Britney Spears Calls the New York Times and BBC ‘So Hypocritical’

• Save

• Save

Photo Credit: Drew F Fawkes / CC by 2.0

Britney Spears has taken to Instagram to speak out against two documentaries about her life — one created by the BBC, and the other by the New York Times.

The documentaries by the BBC and New York Times explore her struggle with mental health issues. “They criticize the media and then do the same thing?” the singer asks rhetorically about the documentaries.

The Hulu-produced New York Times documentary Framing Britney Spears drew attention in February. It focused on the ongoing battle over her conservatorship and the #FreeBritney social media movement, which calls the conservatorship a trap.

This past Saturday, the BBC debuted another documentary called The Battle for Britney: Fans, Cash, and a Conservatorship. Spears’ comments appear to be directed at this documentary. One of the sources cited is makeup artist Billy Brasfield, who says he is in contact with Spears regularly.

“I don’t actually talk to Billy B AT ALL, so I’m honestly very confused,” the singer writes on Instagram. She also decried the focus on so much negativity in her life. “I’m thrilled to remind you all that although I’ve had some pretty tough times in my life, I’ve had way more amazing times in my life, and unfortunately, my friends, I think the world is more interested in the negative.”

Britney Spears is scheduled to make a court appearance on June 23 for her conservatorship.

She is petitioning the court to remove her father, Jamie Spears, from the management of the arrangement. Her lawyers have argued that she is afraid of her father and will not resume her career until he no longer controls it. It is not known what Spears will say in court when she appears.

Despite frequently commenting on her public life on Instagram, she hasn’t been interviewed at all since 2008. Neither the NYT or BBC documentaries were able to gain a comment from Britney or any of her close associates. We only know her feelings about these documentaries because she shares them online. Spears says the New York Times documentary left her so embarrassed, she “cried for two weeks.”

The June 23 court appearance will give Britney the chance to clarify her position on the conservatorship. She has the right to end the arrangement at any time, but she has so far sought to replace her father as an administrator rather than end the conservatorship entirely. Currently, her father and mother are duking it out over their roles as manager of Britney’s estate.