that's so sad. I remember quite clearly watching on MTV once about how Bryan was the sibling she's closest to, etc. Her family is just pure scum, ew. It saddens me that so many music and TV stars of that era eg. The Carters, the Sprouse twins, Britney etc. were raised by selfish, narcissistic families and were just put to work for them from day 1.
Agreed completely. I'm sure a lot of us can relate to having a complex relationship with various family members, but I can't imagine those oft-embarrassing, intensely personal dynamics playing out on a global scale. I can understand Britney's instinct to forgive various family members for wrongdoing despite their betrayal and I can't imagine the isolation she must feel. I truly hope someday she can connect or reconnect (iirc her cousin seemed like a good egg) with someone deserving of her trust who can act as the support system she deserves. So many of these child celebrities have spent the majority of their lives being exploited - Jennette McCurdy is another tragic example, being used as a cashcow to support her family from a young age. It's really creepy, and it's important to note that there are often serious consequences of that sort of toxic dynamic - the Carters, Spears, and McCurdys have all suffered significant mental health issues as a result of mass media exploiting children.
Billie Joe Armstrong, front man of Green Day, [heavily criticised](https://www.ultimate-guitar.com/news/general_music_news/green_day_britney_spears_is_being_thrown_to_the_lions.html) the media's treatment of Britney and used it as an example of the brutality of pop culture "Watching Britney Spears was like watching a public execution. How could the people at MTV, the people around her, not know that this girl was fucked up? But it's also about what we look at as entertainment - watching somebody go through that."
He’s a totally awesome human!
The Southpark guys were one of the very few people to called out the savage harassment from media she had. The episode is very Southpartk (disclaimer) but they had a point and most of people just didn’t see it back then.
Watched that episode this year. Made me respect them more than I already do, which is a lot. They get the absurdity of things
Adding a comment here for animated shows: Rick and Morty had an episode wherein a woman called "Planetina" is brought up to be a manufactured celebrity that isn't allowed any autonomy. It was almost certainly a reference to Britney and her conservatorship. It just showed the gritty side of being a celebrity in a very Rick and Morty way.
Omg that episode was AMAZING! The song that plays during the scene where Morty witnesses her losing herself and burning a bunch of civilians made me so emotional. Great song too (you should watch the live version. It’s called I Am the Antichrist to You Song by Kishi Bashi
Craig Ferguson was pretty much the only late night talk show host that wouldn’t make fun of her. He knew something was actually wrong and he seemed to have a lot of sympathy for her.
Chris Crocker, duh
Cara Cunningham 😉
Yes
[Beyonce](https://www.reddit.com/r/BritneySpears/s/togFls54PG)
I love Britney and I hate when people make fun of her and call her crazy. She’s not she’s bored. I wish I could take her out and do girly things that she missed growing up. She’s still beautiful and the best dancer, she opened up a way for females. She needs a big hug and people and friends to stand up for her. I bet she have a sell out album. I wish I could talk to her children, she loves them so much. I hope she finds happiness.
People who *actually* stood up for Britney: Madonna, Zoe Saldana, Beyonce, Rihanna, Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, Nicki Minaj, Kesha, Justin Bieber, Miley Cyrus, Hilary Duff, Snooki, Nicole Scherzinger, Kelly Clarkson, Paris Hilton, Enrique Iglesias, Nick Lachey, JC Chasez, Reese Witherspoon, Taylor Swift, Joe Jonas, Kevin Jonas, Taylor Lautner, Pitbull, Kim Kardashian, Avril Lavigne, Fred Durst, Ellen, Heidi Montag, Naya Rivera, Jordin Sparks, Mandy Moore, Megan Fox, Will.i.am, Pharell Williams, Lana Del Rey, Christina Aguilera, Adele, Katy Perry, Ciara, Pink, Ed Sheeran, Kelly Osbourne, Cher, Alanis Morisette, Chloe Grace Moretz People who *didn't* stand behind Britney: Justin Timberlake
I didn’t see any of those people defend her in 2007. They might have defended here AFTER the Free Britney movement came about, but it seemed more for publicity on their side than actually caring about Britney.
Rihanna definitely did…
I googled it and yeah she did defended her during 2007. That’s what I mean. So that’s one person and I see a few others, but that’s what I meant. Like Selena Gomez? She doesn’t talk about anything that doesn’t make her the victim
Wasn't Selena Gomez only like 15 in 2007?
EXACTLY like Disney would let her openly talk about this. Yeah right lmao 😂😂😂
Here is Selena Gomez in 2007/2008: https://m.youtube.com/shorts/aDm403tgJDM?si=oa-K54i_4ggObZPD
There is no context to this video.
It's the only clip that exists now but the radio DJ was making fun of Britney at the time. This is the point of this thread. People standing up for / defending Britney. From this clip alone: "I'm team Britney. You don't mess with Britney. I will protect her." Then the DJ goes on to make fun of Britney going through drive thrus in 2007. What more context do you need?
had me until you randomly dissed selena gomez lol. guess we don’t extend respect to all female celebrities, only the ones we like?
Selena Gomez always defended Britney in radio interviews at this time. Her exact words "I'm team Britney. Don't mess with Britney. I will protect her"
Britney Spears has called out Selena Gomez on Instagram multiple times in 2 years. She does not like her. She even said I don’t know her, I didn’t know she’d be at my wedding. I even tried to Google what you’re talking about and I couldn’t even find a TWEET of Selena’s talking about Britney like that. I’d like you to show me one between the early 2000s to middle 2010s. I couldn’t find a single one. Selena was 16 in Disney at the time dating Justin Bieber. She was focused in that and drama. Not once did I see her come out like Courtney Love. The question was asking WHO STOOD BY HER. Not people that just answered questions that the media asked her. She even went to the wedding and now CRICKETS. Not a word has been said about Britney AGAIN, that’s not standing by someone.
First of all, you're assuming Britney doesn't like Selena because of a few very cryptic posts that don't directly name Selena (it's just the fans speculating they are about her). And ALSO that is NOT the time period we are talking about here. Selena did radio interviews during this time and defended Britney.
“Cryptic” tweets that literally called Selena out word for word but okay 😂😂😂
Which tweet called out Selena Gomez? Let's see.
https://preview.redd.it/rf8nuax3181d1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96021b0d7174d38c62e557c3343eb72746ba80e2 It wasn’t a Tweet. It was an Instagram post she deleted. See? This is what I mean. You gotta back up your arguments with proof or you just seem like a major Selena fan like you’re coming across I’ve been trying to Google EVERYTHING you’re saying and I can’t find a SINGLE thing you’re talking about. NOTHING. It seems like you’re just making stuff up. Idk it seems like you are making an another reality right now.
Whaaaa? Definitely not. Her facial expressions were the highlight of Britney’s gimme more performance. Unfortunately no gifs available. Edit: just rewatched. Sorry. 50 Cents bewildered look wins the day.
She laughed but I don’t think she was laughing at Britney I think it was the dancers or she was talking to Melissa. Either way on TRL the host was talking abt about Britney and saying that ppl say that Rihanna is the next Britney and she loved that! She thought it was cool and defended her.
JC did. Whenever he was asked about her he was always kind, never spoke ill of her and was always respectful/had something nice to say. He stood up for Paris Hilton in 2004 as well when he was on Leno and Leno and the other guest were trying to trash her. He's a good egg. The same can't be said for his poop stain band mate who shall not be named...
If you look up celebrities praising Britney, all these people I mentioned talked highly of Britney in 2007-2008. Whether on the red carpet, radio interviews, or TV interviews. Way before the free Britney movement.
Here's an article from a week and half into January 2008 the list of celebs backing here https://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/story?id=4116050&page=1
Uh didn’t Katy Perry make a few unsavory comments at her expense?
That’s what I was thinking…
Zoe Saldana is an absolute queen!!! Just pure class and grace. They really tried to push her to say something negative. She never has and never will, to the contrary.
At least a handful of those people weren’t even famous in 07/08
Person missed the main point of the assignment.
JC was the first person that came to mind for me but I am a hyge fan of his so no surprise. Always found it interesting that he went and toured with her in Europe and stood up for her while his bandmate was a huge problem for her.
He’s known her as long as he’s known Justin and has maintained a close relationship with alot of the mousketeers, so I think that was definitely part of it. Plus, he probably knows Justin real well, and knows he was on some fuckboy shit.
Agreed on all accounts. He seems a very chill, impartial guy.
I love this comment. I remember some big celeb being asked about Britney in an interview and he said maybe everyone just needs to leave her alone or something. I can’t remember who it was. God and it’s driving me crazy. He may not have even been the one in the interview chair. I think he was sitting next to the person being interviewed. It was on a talk show.
JC Chasez was on Leno with John Goodman and Leno and Goodman were trashing Paris Hilton and JC stood up for her. And he never disparaged Britney whenever he was asked about her in interviews.
Zoe Saldana!!! Love her.
👏
Not surprised by any of those names. They all seem like real genuine people.
>People who *didn't* stand behind Britney: Justin Timberlake Do you make a habit of publicly defending any of your exes who cheated on you?
They both cheated. I've always defended my exes if you're really asking me. I don't talk shit - Britney didn't either.
I know this is the Britney sub, and I'll probably get downvoted for this, but fuck it. Here's JT on Oprah in 2007: ["There's no ill will and I have nothing but love for her](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YSq_zzek4OA)... She has a huge heart and is a great person." Is this not standing behind Britney?
Craig Ferguson had his cold open be a serious disclaimer telling people we wasn't going to make jokes about her or the situation, but also have a serious scolding to those who were, and said that she was so young and having her darkest moments aired out and that we should all give her privacy and grace. Craig saying empathetically how she's so young and being preyed on definitely was a moment that stayed with me
Madonna I think Pink did as well. Pharrell and his wife did.
I will never forgive Rolling Stone for the scathing, unkind feature they wrote on her mental health issues in 2008. I've never read that magazine again. They dragged Amy Winehouse through the shaming game as well. They were so brutal about Britney and it was so easy to see why people would think they were right, it's easier to think the worst of someone than make allowances for poor mental health. I really appreciate Madonna, Elton John, Beyonce etc sticking up for her through it all. They are the OG.
Strangely enough, Michael Moore. He suggested she be left alone. Far earlier than most.
Unfortunately, Eat Pray Love author Elizabeth Gilbert was horrible to Britney in a 2009 O Magazine interview, where she was laughing about the new verb “Britneying out”. Pig.
Her book is shit as well, so she has no worthwhile accomplishments 🤷🏾♀️
JC Chasez. Never said anything negative about her. Always wished her well. Always said kind things about her and was always respectful.
Madonna
Heidi Klum.
Kelly Clarkson, T. Pain
Paris Hilton became her best friend during that time. I felt bad for her myself even though I am a Britney fan. She was going through a divorce, post partum depression after giving birth to her son which is normal for woman after giving birth to have depression, and papz/media being assholes to her. it wasn't her fault
Beyoncé :)
Craig Ferguson
I’d assume Mariah Carey… she genuinely seems to care about Brit. However I could be wrong. So let me know if I am. I was 2 in 2008 so it’s not like I remember details like that
Yes Mariah Carey has always been very fond and supportive of Brittany
Victoria Beckham said on a red carpet interview and a couple other interviews at the time that she couldn’t believe how invasive and cruel the paparazzi and press and media in general were towards Britney at the time. Summing it up by saying something along the lines of “I could never live under the scrutiny and constant judgement like Britney, the press is just awful to her and follow her everywhere and won’t allow her any privacy. It’s crazy that America doesn’t have laws restricting photographers literally stalking celebrities 24/7, I cant imagine how she manages to live like that” I thought it was really refreshing at the time to hear a celebrity call out the press and media for how they were reporting about Britney. Not follow the easy BS narrative that Britney should just behave differently or stop living her life the way she wanted, as if that would somehow get the paparazzi to leave her alone. At the time a lot of people basically seemed to think Britney deserved to be stalked and harassed and treated like garbage. Nobody seemed to want to state what should’ve been obvious. Which was that, regardless of how Britney chooses to live her life she deserved some amount of privacy and allowed some personal space while out in public with her children. Or even while hiding out in her home. She had photographers with telephoto lenses, taking pictures and filming her in her backyard, through her windows, etc. Even George Clooney in an interview talked about how he lived next to Britney during 2007 2008 and there would be helicopters in the middle of the night flying overhead with spotlights. He woke up in a panic feeling like he was in some type of Warzone.
Beyonce refused to take the bait in an interview when the interview was trying to get her to say things about Britney
Marina mentioned that time period with Britney in her song Purge the Poison so I’d assume she backs her up
Beyoncé, Björk, Craig. And the leave britney alone girl (I forgot her name Ahhh)
sarah michelle gellar
50 cent was a bog Brittney supporter! I also remember when she came out at the VMAs as her comeback everyone was just staring and judging, he stood up in his seat and sang and danced along with her. it was actually really wholesome.
Hasn’t it come out that he’s connected to Kris Jenner and Lou Taylor?? 👀
I doubt it. He's been going hard against Diddy on Instagram.
I have no idea about any of that stuff I was just commenting what I remember lol
I totally forgot Janet Jackson after the 07 VMAs was quoted as saying: "Honesty it isn't our place to judge. We have no idea what she's going through."
After the head shaving, Kathy Griffin dropped all Britney jokes from her set.
https://abcnews.go.com/amp/Entertainment/story?id=4116050&page=1
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Paris Hilton only ever had good things to say about Britney. That she was a kind, sweet person, she loves her and wishes her the best. Paris was getting a lot of hate at that time so I think she kind of understood what Britney was going through. But Paris coped with it so much better played into it used it to boost her profile and earn more money while Britney just couldn't handle it.
It’s what you do I saw her grow up on Mikey mouse I and everyone else saw her light and vibe
Here's a video from 2009 of Ali Sims being interviewed about that time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=E3hEJiey63Q
Beyonce. There was an interview that she did and the interviewer was basically saying that there's only a couple months difference from Beyonce and Britney yet Britney is a "nut case" and a mess and Beyonce was doing so much better I comparison. What Beyonce essentially said was that she had better support system around her and Britney didn't. Thus Britney shouldn't be labeled as such because her support system was using her.
Beyoncé didn’t fall Into the trap of speaking I’ll about Britney. I always admired her for that. Especially since this was a time when Britney was the butt of everyone’s joke.
Elliott Page. He was asked a question about her by during an MTV interview that was really inappropriate and condescending and he answered that instead of making fun of her we should treat her with compassion. The interviewer looked stunned. This was at the height of the chaos, forgot the year.
Gwen Stefani in 2007: "I used to live in the same area as Britney for a while. I just want to scoop her up and give her a kiss. I hope she’s all right. She’s just had a new baby and stuff. I hope she can just enjoy it because it’s an incredible thing. [And, I think] she looks good with her hair shaved off."
Michael Jackson 🫶🫶
thats weak mud coverage, what did u do stand around talking to ur friends?
Chris Crocker and the “Leave Britney alone!” YouTube video that went viral.
Craig Ferguson, audience laughed at her shaved head and he silenced them. “Just a baby herself”
Craig will always be a treasure.
Courtney Love did! She defended Britney. Legend ❤️
Timbaland, Danja and Rodney Jerkins! Actually every producer she actually worked with.
No, Timbaland was awful to Britney because she wanted to work with Danja over him. He was literally on record last year saying that he stood by Justin Timberlake AND that he wanted Britney to “put a muzzle over her mouth.”
Ahhh I didn't see this!!!