Britney Spears retracts statement calling documentary false - Los Angeles Times
Advertisement

Britney Spears retracts statement calling new conservatorship documentary untruthful

The face of a blond woman wearing dark eye makeup
Britney Spears attends the 2018 GLAAD Media Awards in Beverly Hills.
(Alberto E. Rodriguez / Getty Images)
Share via

Part of a recent Instagram post from Britney Spears initially claimed that “a lot of†the information included in a new documentary about the pop musician “is not true.â€

That portion of the singer’s Monday statement has since been deleted, sending already skeptical fans into yet another frenzy over the mystery that is Spears’ Instagram account.

“It’s really crazy guys,†the Grammy winner’s latest Instagram caption read. “I watched a little bit of the last documentary and I hate to inform you but a lot of what you heard is not true !!! I really try to disassociate myself from the drama !!!â€

Advertisement

By Tuesday morning, however, the text had been tweaked:

“It’s really crazy guys,†the post now reads. “I watched a little bit of the last documentary and I must say I scratched my head a couple of times ... I really try to disassociate myself from the drama !!!â€

Britney Spears’ fiancé, actor Sam Asghari, comments on Netflix’s upcoming documentary about his partner after others “left a bad after taste.â€

It’s unclear — from either version of the statement — exactly which documentary the “Lucky†artist is criticizing, considering there are three new ones all released in the last week. Citing sources, reports from TMZ and Page Six have linked her remarks to the CNN special “Toxic: Britney Spears’ Battle for Freedom,†which aired Sunday night.

The CNN program contained multiple revelations about the entertainer’s longrunning conservatorship, outlining the severe extent to which Spears’ team has allegedly monitored and limited her personal choices and activities over the past 13 years.

Advertisement

Also released last week was “Controlling Britney Spears†— the buzzy sequel to FX’s bombshell documentary “Framing Britney Spears†— which included damning testimonials from a former member of the performer’s security team.

“Controlling Britney Spears,†the follow-up to “Framing Britney Spears,†focuses on Black Box, the security firm hired to protect — and surveil — the pop star.

Throughout “Controlling Britney Spears,†the ex-employee alleged that Spears’ conservators often spied on her private conversations with her children, boyfriend and lawyer by bugging her bedroom and tapping her phone.

Spears hasn’t participated in the recent documentaries about her life, and she’s been vocal about her distaste for them. In March, she posted on Instagram that she was “embarrassed†and “cried for two weeks†after “Framing Britney Spears†premiered in February.

Advertisement

The confusion around her latest condemnation has prompted many fans to question who is really behind the pop star’s Instagram account.

After a new documentary raised surveillance allegations, Britney Spears’ attorney, Mathew Rosengart, isn’t cutting Jamie Spears any slack.

A popular conspiracy theory among #FreeBritney advocates posits that someone involved in the “...Baby One More Time†hitmaker’s conservatorship has control over Spears’ social media and has been using the platform to shape the narrative surrounding her personal life.

“Number one ... that’s the past !!!†Monday’s edited Instagram post continues. “Number two ... can the dialogue get any classier ??? Number three ... wow they used the most beautiful footage of me in the world !!! What can I say .. the EFFORT on their part !!! Wow ...â€

The director behind a secret Netflix project about Britney Spears talks about the pop star’s conservatorship ahead of her film’s Sept. 28 debut.

Shortly after “Controlling Britney Spears†premiered on FX and before “Toxic: Britney Spears’ Battle for Freedom†debuted on CNN, Spears’ new fiancé, Sam Asghari, also weighed in on the avalanche of documentaries. The latest is Erin Lee Carr’s “Britney vs Spears,†which began streaming Tuesday morning on Netflix.

“Past docs left bad after taste,†Asghari said last week on Instagram. “Im hopeful this one will be respectful. I dont blame CNN , BBC or Netflix (which got me thru lockdowns) for airing them ...

“I question producers who made them ‘just to shed light’ without input or approval from subject. Any credit for light being shed should go to†the #FreeBritney movement.

Advertisement